Leadership & People

StarTek expands operations with another 1,000 new jobs

(Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) - Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services provider StarTek will recruit an additional 1,000 Filipino employees to support its second facility being put up in Quezon City.

The expansion facility at the Eton Cyberpod Corithian business center is expected to be operational in the third quarter. StarTek operates a call center in Makati City since 2008.

StarTek said it has appointed industry veteran Rod Spires to lead operations at the new facility.

Spires has a strong background in leading and growing call center operations in the Philippines.

Previously, he held senior positions with Sykes and Sitel in Cebu, Baguio, and Manila. At Sitel (formerly ClientLogic), Spires played an instrumental role in growing pioneer operations in Baguio to 2,800 agents over three years. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations for Sitel and was responsible for 4,500 agents in four facilities.

"We are excited to have an accomplished executive as managing director for our Ortigas site and we look forward to his contributions to our continued growth and success here in the Philippines," said Larry Jones, President and CEO, StarTek.

The BPO industry is expected to expand significantly this year in terms of revenue and workforce as companies in the United States shift an increasing array of business processes offshore to facilitate recovery from the economic downturn that began in 2008.

Outgoing Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila earlier said that the industry would employ more than 600,000 Filipinos by the end of this year. Last year, the BPO industry employed more than 400,000, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.

The company fosters balanced lifestyles by supporting in-house guilds - called ?Gigs? - that offer the opportunity to pursue special interests in a nurturing environment.

Among popular gigs with regular activity schedules are those specializing in arts, photography, sports, community, lifestyle, and mountaineering.

StarTek is a leading provider of high-value business process outsourcing services and is a listed in the New York Stock Exchange.

Since 1987, StarTek has partnered with its clients to solve strategic business challenges, improve customer retention, increase revenue, and reduce costs through an improved customer experience.

StarTek services include customer care, sales support, complex order processing, accounts receivable management, technical support, and other industry-specific processes.

It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and operates 18 facilities in North America and the Philippines. (PNA)