ACTUM Digital's Strategic Expansion: Building a Global Delivery Hub in Pune

In an increasingly competitive digital landscape, European businesses are seeking innovative ways to maintain quality while managing costs. ACTUM Digital, a leading digital transformation company, has established a strategic offshore hub in Pune, India, to address these challenges. This expansion marks a significant milestone in Actum's global growth strategy and enhances its service delivery capabilities for clients across Europe.

We sat down with Santosh Kotnis, ACTUM Digital's On-site Offshore Lead, and Markus Doetsch, Program Manager and External Advisor, to learn more about this strategic initiative and how it's creating value for Actum's clients.

Strategic Choice: Why Pune?

What strategic factors led ACTUM Digital to choose Pune as its offshore hub location?

Santosh: Pune offered us the perfect blend of strategic advantages. It's a well-established IT hub with a strong technology ecosystem and a skilled talent pool from top engineering universities. The city provides more cost-effective operations compared to Bengaluru and Mumbai, with lower costs for office space and infrastructure.

What really stands out is Pune's Europe-aligned work culture. Many European companies already operate here, creating a familiar business environment for our clients. The city's pleasant climate and cosmopolitan culture also contribute to a balanced lifestyle for our team members, which helps with talent retention.

Pune is known as an IT hub in India - what specific advantages does this location offer for ACTUM Digital and its clients?

Santosh: Pune offers four key advantages for Actum and our clients. First, access to exceptional talent skilled in software development, AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation. Second, cost-effective operations that allow us to deliver premium services at competitive prices.

Third, there's the practical time zone advantage – the 3.5 to 4.5-hour overlap with Europe enables real-time collaboration and support. Finally, being surrounded by global IT leaders and a vibrant startup ecosystem keeps us at the cutting edge of technological innovation in areas like AI, IoT, and Industry 4.0.

Leadership: Bridging Cultures and Operations

Could you introduce yourself and tellus about your background, experience, and role as On-site Offshore Lead?

Santosh: I bring extensive global IT and business management experience to ACTUM. My background includes managing a $25 million P&L and 500 offshore engineers at EVRY, a Norwegian IT services company. As CEO of another IT services company, I drove 38% CAGR growth and international expansion.

My expertise is in establishing and optimizing Offshore Delivery Centres, with a focus on streamlining processes for maximum profitability. Throughout my career, I've successfully led multicultural teams across various geographies, developing innovative technology solutions that deliver measurable business results.

And Markus, could you tell us about your background and role in this initiative?

Markus: I'm a seasoned C-level executive with extensive experience in the IT and telecom sectors. My career includes positions as CIO for Swisscom AG, CDO for dtms GmbH, and Group CEO roles at Sicap AG and Heinekingmedia GmbH.

A significant part of my expertise lies in implementing BOT-offshore teams in India, which I've successfully done for multiple organizations to address resource constraints and improve cost-efficiency. At ACTUM Digital, I serve as an external advisor and program manager focused on implementing and scaling our offshore operations in India.

How does your expertise help bridge cultural and operational gaps between European clients and the Indian team?

Santosh: My role as a cultural bridge comes from two decades of working with European clients across diverse industries. This experience has given me deep insights into both European business expectations and Indian delivery capabilities.

I understand the nuances of how each side communicates, makes decisions, and approaches work. This allows me to translate requirements effectively, set appropriate expectations, and ensure alignment throughout projects. My background in setting up optimized delivery processes also helps establish workflows that accommodate different working styles while maintaining efficiency and quality.

Markus: My contribution stems from over 30 years in IT and telecommunications, with particular experience implementing hybrid teams. I've learned that successful offshore operations require more than just technical knowledge – they need leadership that understands both cultures.

I've developed practical approaches to overcome common challenges in cross-cultural teams, focusing on clear communication protocols, well-defined processes, and leadership that respects cultural differences. This experience helps us build high-performance teams that truly understand and address the needs of European clients.

The Hybrid Model: Creating Value Through Global Delivery

How does the 20% Europe / 80% India hybrid team model create value for your clients?

Markus: Our 20/80 hybrid model balances local presence with global delivery capabilities. European team members handle client-facing activities, strategic planning, and cultural alignment, while our Pune team provides technical expertise, scale, and cost advantages.

