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GOING FOR GROWTH FEATURE
| THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015
T
EN YEARS ago, Shurland
Buchanan had dreams of
becoming a marine biologist.
However, a twist of fate saw him
entering the business process out-
sourcing (BPO) industry by
chance. The sector has since
become his passion.
Today, Buchanan is one of the
approximately 17,000 Jamaicans
employed in the growing BPO
industry and, like many others, his
star is shining brightly.
Buchanan has climbed the ranks
to become the director of quality
and training/ quality assurance at
Island Outsourcers, a world-class
BPO solution, and is now a source
of inspiration to persons aspiring to
succeed in the sector.
“I was not sure exactly what I
wanted to become ... . My big
dream was to be a marine biologist,
but somewhere along the line I got
a job at a call centre in New
Kingston and never looked back,”
Buchanan told
The Gleaner
.
“After one year with my first
employer, I began working at E-
Service Group International in
Portmore, St Catherine, ... I am
now at Xerox.”
Since joining Xerox, Buchanan,
who hails from Harkers Hall, in St
Catherine, has transitioned
through the ranks, moving up from
an agent to a subject matter expert,
to trainer, supervisor, quality man-
ager, training manager and, finally,
training and quality manager.
Five years after joining Xerox,
Buchanan was asked to relocate to
western Jamaica to manage the
account of a client who was
impressed with his team’s handling
of a previous account, and he took
up the offer.
“They requested that I relocate
to assist with the transition
because they were impressed with
my handling of their previous
account,” Buchanan recalled. “I
met Yoni (Epstein, chief executive
officer of Island Outsourcers)
about one year after I began
working in Montego Bay, and I
decided to take a new challenge,
when he offered to hire me as
director of quality and
training/quality assurance.”
Buchanan is considered as one
with a vast knowledge and under-
standing of different coaching
techniques and practices used to
break cultural barriers. His key
strengths are said to reside in the
creation and designing of learning
management systems, quality
assurance, coaching and agent
development.
CREDIT TO PARENTS
The 29-year-old Buchanan, who
is a past student of St Mary’s Col-
lege, credits his mother and his late
father for the principles they
instilled in him and his brothers,
especially the importance of family.
“My father believes that even if
it is not done perfectly, if you
give it your best effort, then you
will get your reward,” said
Buchanan. “This has been my
motivation for all I have
achieved. The sacrifices they had
to make to give us a life, that is
what has been my inspiration.”
Buchanan, who lost his father
three years ago, is no stranger to
losing close family members. He
buried a sibling just recently and
experienced a similar loss at age
nine.
“It’s about family, and with these
losses I am inspired even more, and
it is a similar experience with our
company, we seek to create a family
environment for our workers,”
noted Buchanan.
Despite his achievements to
date, Buchanan is not about to
become complacent as he has his
eyes set on becoming the vice-pres-
ident of training and development
for Island Outsourcing within the
next 10 years.
“We will not be satisfied with
400 employees, we see ourselves
broadening our horizon to Latin
America, North America and
Europe, and with that growing our
staff compliment to 8,000,”
declared Buchanan.
JAMAICANS SHINE
…CAREEROPPORTUNITIES
INBPOSECTOR
FROM STARTING JOBS
TO SENIOR MANAGERS
Shurland Buchanan
FILE
Mark Kerr-Jarrett (front left), co-owner and managing director of Barnett Tech Park, and Steve
Milner of Kier Construction sign the construction agreement to begin building office space for
investors interested in the business process outsourcing industry. Overlooking the signing are
(back, from left) Chris Bovell, chairman of Barnett Ltd; Milverton Reynolds, managing director of
the Development Bank of Jamaica; Paula Kerr-Jarrett, director of Barnett Ltd; Minister of Industry,
Investment and Commerce (MIIC) Anthony Hylton; JAMPRO President Diane Edwards; State
Minister in MIIC Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams; and State Minister in the Ministry of Science,
Technology, Energy and Mining Julian Robinson.