Capgemini India to ramp up headcount

Capgemini Consulting India Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of France-based Capgemini , plans to raise its employee strength from the current 17,500 to 40,000 by 2010.

With operations in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune, Capgemini India, offers its services across several verticals including retail, telecom, manufacturing, energy, utilities, finance and the public sector.

The headcount of the parent company, Capgemini, a consulting, technology and outsourcing firm, stands at 80,000, which it aims to take it to 110,000 by the end of the decade. Capgemini has a presence in almost all European countries apart from US and Australia

On the recent reports about Wipro taking over Capgemini, Baru S Rao, chief executive officer, Capgemini Consulting India, said, "It's just a rumour. Wipro is not taking us over." He was speaking on the sidelines of IIM-A's Confluence recently.

Rao also ruled out any major setbacks to the IT industry in the long-run due to rupee appreciation.

"As an impact, the increment in cost for the industry will be 15-20 per cent, which was the case last year too," he said.

Citing the company's presence on the Paris Stock Exchange as one of the major source of finance, Rao denied any plans to enter the Indian capital market.

Capgemini Consulting India Pvt Ltd, which registered a turnover of $8 billion for the financial year 2006-07, is in the second phase of developing its Chennai unit in which it has invested around $100 million.

"The first phase of the unit has begun functioning with around 2,100 personnel and we hope to take the number to 10,000 soon," Rao added.