With a growing footprint in health-care analytics and digital transformation, global consulting powerhouse ZS Associates is ramping up its presence in Jamaica, betting on the island’s talent pool to support its expanding portfolio of clients in the United States and beyond.

Operating in Jamaica through its 2021 acquisition of Medullan, a health-care technology firm, ZS has grown its local workforce from 16 to 40 employees in just two years. The company now aims to expand to 100 employees by the end of 2025, positioning Jamaica as a strategic nearshore hub for its consulting, software engineering, and data analytics operations.

“Big companies like ours are looking for global talent, that’s how we grow. What we have found particularly strong in Jamaica is project management expertise. If you compare Jamaica to India there is a big advantage because of the same time zone and ease of travel as well to the US where our clients are,” Managing Principal Dharmendra Sahay told the Jamaica Observer during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of its new office on Wednesday.

ZS Associates recently opened its new office at 13 Haining Road in Kingston, marking a significant investment in its local operations. The fourth-floor space spans just under 5,000 square feet and was retrofitted at a cost of approximately US$1 million to accommodate its growing team. ZS is already considering occupying the fifth floor in the same building as it prepares for long-term growth over the next two and a half years.

“We’ve outgrown our previous space, and this new office is designed for the next phase of our expansion,” said Ranjini Cassup, office managing director. “This investment reflects our confidence in the talent here and Jamaica’s strategic advantage as a nearshore location for high-end consulting and technology services.”

ZS has carved out a niche in the global pharmaceutical and medtech industries, working with top-tier clients like Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, and Genentech. The company specialises in digital clinical trials, strategic marketing for pharmaceutical products, and AI-driven health-care solutions that streamline patient-doctor interactions.

One of its latest innovations, developed largely from its Jamaican office, is a digital platform designed for oncology patients. The system integrates disparate medical records, allowing oncologists to track patient data seamlessly across multiple health-care providers. The success of this project has encouraged ZS to explore broader applications, including digitised health records for chronic conditions such as diabetes.

“Health care is one of the most complex industries in the world, and our expertise lies in bridging the gaps between patients, providers, and pharmaceutical companies through technology,” Cassup explained. “The work being done in Jamaica has global implications.”

ZS has expressed interest in collaborating with the Jamaican Government to bring its expertise in electronic medical records (EMR) systems to the local health care sector, though Cassup acknowledged the challenges of navigating the public procurement process.

“We are ready to collaborate, but I’ve found that it takes some amount of networking to get us in front of key government contacts; it’s something we are actively working on,” Cassup said.

Unlike traditional business process outsourcing (BPO) firms in Jamaica, ZS operates at the high-value end of the knowledge economy. The firm’s employees are largely drawn from disciplines like data science, biotech, and project management, with many holding advanced degrees, including MBAs and PhDs.

ZS’s decision to expand in Jamaica is driven by several advantages: lower operating costs compared to the US, an English-speaking workforce in a similar time zone to key clients, and the ability to offer competitive consulting rates without sacrificing expertise.

“The word got out internally within ZS that there was this highly skilled, nearshore team in Jamaica that was not only cost-effective but also deeply knowledgeable. That’s how we were able to grow so quickly in 2023,” Cassup stated.

“Nearshore is the trend that’s happening in the market, and it is important for us to have that presence. We’ve found top talent here with great skill sets. This was a key finding from our acquisition of Medullan, and we found it profoundly beneficial to our organisation. Because of that, we are going to grow aggressively — not just in Jamaica, but also in Trinidad and other Caribbean countries,” Noaman Khan, ZS’s salesforce expert/global lead, added.

As part of its growth strategy, ZS is strengthening partnerships with Jamaican universities, such as The University of the West Indies (UWI) and University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), with plans to integrate more interns and convert them into full-time employees. The firm also aims to build a dedicated team of data engineers and consultants to support its expanding global projects.

Beyond business growth, ZS has also embraced corporate social responsibility through its ZS Cares initiative, which funds community projects and provides employees with two full days per year to engage in volunteer activities.

Despite its success in Jamaica, ZS acknowledges that awareness of its operations remains limited locally. The firm does not yet serve Jamaican clients and sees its presence on the island primarily as a way to retain high-calibre professionals who might otherwise seek opportunities abroad.

“We’re not just here to make money — we’re here to create opportunities for highly skilled Jamaicans to stay in their own country and contribute to its economy. Every time a qualified professional leaves for the US, that’s talent and economic value lost,” Cassup reasoned.