Capco has ambitious growth plans in Asia. Here’s why it is specifically looking to hire young people
Global management and technology consultancy Capco focusing on Financial Services is on a recruitment drive as it looks to significantly expand its presence servicing the financial industry in Asia.
The firm launched in the region five years ago, initially with a handful of people working out of a single office in Hong Kong.
Today it has more than 200 professionals based in the city, as well as offices in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. But the group is planning to grow further and aims to expand its headcount in Asia in the coming year.
Neil Ramchandran, Managing Partner, APAC and India, at Capco, says: “We are particularly looking to expand in Hong Kong, especially in the areas of digital delivery and technology, where we already hold a dominant position in consulting .”
The group also intends to significantly increase its client base in Malaysia and Thailand.
“Thailand will be a big growth market for us. We are already working for the top three banks there, and we hope to increase this to the all the top banks by the end of the year,” Ramchandran says.
While Capco is looking to recruit candidates who have a degree, unlike many firms in the sector it does not stipulate what subject they must have studied.
Ramchandran explains: “We believe being a consultant is all about flexibility and innovation. We are as interested in the personal attributes of candidates.“
“We are looking for people with excellent communication skills and the ability to be adaptable. They should also be curious and have innovative ways of looking at things to find out of the box solutions.”
He adds that it is also an advantage if candidates are bilingual. “Overall, we are looking for people who are really energic and ambitious,” he says.
Capco has a reputation for being innovative and having an entrepreneurial culture, and it is particularly interested in recruiting people starting out in their careers.
“We look for people who are very open-minded about learning new things and expanding their experience.”
“Consulting is a fantastic opportunity to develop a very varied and wide range of skill sets.”
Ramchandran adds that one of Capco’s commitments and goals is the training of its staff, and to help them acquire the tools they need to perform their role.
“Our whole ethos at Capco is that the most senior staff train and develop the less experienced members of their teams.” he says.
The group prides itself on being a meritocracy, and this approach creates significant career advancement opportunities for candidates who are prepared to work hard.
“Capco is a company from which you can get out 10 times what you put in. If you are a person who is willing to go the extra mile and look for ways in which you can improve your performance, you will truly benefit from the opportunities we can offer you.” Ramchandran says.
He adds that there have been truly exceptional people who have joined the group as fresh graduates and become managers in less than four years.
The advancement opportunities for young people are supported by Capco’s unique corporate structure, which Ramchandran describes as being “flat” and without traditional hierarchies.
He explains that the structure was created after a number of people on the Hong Kong team realised they had all previously worked at large organisations but had left them because the rigid structure was stifling their ability to innovate and be entrepreneurial.
As a result, they decided Capco must have a structure that enabled people to push themselves without being limited by an authorisation culture.
“We created a firm that is so flat it enables people to be as innovative and creative as they can be at any stage in their career.”
“This is where our entrepreneurial culture was born. We allow people to make an impact in areas that are traditionally the domain of senior staff, but as long as they have the skills, they can to do it.”
Another key aspect of Capco’s corporate culture is the emphasis it puts on promoting diversity.
“Our fundamental principle at Capco is ‘be yourself at work’. We encourage people to be who and what they are and what they want to be,” Ramchandran says.
“We believe that if we encourage our people to champion that philosophy, we also have to do our bit for society at large and encourage people outside of our employee group to also be themselves.”
As a result, Capco recently sponsored the “Pink Dot” Festival which promotes opportunities for the LGBT community.
Ramchandran says: “When people ask me why I personally like to work at Capco, the truth is that it is because I can be myself. I feel that I don’t have to adhere to an extremely rigid framework or a preconceived set of values and notions, and can actually define myself at work. This is of course my own opinion.”
To find out more about opportunities at Capco please click here.
