Anusha Ramraj has been Chief Financial Officer of CCI South Africa since 2020. The privately held business process outsourcing (BPO) company serves more than 80 clients worldwide and is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. With more than 15,000 employees, the largest branches are located in South Africa, with additional branches in Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt and Ethiopia. Ramraj, who started her career as a call center agent and rose to the role of CFO, recently shared insights with Global Finance.
Global Finance: What are the most important aspects of being a CFO in the BPO industry?
Anusha Ramraj: The strategic role of a CFO has become increasingly important in every sector. The CFO must own the numbers by guiding and communicating with stakeholders. Explicitly in BPO, strategic planning is critical and involves aligning financial objectives with supplier selection, contract negotiations, and pricing structures. Managing cash flow is critical, as is risk management, given CCI’s diverse geographies, data and compliance requirements. Mitigating risks such as fines, sanctions and currency fluctuations is essential, especially for global operations.
female friend: Labor quality is crucial in several sectors, especially in Business Process Outsourcing, where services are highly dependent on employees. What differentiates your workforce and how does it benefit your customers?
Ramraj: We focus on impact sourcing and work with CareerBox Africa, a non-profit organization. Here we identify and provide unique training and employment opportunities to young candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds in Africa, place them in contact center digital jobs and focus on black and women’s empowerment. In South Africa, for example, almost 80% of our employees are black, of which 76% to 78% are women. With an emphasis on diversity and inclusion, our focus is not only on empowering women who may face barriers to entering the workforce, but also on enriching the communities in which they live.
female friend: What keeps you awake at night?
Ramraj: Compliance. It’s not that I’m non-conforming; I ensure full compliance. Maintaining operational continuity is crucial. While you, as a CFO, oversee the financial well-being of the company, navigating better governance, regulation and compliance in an ever-changing global environment is paramount. Ensuring ongoing compliance is imperative as any failure can have a significant impact on the business. CCI is a multinational in the sub-Saharan part of Africa. We are currently at 17 contact centers across the continent, and this brings its own compliance challenges.
female friend: How important are environment, society and governance? [ESG] goals for your company?
Ramraj: Our ESG framework is centered around our “CCI Cares” initiatives, with several focus areas. These include our commitment to the environment through sustainability projects involving reforestation in Africa, such as our “One Job One Tree” project; measuring emissions footprints; promoting carpooling for employees due to its environmental impact; the implementation of better quality water; recycling; working on green contact center buildings and other solar energy initiatives. But most importantly, we are committed to African society – for example by supporting various community projects and improving schools by providing better water, sanitation, equipment, training and nutrition programs.
female friend: What is your economic view of Africa?
Ramraj: Africa faces many challenges, but also offers countless opportunities in sectors such as infrastructure, mining, natural resources, education and finance. Africa is one of the largest continents, with the youngest population, and its youth population is an incredible resource. Before investing, companies should conduct thorough research to understand the business environment and potential opportunities. CFOs play a critical role in shaping this reality through investment considerations and decisions.
