HCL Technologies inaugurates first Global Development Centre in Colombo

HCL Sri Lanka Global Development Centre Team

• Plans to deploy about 3,000 people in coming 3-5 years and of which 1,500 employees will start working here in next 18 months 

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global technology company, yesterday announced the official opening of its Global Development Centre 
in Colombo.

The new development centre was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, in the presence of HCL Founder, Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer Shiv Nadar and HCL President and Chief Executive Officer C. Vijayakumar, via a virtual ceremony. 

HCL’s office in Colombo will be home to world-class infrastructure, multi-layered data and physical security protocols and high-end systems to support its global customer base. 
From its new state-of-the-art office, HCL will primarily focus on offering next-generation solutions to serve major 
blue-chip organisations. 

Commenting during the virtual inauguration event, Rajapaksa said, “It gives me great pleasure to join you on the occasion of HCL inaugurating its first global delivery centre in Sri Lanka. 

As a nation, we are not only honoured to welcome a multinational technology giant such as HCL but we are also thankful for the opportunities the centre will offer our youth. The presence of a global ICT leader such as HCL is not only an asset to Sri Lanka but also sends a strong message to the entire world that Sri Lanka is back in business, having successfully contained the global pandemic. I take this opportunity to congratulate the management of HCL and extend my very best wishes.” 

The inauguration was also attended by HCL Corporate Vice President Srimathi Shivashankar, Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Susantha Ratnayake, HCL partners from PwC, BOI, Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM), Esoft and other leading business dignitaries. The office in Colombo, which currently has a seating capacity for more than 650 employees, already has over 100 new HCL local recruits. By end-November 2020, it hopes to further add 600+ seats at this centre. 

HCL plans to deploy about 3,000 people in the coming three to five years and of which 1,500 employees will start working in Sri Lanka in the next 18 months. “We have a strong cultural link up with Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka have contributed to each other’s growth and prosperity. Our efforts are focused on creating employment and we plan to establish a very large presence here. I am looking forward to seeing motivated and energised young Lankans join HCL and help us deliver on our promise – both to our clients and as well as to the country,” commented Nadar.

The company would help the local workforce ‘stay rooted’ in their native place and invite Sri Lankan expats to come back home and be part of this transformational journey. HCL will also implement its Work Integrated Education Programme to foster growth by actively cooperating with local ICT and engineering institutions in order to develop and train the local talent pool. For freshers, HCL will focus on hiring A Level, Higher National Diploma (HND) students through skills training and hiring programme. 

HCL joined hands with the BOI of Sri Lanka in February 2020 to launch its local entity -- HCL Technologies Lanka (Private) Limited and set up its first delivery centre in the region. Through this entity, HCL will provide services to global clients in the areas of applications and system integration services and infrastructure services.