Philippines March 2010: Following its Outstanding Employer Award by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), US headquartered Sutherland Global Services with a significant offshore presence in the Philippines and India, has now been awarded the 'Fastest Growing BPO Company in the Philippines' at the 4th Annual International Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Awards ceremony held last evening at Hotel Dusit Thani in Makati. The award was received by Craig Bauwens, Sutherland Vice President. In attendance at the ceremony was Emily Magtibay, Sutherland's first employee in the Philippines.

Organized by The Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and The Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the International ICT Awards recognizes outstanding performance and contribution by organizations and individuals within the sector every year.

Sutherland, which set up its first facility in the Philippines in mid 2005 has now expanded to six locations in the country with over 10,000 employees providing integrated BPO services to the company's Fortune 1000 Global clients. Sutherland's expansion in the Philippines has been fuelled by continued growth in the company's existing outsourcing engagements as well as the addition of several new clients.

Commenting on its rapid expansion in the Philippines, Dilip Vellodi, Chairman and CEO, Sutherland Global Services said, "Relentless focus on offering best in class integrated services to our global clients combined with delivering measurable results have been the key differentiators for Sutherland. Since our launch in 2005, our operations in the Philippines have become a strategic component of our global service delivery model. The country's favorable economic environment, business friendly government policies and above all the technically skilled and committed workforce have been driving forces in our ability to rapidly scale our operations across several locations in the country."

Commending Sutherland on its achievement, Oscar Sanez, CEO of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines said, "This award is a testimony to the strong quality processes that Sutherland has institutionalized across its global locations that has enabled the company to achieve this kind of rapid growth over the last five years. We congratulate Sutherland on their achievement and it is our hope that the company will continue to expand their presence, providing more employment opportunities to the talented work force in the country."

Previously, Sutherland has been presented with the Outstanding Employer Award by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) headed by PEZA Director General Dr. Lilia B. de Lima for the breadth of Sutherland's employee engagement initiatives, the level of technological innovation in its workplace and success in generating new employment opportunities in the country.

It also received, in the recent past, two awards from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The Philippine Quality Award (PQA) for Commitment to Quality Management was presented by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo accompanied by DTI Secretary Peter Favila at the Malacañang Palace during the 11th PQA conferment rites conducted annually by DTI. Sutherland is the first and only BPO in the last 10 years to have been given the prestigious award. The DTI through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and the Executive Committee of the 9th e-Services Global Outsourcing and Exhibition also recently awarded Sutherland Philippines "The Most Number of New Offices in the 'Next Wave' Cities".

A global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Technology Enabled Services Company, Sutherland Global Services offers an integrated set of front and back office services that support the entire customer lifecycle. By combining highly trained people with state-of-the-art technology and proven business methodologies, Sutherland collaborates with clients to help them excel in their industry while maximizing their customers' lifetime value. Having started operations in 1986 in the United States, Sutherland now employs over 24,000 professionals offering Right Sourced seamlessly blended services from its 24 delivery centers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, India, the Philippines, Bulgaria and Nicaragua. Sutherland is the largest independent pure-play BPO company with a strong commitment to a diverse workforce. For more information, please visit www.sutherlandglobal.com