United States-based talent hub Oceans Talent is gearing up to double its Sri Lankan workforce as it scales a highly integrated alternative to the traditional business process outsourcing sector.
Founded in 2021 by Chief Executive Officer Ian Myers, the remote-first organisation connects local professionals—referred to internally as divers—with global start-ups and fast-growing businesses. Cementing its long-term commitment to the country, Oceans Talent recently launched a physical office at Chitra Lane in Colombo to complement its remote-first structure, giving team members a collaborative space to connect at their own discretion.
Unlike conventional outsourcing frameworks where back-office tasks are shipped offshore to be completed in isolation, Oceans Talent integrates its Sri Lankan talent directly into the core daily operations of its overseas clients. Oceans Chief Experience Officer Matt Wallaert during a recent media roundtable held in Colombo emphasised that the firm is moving away from the traditional BPO blueprint to build deep, authentic workplace relationships.
“This isn’t traditional BPO, nameless, faceless person. This is a core team member, that you know by name, you see every day, and is firmly embedded,” Wallaert noted. Illustrating this deep integration, Wallaert shared that US founders have previously travelled to Sri Lanka specifically to attend their local team members’ weddings, while other divers have flown to the US to participate in client-wide corporate retreats.
Headquartered in the US, the company relies on Sri Lanka as its primary talent hub, with local professionals servicing around 300 active global clients across more than ten countries. As the business continues to scale, corporate leadership attributes much of its expansion to the unique temperament and cooperative spirit of the local workforce. Wallaert observed that while technical skills can be sourced globally, Sri Lankans bring a distinct maturity and calmness to the workplace.
“We see this sort of tenacity coupled with calmness, I think they bring a certain sort of maturity to the job that really stands out,” he explained. Contrasting this with the highly competitive corporate dynamics found in other regional markets, he added, “It’s that cooperative, ‘go farther together’ kind of attitude. It’s one of the things I love about working here, is that desire to do things with people rather than against people… it’s not so much the skills as the culture that I think makes Sri Lanka distinct.”
This cultural philosophy extends internally to how Oceans manages its feedback and corporate environment. Moving away from rigid corporate hierarchies, the firm prioritises calm and constructive communication. Highlighting this shift, Wallaert recalled an exit interview with a departing employee who noted, “The greatest thing about working at Oceans was that nobody was yelling at me.”
The market demand for this globally integrated employment model has been massive, with Oceans receiving approximately 20,000 applications annually in Sri Lanka.
“Every year we want to double in size, so hopefully next year we’ll go from 1,000 to 2,000, 2,000 to 4,000,” Wallaert stated.
Around 90 percent of placements fall under core “navy” roles in business operations, finance, and marketing, while the remaining 10 percent consist of specialised “pirate” roles tailored to specific client needs in legal operations, engineering, and compliance. To manage candidate interest and prepare hires for international corporate standards, the company introduced Oceans Academy, a pre-employment training programme that upskills prospective talent before they officially join.
Despite operating on a remote-first basis, the enthusiasm for physical community was demonstrated during the recent launch of their Colombo office. When an online attendance form was published for the opening day, over 80 professionals signed up within 20 minutes, forcing the team to temporarily take the form down and leading to a friendly waitlist where employees jokingly bid for a spot to attend.
The company maintains a strong focus on diversity and social responsibility, boasting a 65 percent female workforce participation rate and an average employee age of thirty. Demonstrating its commitment to local communities during challenging times, Oceans previously funded the rebuilding of a flood-damaged school in Galle.
By focusing on competitive compensation, continuous career progression, and an inclusive work culture, Oceans Talent has reduced its local attrition rate to an industry-low three percent, demonstrating that Sri Lankan professionals can successfully build high-impact global careers without needing to migrate abroad.
