Australian BPO firm to expand Phl operations

MANILA, Philippines - Australian business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Stellar Global is expanding its operations in the Philippines with a new 1,000-seat facility in Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City.

Stellar Philippines CEO Edmund Macaso said their parent company is investing P200 million in the new facility, which will be housed at the 22nd to 24th floors of the 34-story MDC 100 Bldg. while also dedicating a small area at the ground floor of the building for employee recruitment. Operations is scheduled to start in August.

“We see a lot of room for growth here in the Philippines. Stellar is confident in doing business in the country,” Macaso said.

The new Stellar site is already registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), extending it incentives such as tax relief and duty-free importation of capital goods.

Macaso said they are looking to house their airline and energy accounts in the new site which will provide voice and non-voice services.

He said the new facility is expected to contribute P500 million annually to the company’s gross revenues. The amount is seen to grow 10 to 15 percent annually.

The company reported gross revenues of P640 million and P757 million in 2009 and 2010, respectively. It also posted net income of P102 million and P194 million during the same period.

Its gross revenue for the year is projected to hit P1.012 billion, with net income at P172 million.

Aside from airline and energy, Stellar services companies in the telecommunication, insurance, banking and entertainment industries. It has 10 Philippine-based clients.

Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said Stellar is one of the Australian-based BPO companies that are pouring in more investments into the Philippines. It already has more than 1,500 staff in its Cubao facility.

Stellar Philippines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stellar Global Solutions Philippines Inc. which, in turn, is a joint venture between Stellar Global and local company Paxys Inc.