The US headquartered business process outsourcing (BPO) company Sutherland Global Services Wednesday announced it would set up its first global campus in Chennai.

Construction of phase 1 of the campus will commence in the second half of this year, said a statement issued by the company.

Once fully operational, the Chennai campus will engage over 10,000 people, it added.

The company has centres in Chennai, Kochi and Mumbai and a head count of over 11,000 in the country.

Company chairman and CEO of Sutherland Dilip Vellodi told IANS that Sutherland would shortly commission its 300-seat Bulgarian facility.

'This is our first foray into Eastern Europe. The facility will serve clients in Europe and North America,' he said by phone from the Philippines.

Sutherland opened its fourth facility in Camarines Sur, the Philippines, earlier this week with a capacity of 400 seats.

With this expansion, Sutherland has over 5,600 employees in the Philippines.

'We have plans to increase the seating capacity in our new centre to 1,000 over next 10 months,' Vellodi said.

Comparing the advantages between the Philippines and India for this business, he said: 'In terms of manpower cost and attrition rates, both countries are similar whereas the infrastructure costs 10 percent higher in the Philippines.'

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