CHENNAI: US-headquartered coffee giant Starbucks Coffee has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to establish a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Chennai, creating high-paying employment opportunities for 800 technology professionals.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay between Starbucks Coffee and Guidance, the state government's nodal agency, under the Industries Department at the Secretariat on Monday.
The Chennai GCC will be Starbucks' first such centre in India and will create high-paying jobs for 800 technology professionals. The centre will operate independently of Starbucks' retail business joint venture in India with Tata Consumer Products.
The agreement is expected to further strengthen Tamil Nadu's efforts to attract GCC investments and create high-paying jobs in the sector. Starbucks' entry into the state's GCC ecosystem also adds to Tamil Nadu's emergence as a global technology and business services hub, said an official statement.
During the MoU signing, Anand Varadarajan, Chief Technology Officer, Starbucks Coffee, said India was an important market for the company. Chennai, he said, has a large pool of skilled technology professionals, relatively low attrition, strong infrastructure and incentives offered by the Tamil Nadu government. These factors would help the company develop new solutions and expand its business, he added.
Following the signing, Chief Minister Vijay said the state government was delighted that Starbucks had chosen Chennai for its Global Capability Centre. The confidence shown by a globally renowned company in Tamil Nadu was a recognition of the capabilities of the state's youth, he said. The investment would also demonstrate Tamil Nadu's attractiveness as a destination for other high-quality companies, he added.
The Chief Minister further said the initiative would create several new employment opportunities for skilled youth in the state. Industries Minister S Keerthana, Chief Secretary M Saikumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Department, S Vijayakumar, Guidance Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Deepak Jacob, and other senior officials participated in the event.