This approach delivers three key benefits: First, significant cost optimization without sacrificing quality – we maintain European leadership while leveraging India's technical talent. Second, faster delivery through our "follow-the-sun" workflow, with overlapping time zones enabling continuous progress. Third, enhanced client experience through local points of contact who understand both the client's business context and our technical delivery capabilities.

The result is a model that combines the best aspects of both worlds: European standards, compliance, and business understanding with Indian technical excellence, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

What makes ACTUM Digital's "boutique" approach to offshoring stand out from typical large-scale providers?

Santosh: Unlike mass-market offshore providers, Actum takes a boutique approach that offers both personalization and cost advantages. We function as an extension of the client's team rather than just a vendor, with direct access to leadership and senior experts.

We differentiate ourselves in three key ways: First, specialized expertise in digital content and transformation, with high-performing teams that adapt quickly to changing business needs. Second, a focus on value over volume – our lean teams deliver better ROI while maintaining competitive pricing. Third, stronger cultural alignment with European clients, ensuring we understand their specific business contexts and compliance requirements.

This approach is designed for clients seeking long-term strategic partnerships rather than transactional relationships, where quality and customization matter as much as cost savings.

Current Trends and Future Growth

Which of your offshore services are gaining the most traction with clients so far?

Santosh: From an operational model point of view, our 'Offshore Office Model' is gaining strong traction as it allows our customers to build their own offshore teams. This ensures faster scalability, flexibility of ramp-up/ramp-down, huge cost advantage due to offshore, and having a dedicated team ensures increased productivity.

From a technology point of view, AI, Data Analytics & Automation, Cloud & Cyber Security, Product Development, and Digital Enablement projects are seeing great traction.

How do you maintain ACTUM Digital's quality standards across geographical boundaries?

Markus: ACTUM Digital holds various certifications like ISO 9001 that are implemented into the governance and numerous obligatory operational processes which are applied across all divisions and country units. As a digital company, Actum naturally uses a central coherent IT platform for managing all business and project streams, including KPI management, quality assurance systems, and compliance compatibility. This also applies to our new hub in Pune.

What are your growth targets for the Pune hub by year-end?

Markus: The Pune hub, owned and managed by our Indian partner Santosh Kotnis, already operates with more than 100 IT experts working for leading European and American companies. By the end of the year, we want to operate with at least two hand-selected teams on two major Actum customer projects, which could be in areas like quality assurance, content management, or support and maintenance.

As a typical team needs 7 to 10 people, we will see 15 to 20 team members who are exclusively dedicated to single ACTUM Digital customer projects in Pune by the end of the year.

How does this offshore expansion enhance ACTUM Digital's global service delivery capabilities?

Markus: This expansion transforms Actum from a regional to a truly global player. We're now operating with a three-tiered approach: customer-facing teams in local European markets, central technology leadership from our Prague HQ, and scalable implementation resources through our Pune hub.

This structure gives us significant competitive advantages – we can maintain close client relationships while accessing talent that simply isn't available in Europe at the scale we need. The Pune hub is essential to achieving our 2030 growth targets, providing the resource capacity and technical capabilities necessary to support our ambitious expansion plans.

Looking Ahead: ACTUM Digital's Global Vision

As ACTUM Digital continues to expand its global footprint, the Pune hub represents more than just an offshore delivery center—it's a strategic investment in the company's future. By combining European expertise with Indian technical excellence, Actum is positioning itself as a truly global digital transformation partner.

The hybrid delivery model offers clients the best of both worlds: local presence and understanding coupled with cost-effective, scalable offshore delivery. As digital transformation continues to be a priority for businesses across Europe, ACTUM Digital's expanded global delivery capabilities ensure it can meet growing demand while maintaining the high-quality, personalized service it's known for.

With experienced leaders like Santosh Kotnis and Markus Doetsch at the helm of this initiative, ACTUM Digital is well-positioned to bridge cultural and operational gaps, ensuring seamless collaboration and successful outcomes for clients. As the Pune hub continues to grow, it will play an increasingly important role in Actum's ability to deliver innovative digital solutions at scale.