Suncorp is sending a team of executives from its commercial and personal lines businesses to India this week to further explore offshoring opportunities.

A Suncorp spokesman, who confirmed the trip, says the group already has offshore operations in India.

Sources say its headcount in the country currently numbers around 200 staff across both commercial and personal lines.

“We have a group in India this week to review existing operations, understand what our competitors are doing and explore whether there are any additional opportunities for our businesses,” the spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“This is a fact-finding trip – it’s too early to be speculating about outcomes.”

Sources say the initiative is being driven by Suncorp CEO Patrick Snowball, who is no stranger to Indian offshoring.

In 2003, when Mr Snowball was UK general insurance CEO at Aviva, the company announced plans to build a new call centre in India and develop a claims-processing operation for its UK general insurance business there, dealing principally with motor and household insurance.

Aside from the lower cost of doing business, the time difference between the UK and India allowed the insurer to offer extended hours of contact to customers.

The operation was initially forecast to employ 1000 staff, but by the end of 2003 Aviva announced that figure would grow to almost 4000 by the end of 2004, and the services provided in India would be extended to include administration and IT roles.

It initially expected staff vacancies, internal transfers and natural attrition to minimise compulsory redundancies, but as the offshore operation grew UK staff were made redundant.