4 minute read
When Anand Ablack visited the company’s India office in Pune earlier this year, it wasn’t just a business trip - it was a return to ancestral roots nearly two centuries in the making. In this article, Anand shares his recent experience and dispels the misconceptions around global business units…
Earlier this year, I made a journey that was significant on many levels. Alongside Xperate’s Co-Founders Simon Hill and Mark Garnish, I travelled to our India office in Pune - not only to mark a major company milestone but also to reconnect with a country that, while far removed from my everyday life, still runs in my blood.
My ancestors left India in the 1840s as part of the indentured labour migration to the Caribbean, and I am a Canadian through the migration of my parents. Very few in my family, for generations since had returned. This was my first time stepping foot on Indian soil. What I expected to be a professional visit quickly became something deeper, personally profound, professionally affirming, and unexpectedly emotional.
A Milestone to Celebrate
The reason for our visit was to celebrate a remarkable achievement for Xperate: our Pune team had grown beyond 120 members. To accommodate that growth, we officially opened a new, fully renovated floor in the office, complete with state-of-the-art meeting spaces and a new cafeteria.
It was a proud moment, made even more meaningful by being able to meet so many colleagues in person, especially as we celebrated several well-deserved promotions and awards together.
Seeing the faces behind the code and the operations has brought home the depth and quality of our team in a way no video call ever can.
Beyond the Office Walls
Outside of work, I had the privilege of spending time with the team socially. One of the highlights was hiking through the lush hills of Sinhagad, home to an ancient fortress just outside Pune. Sharing that moment, breathing the same mountain air, reminded me that teams aren’t built only through stand-ups and status updates - they’re forged through shared experiences and mutual respect.
And for me personally, being in India stirred something deeper. There were moments through the food, the language and the rhythm of life when things felt strangely familiar. Yet there was also a disconnect, a quiet question of “what if?” What if my family had never left? What if I’d grown up here? That undercurrent stayed with me throughout the trip - a poignant contrast to my Western upbringing.
Dispelling the Myths About Offshore Teams
As someone who works with clients across North America, I know there are still outdated perceptions about offshore operations, particularly in India. Words like "outsourcing" often come with baggage: images of cost-cutting, poor working hours and conditions, or disconnected teams. That cannot be further from the way we run our business at Xperate.
What I witnessed (and what our clients who visit see) in Pune was and is a culture of excellence. The team is made up of highly educated professionals, many of whom are graduates from some of India’s most prestigious universities. They are sharp, insightful, and fluent in legal tech. They’re also collaborative, humble, and deeply committed to the work they do - whether it’s building bespoke software, executing complex data migrations, or integrating cutting-edge systems for firms across the UK, North America, Europe and Australia.
There are no antisocial hours or exploitative practices. Our India team works standard business hours in a beautifully renovated space. They are well-supported, well-respected, and fully integrated into every layer of our business.
Pune isn’t a satellite. It is the engine room.
Why the Model Works
At Xperate, we’ve built something different. We don’t treat our India team as an outsourced vendor. They are our colleagues, equals, and co-creators. Pune is not just a delivery centre; it is the beating heart of our organisation. It’s where ideas are built, refined, and executed at scale.
And thanks to its proximity to some of the world’s best tech universities, we’re able to attract and develop talent quickly without compromising on quality or culture. This gives us the agility to scale projects, the diversity to solve complex problems, and the time-zone coverage that allows us to work around the clock without burning anyone out.
Our global structure isn’t a cost-saving tactic - it’s a strategic advantage. It enables us to deliver for clients faster, smarter, and more holistically. And in the legal sector, where accuracy and trust are paramount, that makes a real difference.
A Human Business, at a Global Scale
What I took away from this trip, aside from a renewed connection to my own heritage, is the simple truth that global doesn’t mean distant. It can mean inclusive. Collaborative. Human.
That’s what Xperate stands for.
As law firms continue to navigate digital transformation, I urge managing partners and IT leaders to rethink what working with a global tech partner looks like. When done right - with transparency, mutual respect, and a focus on excellence - it’s not a compromise. It’s an upgrade.
Pune showed me that first-hand.
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