Scores of investors, operators attend BPO sensitising workshop

Scores of potential investors and small operators turned out for the business process outsourcing (BPO) SME Executive Exchange workshop held at the J. Wray & Nephew Auditorium in St Andrew on Thursday.

The event was the first in a series by the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) aimed at sensitising small and medium enterprises (SME) to the dynamics of improving the quality of their service.

A key feature of the event was presentations from top local operators Davon Crump, CEO of Global Outsourcing Solutions, and ItelBPO Smart Solutions founder Yoni Epstein giving an investor's perspective on operating in the local BPO sector.

"The feedback from the participants tells us that there is significant interest from the Jamaican investing committee to develop a dynamic domestic market," said the association's president, Gloria Henry. "It was very instructive to hear some of the questions that were asked, even from existing operators. This shows that there has to be greater level of engagement between the experienced and those up and coming in the industry."

Presentations also came from Claude Duncan, vice-president of investment promotions at Jampro; Woodrow Smallwood, business development manager at Sagicor Bank; Lancedale Farquharson, operations manager of CEAC Outsourcing; and Andrew Fazio, director of BPO and hospitality at Cable and Wireless Business Jamaica.

The sector has been identified as the main driver of the country's growth agenda and is projecting that it will create 100,000 BPO jobs over the next five years.

The BPO sector enjoys the highest employment growth rate of any sector in the last decade and currently accounts for more than 22,000 jobs across the island. It is also contributing more than US$400 million annually to the local economy.

The series will next stop in Montego Bay.