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The Evolution of Sterling: From Poland to the World
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Byline: Mae Cornes
[1] In 2007, Sterling began its journey in Kraków, Poland - a city long known as one of Europe’s outsourcing capitals. At the time, the industry was dominated by global giants that competed on volume and speed, prioritizing scale over personalization.
Sterling chose a different path. Instead of focusing solely on cost-cutting, it built its model around customization, transparency, and trust. The company began by serving clients in niche sectors like recruitment and financial services, offering multilingual support and tailored financial back-office solutions. Over time, this strategy set Sterling apart in an industry where “one-size-fits-all” approaches often failed.
Today, Sterling served more than 1500 clients worldwide, ranging from startups to multinational corporations. Its services span multilingual customer experience, credit control, debt recovery, and order-to-cash processes. With delivery hubs in Europe and Asia and expansion plans into Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Sterling has evolved from a regional player into a global outsourcing provider.
The outsourcing industry has historically faced skepticism. For many businesses, outsourcing has been associated with hidden costs, inconsistent service quality, and poor integration with core operations. Sterling built its strategy around addressing these concerns directly.
By integrating advanced systems into its workflows, the company offers real-time operational visibility and seamless client collaboration. This level of transparency has earned Sterling its reputation as the “missing piece” for businesses seeking reliable partners.
This focus on balancing efficiency with empathy defines Sterling’s differentiation. While competitors emphasize volume, Sterling prioritizes long-term client relationships, operational excellence, and a human-centered approach.
At the center of Sterling’s evolution is CEO Harry Virdee, who has overseen the company’s transformation from a growing regional player into a global challenger. Virdee’s leadership style combines strategic planning with hands-on operational oversight.
Under his direction, Sterling has:
Virdee’s leadership also emphasizes diversity and inclusion as a core strength. Sterling’s workforce represents over 30 nationalities, giving it the cultural intelligence needed to manage global customer experience operations effectively. For Harry Virdee, this diversity isn’t just a matter of values - it’s a strategic advantage that drives performance.
The outsourcing industry is experiencing rapid change. Valued at $302 billion in 2024, the global business process outsourcing (BPO) market is projected to reach $525 billion by 2030, driven by advancements in automation, AI, and cloud-based customer experience platforms.
Asia-Pacific, in particular, is emerging as the fastest-growing market, with expected growth rates exceeding 12% annually over the next five years. Sterling has already positioned itself to take advantage of this shift by establishing a strong presence in India and exploring opportunities across the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Looking ahead, Sterling’s strategy involves more than operational expansion. The company is investing in thought leadership through industry events, white papers, and research collaborations to shape the conversation around multilingual outsourcing, financial back-office processes, and ethical AI integration.
Sterling’s story is one of deliberate transformation, built on the belief that outsourcing can be smarter, more transparent, and more human. By focusing on customization, innovation, and trust, the company has evolved from a single delivery hub in Kraków into a global partner serving hundreds of clients across multiple continents.
Rather than following the traditional high-volume, low-cost model, Sterling has reshaped the conversation around outsourcing. Its multilingual capabilities, advanced technology integration, and culturally intelligent workforce position it as a trusted partner for businesses navigating complex operational and financial challenges.
The company’s recent expansion into India, alongside its plans for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, underscores a larger ambition: to define a new standard for outsourcing where efficiency and empathy coexist. By combining diverse talent, cutting-edge systems, and a client-first approach, Sterling is not just keeping pace with industry change - it’s actively shaping it.
This is Sterling’s evolution: from a small operation in Poland to a growing force on the global stage, setting benchmarks for service quality, transparency, and innovation in a sector that demands reinvention.
Outsourcing is the practice of hiring external firms or individuals to perform services or produce goods that are typically done in-house, allowing companies to focus on their core business activities.
Customer experience refers to the overall perception and feelings a customer has when interacting with a company, encompassing all stages of the customer journey.
Financial services encompass a broad range of services provided by the finance industry, including banking, investment, insurance, and asset management.
Leadership in business involves guiding and influencing a team or organization towards achieving goals, often characterized by vision, communication, and decision-making skills.
Innovation in finance refers to the development and implementation of new ideas, products, or processes that improve financial services and enhance customer satisfaction.
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