The Suriname connection of Qualogy: offshoring without (large) cultural gap
In collaboration with Qualogy - The Netherlands faces a persistent IT shortage. Asia seems logical, but brings cultural problems. Eastern Europe, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly expensive. Qualogy founder Paul Mehilal found a third way: Suriname. 'It's about us building and transferring knowledge. We have become a breeding ground for talent.' Written by: Jasper Spanjaart
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Introduction
From crisis to opportunity
In 2002, Qualogy founder Paul Mehilal had a mission: investigate what was exactly possible in the field of digitalization in Suriname. 'Our major customers looked mainly at cost savings during the financial crisis and massively went to Asia for offshoring', he recalls. 'But what they got back was an enormous cultural difference, language problems and quality that was often not good enough.'
The idea had to go into the 'freezer' for a number of years out of necessity, as Mehilal states. But in 2007, with a new financial crisis approaching, the time was ripe. The plan was simple but bold: turn mathematicians into IT professionals.
'We started with interviews of beta students — physics, chemistry and a mathematical background', tells Mehilal. 'And the level surprised us immediately. For months, Qualogy trainers flew between the Netherlands and Suriname to train class by class. It was quite a challenge, but transforming mathematicians into IT professionals went better than expected.'
"This setup ensures that Dutch customers have the quality assurance and communication they are used to, combined with the cost benefits of offshore development — but without the language and cultural gap that usually comes with it."
Paul Mehilal
CEO Qualogy
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