Gen-i to let 64 staff go as CBA deal ends

Telstra takes over Commonwealth Bank services contract.

Managed services firm Gen-i has revealed that 64 staff will exit the company next week after it completes a long-standing contract providing IT services for the Commonwealth Bank. 

The $1 billion services contract was handed to Telstra in 2008 after Gen-i decided not to contest for the renewal of the deal.

Gen-i general manager Paul Wilson, who took over the role from Phil Varney six months ago, told iTnews sister publication CRN that 64 people from its Sydney office were impacted - as they directly provided services for that contract.

"In short there will be some people leaving Gen-i who are currently performing services. We’re talking to those people internally that are affected by the change," Wilson said.

"We've been having these conversations for some time to ensure they have all their full contract entitlements."

Wilson said some staff who have been working on the contract for the past decade would go to market; others to Telstra and possibly some would be taken up by the Commonwealth Bank. 

"There’s a lot of intellectual property there,” he said.

Various services to CBA will continue for up to another six months, Wilson said, "mainly in the contact centre and annuity services that we are contracted to deliver for the next few years".

Countering the departures, Wilson said he planned to hire an additional 40 people for Gen-i's growing services area.

Growth areas included managed procurement, networking services, hosting and cloud services, Wilson said.