Generational shifts in technology often bring significant opportunities for individuals, organisations, and nations, if they act. In Sri Lanka, Hexaware sees room to build next generation talent and solutions in emerging technologies, especially AI. In this interview with Echelon, Hariharan Padmanaban, Country Head of Hexaware Technologies Sri Lanka, explains why the company is investing here and how that translates into opportunities for skilled local professionals.
Can you share insight into Hexaware’s journey in Sri Lanka so far? How is your presence growing in the local market?
We started in India and scaled globally over three decades. Today, Hexaware has about $1.4 billion in revenue and a team of 31,000+ across 28 countries. Our work spans cloud, data analytics, enterprise platforms, and BPS, and we’re diving deep into AI.
Sri Lanka is about a year old for us. The team has around 30 members right now by design. We chose to learn the market first—where we add value, where the gaps are, and then scale with intent. With two decades of experience in Sri Lanka, I’ve learned steady growth beats grand openings, and leadership has backed that plan.
In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, how does Hexaware stay ahead of trends while remaining grounded in its core purpose?
We stay ahead by doing what we know well: strong engineering and disciplined delivery. That’s the base we’re building on in Sri Lanka. The country has had a tough 5–10 years; the hard part now is finding the right talent. The young people I meet are bright. Many simply need exposure to big programmes and live client work. If we close that gap, Sri Lanka can stand out as a services hub. AI speeds that up when it’s paired with training, clear guardrails, and outcomes we can measure for clients.
How does Hexaware see its role in developing Sri Lanka’s tech ecosystem beyond commercial growth, especially in talent building, industry engagement, and addressing local challenges?
Our footprint is strong in North America, and we’re expanding across MEA, Southeast Asia, and APAC, opening pathways for Sri Lankan talent.
We run two tracks. The first focuses on early-career: such as the Mavericks programme. This consists of our university outreach, building fundamentals and workplace readiness. The second centres on mid-career professional development, delivering structured reskilling for those with up to 10 years of experience and familiarises them with modern stacks and AI-enabled workflows.
The youth here are tech-savvy and quick to adapt, especially with AI/GenAI tools at their disposal, but mid-level professionals need support to make that transition, and we’re ready to help. Together with experienced hires who anchor delivery, this creates a balanced ecosystem where emerging talent can scale around them and gain exposure locally as well as on global engagements.
What sets Hexaware apart from other IT and BPO players in Sri Lanka in terms of culture, client offerings, and technology?
From what I’ve seen here, the difference is focus. Our leadership is clear and driven, especially about AI, and there’s a deliberate push across accounts and verticals to embed it in real workstreams. The aim is better value for customers: faster, more efficient, and cost-effective solutions.
In a crowded global market, three things matter to me: the talent you can access, where you operate from, and how competitive your pricing is. That’s why we’re entering new markets and building teams wherever the best skills are. The strategy is straightforward, to bring the strongest capabilities together and stay ahead of the curve.
How is Hexaware adapting to the AI-driven shift in talent demands, both globally and locally?
This is a step-change. When people get hands-on with AI with proper training, governance, and a real problem to solve, they build new skills and rethink how they work. The payoff is faster time to value for customers. Major studies point to multi-trillion-dollar global impact and significant job reallocation over the decade.
The practical response is targeted upskilling, project-based adoption, and clear measurement so teams see the gains in their day-to-day delivery. Personally, I’ve been spending time with tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to see what’s useful for our teams right now.
What is your personal experience like, being a leader at Hexaware, and how is your leadership shaping the company’s direction and growth?
Sri Lanka has been central to my career, so seeing Hexaware invest here, just as the country stabilised, felt like a vote of confidence in its people. That choice, at such a critical time, was more than a business decision. To me, it was both humbling and inspiring.
For the tech community, especially the youth, this is a real chance to gain global exposure. My goal is to help as many as possible grow, upskill, and thrive. My ask to our teams is simple: keep learning; adopt the tools that raise your game; hold yourself to outcomes that matter for clients.
We can’t get comfortable. The world is moving fast, and we have to match that pace if we want to compete globally. The potential is here, so it’s on us to act on it.
Tapping into the global network of Hexaware, where is technology services itself going? What can Sri Lanka do to be part of that journey in the future?
Change is compounding. Countries that align policy, education, and industry will move faster. For Sri Lanka, priorities include practical AI adoption, modern data foundations, cybersecurity, and industry–academia programmes that convert potential into exportable capability.
AI is levelling the playing field, enabling nations with resource constraints or experience gaps to leapfrog traditional stages of development and compress cycles. But while progress can now happen faster, scaling still depends on experience, governance, and client exposure.
What do the next five years look like for Hexaware?
Our focus is efficient growth and sharper client value. Hexaware listed on the BSE and NSE in February 2025, which helps us scale while staying responsive in how we deliver technology and solutions. Customers expect more value for less, and that’s the bar we hold ourselves to.
We’re already an established player, with a global workforce in the thousands and strong direction from our CEO and COO. The ambition is clear: take Hexaware from $1.4 billion in annual revenue to $3 billion, $4 billion, or even $5 billion.