A results-only focus

Loudoun County was just the right fit for California-based iGATE’s newest facility, thanks to its proximity to Washington Dulles International Airport and Washington, D.C. The technology firm opened a 10,000-square-foot office in Loudoun last August.

Being close to Dulles gives iGATE “access to 80 percent of the world’s economies — a key advantage to a global organization,” says Tim Coffin, president of iGATE Government Solutions, a subsidiary of iGATE. “In addition, with more than 900 federal government contractors located in Loudoun, and with almost 20 percent of the county’s work force employed by the information and communications technology industry, doing business in Loudoun makes perfect sense for a company like iGATE.”

Sunil Wadhwani and Ashok Trivedi founded the firm in 1996 in Pittsburgh to provide technology-based consulting and staffing services. The founders stepped aside from active management in 2003 when Phaneesh Murthy, the former head of global sales for technology consulting firm Infosys, became CEO and moved the company’s headquarters to Fremont, Calif.

Today the company provides technology consulting and product and engineering solutions as well as business process outsourcing in areas such as finance and accounting and human resources. “This helps organizations increase their flexibility because they can focus on their core competencies without being tied down by bureaucratic restraints,” Coffin says.

Loudoun is not the company’s first Virginia location. In 2011, it opened an office in McLean, which serves as the headquarters of iGATE’s Government Solutions group. That office will work with the new Loudoun facility to offer technology consulting services for federal government projects, Coffin says.

The company’s niche is a business outcomes-based model founded in the philosophy that clients pay only for delivered results. Using this model, a customer sourcing medical claims services, for example, typically would pay only for a desired outcome, such as a reduced claims processing time. “In a crowded and intensely competitive marketplace, iGATE has built a reputation around this model where clients pay for results only and not for any efforts put in,” says Murthy.

The company has more than 300 global clients, including a large number of Fortune 1,000 companies. Customers include the federal government and companies involved in industries ranging from banking and financial services to communications and manufacturing. “The Royal Bank of Canada and General Electric are our largest customers,” says Murthy.

The firm has offices around the world and sales teams in many of its target markets, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, India, Australia and Japan. “Our marketing campaigns are globally collaborated and localized to ensure targeted visibility in the sectors and regions we operate in,” says Murthy. “More than 80 percent of our sales are within the U.S. and Canada, and the rest are global.”

The company has more than 27,000 employees worldwide. It currently has six employees in McLean and plans to create 250 jobs during the next two to three years in Loudoun. In 2002, the company’s annual revenues were $50 million. Murthy grew iGATE, a public company, to $1 billion in revenues in 2012 after taking over the reins in 2003.

The company’s Indian headquarters is in Bangalore. It also has offices in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Noida and Gandhinagar. Murthy sees Bangalore as a good location partly because of its technology-savvy talent pool. Many people who are technology-focused migrate to Bangalore from other parts of India because of the pleasant weather conditions.  The company uses its training programs to build a global talent pool, which has contributed “to the growth of the company,” Murthy says. “We have been ranked as the best IT employer in India over the last six consecutive years across surveys.”

The ranking comes from Dataquest-CMR Best Employers Survey in India. The company also ranked No. 2 in the Greater Toronto Area’s Small and Medium Best Employers Survey in 2012.
Murthy says the company embraces the cultural diversity in India. “India is a land of several languages, cultures and habits,” with employees coming from different regions. “It’s important to align everyone into a common company culture with a unified set of values,” he adds.

Anyone doing business in India needs to “recognize the cultural nuances of the region, from a talent-sourcing perspective through dealing with the administration, bureaucracy and the laws of the land,” he says.

Bangalore’s business-friendly environment is technology-oriented, he adds. “It is called the Silicon Valley of India.” 

Bangalore’s economy
The capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, Bangalore is one of the fastest-growing cities in India. Major economic sectors include information technology, aerospace, biotechnology and telecommunications. The city also has a number of large manufacturing companies such as National Aerospace Laboratories. Companies based in Bangalore include aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, biotechnology firm Biocon, power plant equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. and technology giant Infosys. Also based in Bangalore is the Indian Space Research Organization.

Visiting Bangalore
Coined the “Garden City of India,” Bangalore is known for its warm weather and green spaces. The city has several attractions, such as the 2,400-acre Lalbagh Botanical Gardens and Cubbon Park, packed with flowers and fountains. Popular city sights include the Tudor-style Bangalore Palace and the Government Museum Bangalore, one of the oldest museums in India. The city also has many art galleries and theaters as well as a thriving film industry and an underground music scene.

Loudoun’s economy
Loudoun County’s skilled work force and technology-friendly environment have helped it become one of the fastest-growing job markets in the U.S. According to TechAmerica, Loudoun has the “highest concentration of technology workers in the U.S.” Key economic sectors include aerospace, data centers, airport-related services, life sciences, and information and communications technology. The county also boasts 85 international companies from 24 countries. Large employers include AOL, systems integrator M.C. Dean Inc., rocket and space system manufacturer Orbital Sciences, Raytheon Technical Services and United Airlines.

Visiting Loudoun
Loudoun County’s rolling hills are dotted with horse farms, wineries and historic estates. The county has a number of quaint towns and communities. The Middleburg area has horse farms, sprawling estates and hunt clubs. Leesburg is known for its picturesque historic district while Lansdowne is home to Lansdowne Resort. The county’s wineries draw tourists from around the globe. Celebrities and newsmakers such as actor Robert Duvall, business mogul Sheila Johnson and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as well as several members of the Washington Redskins have made Loudoun their home.