HCL Tech outlook strong, to hire regularly

NEW DELHI: India’s fourth-largest software services company, HCL Technologies, will focus on five core segments — financial services, telecom, media web publishing and entertainment, consumer products, and services and retail — over the next three quarters to enhance revenue.

Anant Gupta, president and CEO, HCL Technologies, is confident of the huge order book for HCL Tech in the next three quarters, and will continue to scout for best talents on a regular basis. “Hiring cannot be an annual exercise. Just look at the multi-tasking opportunities that the five core sector offer...we will hire resources who are multiskilled,” Gupta told HT.

HCL on Monday a posted 7.8% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit at `1,726 crore for the September quarter impacted by a $18.2 million one-time adjustment. However, its consolidated revenues grew 15.6% to `10,097 crore (ex-adjustment) as against `8,735 crore in 2014-15.

“We have started FY16 on a strong footing,” Gupta said. “The order book is 10% higher than what we have previously seen in our history. We believe a lot of that will kick in the second half of our fiscal which is in JanuaryJune of 2016.”

The company will also focus on data analytics and industrial Internet of Things. “There is a huge opportunity. Today, we talk about digitisation and Internet of Things as two separate segments. Going forward, we expect a convergence of these two in the next three years,”

Gupta said.

The company will eye opportunities at banks that are going to industrialise and optimise their operational-cost model using phone apps. This is a huge opportunity for tech companies in some markets such as Germany and France. “Apps will be crucial in this business...It will grow slow, but it is sticky, high value and needs a different mindset of people,” said Gupta. To meet this demand, HCL Tech recently hired 70 professionals.