HOUSEN Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell (left) looks on while Jacqueline Holding, former president of the Cable and Wireless Foundation, instructs a young Flankers resident on how to use the Internet at the launch of the over $1.7 million Flankers Cyber Club at the Peace and Justice Centre in the community in February. Montego Bay has developed as the focus of Jamaica's call centre business, requiring large numbers of computer literate employees. - PHOTO BY CLAUDINE
THE $150 million payout that Aubyn Hill received when he quit National Commercial Bank (NCB) in 2004 has come in handy.
The businessman, along with a group of local and overseas investors are to open a call centre in the Montego Freezone within weeks, the former NCB managing director confirmed to Wednesday Business last week.
The former managing director of the NCB and current chief restructuring officer of Air Jamaica has evolved into a management guru, helping companies and executives fix problems and develop strategies. He is now an investor as well.
"I am chairman of the company (and) I am one of the shareholders," said Hill, who also disclosed that training of employees was already under way in preparation for an August start-date.
RECORD TIME
Called Tympana Limited, the call centre will start off handling receivables for at least one Fortune 500 company. It will employee 50 representatives, with the seat count projected to double within six months.
According to Hill, who pulled together the group of investors, the roll-out of the enterprise was established in record time.
"We started to look at it in March and the company was established about April. We had our first board meeting in May."
After the original disappointment in basing Jamaica's call centre business on overseas investors, the sector has gained vitality based on domestic entrepreneurs. Centred in Montego Bay, the industry now employs thousands of workers.
'RIGHT KINDS OF PEOPLE'
"The company is the idea of the chief executive officer Balu Rudra, who is a graduate from Wharton Business School and worked at Capital One, one of the largest debt-collection companies in the United States," said Hill.
"He looked around the world and decided to site it in Jamaica because of the proximity to the United States, the language, the time zone, and he felt he found the right kinds of people in Jamaica to start the call centre."
