TCS rejigs top management of UK unit

MUMBAI: India's largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has rejiged the top management deck of its UK arm Diligenta, as it seeks to grow the BPO business. It has named Phiroz Vandrevala, executive director of TCS, as the managing director and vice chairman of Diligenta. Vandrevala, 53, was the chairman of the six-year-old unit that started operations by acquiring the life and pension businesses of the Pearl Group.

According to the Tata Group policy, a person cannot hold the chairman and managing director's post and so TCS's MD N Chandrasekaran will now don the chairman's role at Diligenta. The changes are with immediate effect, said a company statement. Following the changes, Vandrevala, who has been with TCS for several years, would cease to be its executive director.

He will, however, continue to be on the board of the $8-billion company but in a non-executive capacity. He joined the TCS board in 2005. The Pearl deal worth 486 million pounds, at one shot, made TCS the second largest firm in the UK to service the life and pension sector. In 2010, Diligenta acquired Unisys Insurance Services that brought business worth pounds 250 million. Diligenta employs over 1,500 people and counts Old Mutual, Sun Life Insurance among others as its clients. In 2009-10, Diligenta reported a net loss of Rs 56 crore on a turnover of Rs 456 crore.