Record Numbers Attend Outsourcing World Summit
Two Honored as Member of Year
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, March 18 – Outsourcing demonstrated its strength as a global platform to grow and transform businesses with record numbers of professionals coming together to chart the industry’s future at the 2011 Outsourcing World Summit®.
More than 700 professionals from 32 countries attended the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’® (IAOP®) annual conference, Feb. 21-23, at the Renaissance Esmeralda, in Indian Wells, California, making it the largest in the event’s 14-year history.
“We stand on the cusp of a new state of outsourcing as a global platform for transformation and growth driven by integrated teams of high-value professionals using advanced management practices and processes,” IAOP Chairman Michael Corbett told delegates during his key-note address.
Outsourcing customers, providers and advisors from leading companies converged at the summit with the largest numbers of international attendees coming from China, Colombia and Canada, to hear the latest strategies to lead companies to success in the new outsourcing landscape.
“Outsourcing remains an important business strategy that must be linked to both business and functional strategy,” said keynote speaker Sandy Ogg, former chief human resource officer at Unilever and operating partner for Blackstone Group in New York.
Ogg was also inducted into the prestigious Outsourcing Hall of Fame during the event, along with William F. Concannon, president of global corporate services at CB Richard Ellis.
Two IAOP Members of the Year Lauded
IAOP recognized Chris Long, chief operating officer of StayWell Health and Management, and Bobby Varanasi, chairman and chief executive officer of Matryzel Consulting, Inc., as “Members of the Year” for their work to advance the outsourcing industry.
The two long-time corporate members were honored at a luncheon ceremony attended by hundreds for their demonstrated commitment to the growth of IAOP and their leadership in the promotion and delivery of the association’s programs.
Long chairs IAOP’s Voice of the Customer Chapter and is a member of the Membership Committee and GEO Subcommittee. He also facilitates the customer-only networking sessions at The Outsourcing World Summit. A Certified Outsourcing Professional® (COP), he is an advocate for IAOP’s Corporate and Professional Development Programs.
“It is an honor to receive the Member of the Year award from such a prestigious organization during such an exciting time in the evolution of the outsourcing industry,” Long said.
Varanasi, an IAOP Global Ambassador, chairs IAOP’s Malaysia Chapter and is an authorized trainer for the COP master class. He has been instrumental in introducing the COP program around the globe and winning support for the program from the Malaysian government. IAOP’s COP program is the first senior management program the Malaysia government has endorsed.
“In a globalized marketplace, international associations with forward-looking leadership often create compelling impacts,” Varanasi said. “IAOP has and continues to do so steadily through leveraging its global membership successfully, to the point that IAOP has become the de-facto go-to organization for anyone looking to understand global sourcing and corporate strategy.”
Global Movement
In addition to the U.S. and Canada, the emerging offshoring nations of South America also participated strongly in this year’s Summit and delegates also were in attendance from the European Union, several African nations and Australia.
Among those participating was Chile-IT, a non-profit organizing preparing Chilean IT companies to outsource their services to the U.S.
“Our involvement with the event was a huge success and we were extremely grateful for the large turnout,” said Chad Walter, Chile-IT, Vice President of Operations, North America. “We made a lot of helpful connections that will be pivotal for Chile-IT's U.S. efforts. We look forward to more partnership opportunities with IAOP in the future."
IAOP also reported a strong turnout among customer organizations purchasing outsourcing services, as well as providers, advisors and those in academia.
“Customers, service providers and consultants were all present in strong numbers and a growing cadre of academics is increasingly providing robust intellectual foundations to the constructs of customer value and competitive advantage that underpin outsourcing globally,” said Phil Hadcroft, chairman of IAOP’s Australia/New Zealand Regional Advisory Board. “The seniority and authority of attendees could not be missed. This conference is increasingly being seen as a lodestone that attracts the leading thinkers and practitioners of outsourcing around the world.”
In addition to The 2011 Latin American Outsourcing Summit, taking place May 26-27, 2011 in Cartagena, Colombia, IAOP also announced that its 15th edition of the world-renowned annual Summit will be held Feb. 20-22, 2012 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. For more information and special introductory rates, see the IAOP Web site.
About IAOP
The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®) is the global, standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession. With more than 110,000 members and affiliates worldwide, IAOP helps companies increase their outsourcing success rate, improve their outsourcing ROI, and expand the opportunities for outsourcing across their businesses. Visit www.IAOP.org
Media Contact:
Kimberly Maneeley
+1.845.452.0600, extension 104
kim.maneeley@iaop.org