EXCLUSIVE: Consistently evolving local presence, talent strategy in India, says Accenture Operations' Yusuf Tayob

With over 3 lakh employees across offices in the country, India continues to be a strategic pillar for Accenture's operations globally. Yusuf Tayob, group chief executive- Accenture Operations, in an exclusive interaction with Business Today, said, "India is also where the largest percentage of our over 200,000 Accenture Operations people, and a significant part of our global leadership, sits. We are consistently evolving our local presence, talent strategy and capabilities to make the most of India's talent potential". 

Pandemic, along with the rate of technology innovation, has created an increased need for enterprises to digitise faster, deepen business resilience, and foster a culture of constant change and reinvention, even business process system (BPS) roles have increased in complexity, resulting in companies like Accenture increasingly requiring more specialised skills for new roles. 

"At Accenture Operations, we are hiring for expertise in industries such as banking, insurance, software and platforms, and for depth in enterprise functions such as finance & accounting, marketing, procurement and supply chain in India. Beyond the necessary functional or domain expertise, there are some key skills that are critical to long term success. These fall broadly under three categories. Delivery excellence is about having a client-first approach and operational rigour; learning agility which reflects a natural desire for continuous learning and adapting to the new ways of working; and inherently human skills such as a creative mindset, strong communication skills, and the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment," says Tayob.

And as skilled talent has emerged as a priority for every industry, Tayob says Accenture's training agenda is focused on skills that people need for the next big opportunity. The company globally claims to spend nearly $1 billion each year on learning and development and is constantly identifying and investing in new areas. 

"For example, in 2020, we launched a company-wide Technology Quotient (TQ) initiative. A key aim of TQ is to help all our people become conversant in new technologies regardless of the service line, role and level. In addition to leadership development, Accenture Operations has several in-house academies —such as discrete academies for insurance,  finance & accounting and marketing operations, which impart specialised skills and help us grow our people in niche domains."

For new hire orientation, immersive learning, or meet and socialise as teams, Accenture has also created its own metaverse, the Nth floor.  

"This virtual campus is an 'always open' space. To give you an idea of the scale, Accenture expects more than 150,000 new hires to work in the metaverse on their first day this fiscal year [up from 11,000 in FY21]," Tayob says.

Currently, Accenture Operations has ten centers of excellence (CoE) in India, focusing on data, AI, actuarial and financial planning and analysis, and the development of SynOps (AI and automation platform). The company has also opened a new facility in Jaipur, Rajasthan, for location flexibility and expanding the local talent pool.

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