The Elephant In The Room: India

India is changing the way the world works by improving the quality of its workers. But as the subcontinent moves toward becoming one of the largest economies in the world, many companies struggle to keep pace with the leadership skills required.
 
Multinational firms have long tapped India’s intellectual capital, but its role as an outsourcing center with a deep talent pool has matured into a mighty market in its own right. The nation’s growing ranks of competitive multinational firms are drawing not only top talent at home but a growing number of expatriate executives. In October 2006, Carol Borghesi, a Canadian, was hired by India’s leading mobile service provider Bharti Airtel to run its customer service business. Carol had a 26-year career in customer service, including a senior position with British Telecom (BT), but moved to India to be part of the fast-moving action here.
 
After working in Shanghai, Swedish national Marcus Wilhelm moved to Chennai in Tamil Nadu as COO, Photon Infotech. Compared to China, he says, India holds the edge when it comes to talent. Many like Marcus and Borghesi have landed in the country to work. From a few hundred, expatriates’ numbers have soared over the past five years.
 
Other names include Brooks Entwistle, managing director and CEO, Goldman Sachs (India) Securities; Trevor Bull, managing director, Tata AIG Life Insurance; Rob Hennin, VP and country manager, India, American Express Bank; Phil Nelson, VP, technology and backoffice operations, AOL India; Jamie Heywood, deputy CEO, Virgin Mobile India; Andrew Davies, CFO, Vodafone Essar; Ertop Saltuk, VP, HR South Asia, Alcatel. The list goes on.
 
What is spurring companies to hire experienced expats? It is the demand for professionals with international experience combined with a shortage of top talent. India’s strategic importance alone is sometimes sufficient to attract executives. As more Indian companies go global and more global firms target India as a strategic growth market, India’s corporate sector is increasingly looking for people with global exposure who can handle complex businesses that blend both domestic and international operations.

Expatriates are filling the void created by the deep need in India for world-class managers. According to a recent survey, India currently needs more than 1,000 CEOs across industries, many of them in new sectors such as special economic zones, aviation, and airport management, as well as in media, communications, real estate, and retail. The growing need for professionals with international experience, coupled with a shortage of top talent across sectors, is resulting in a dual approach for companies in terms of talent acquisition: attracting experienced expatriates to India and grooming talent from within organizations with an increased focus on staff development. As India becomes an important part of the globalization strategy for many companies, several are relocating top executives to India. The goal is not just to oversee their operations in a strategic growth market but also to build and prepare a strong global team from India.