STERIA, ONE of Europe’s leading information technology companies, is to set up a centre of excellence in Belfast, creating 63 jobs, the North’s Economy Minister Arlene Foster has announced.
These will be relatively well-paid posts which Invest Northern Ireland and the department have been attempting to attract to the North. Invest NI is contributing £750,000 to the development. The company will employ graduates and experienced software development professionals.
Steria, which employs over 18,000 people, said the new centre will provide support and delivery services for the company on a global basis in the areas of electronic document records management and customer relationship management.
“Steria is a major player in the European systems integration market,” said Ms Foster.
“Its decision to locate a centre of excellence in Belfast is testimony to its confidence in Northern Ireland. The announcement is the culmination of over 18 months work by Invest NI,” she added.
Steria’s managing director in Ireland Paul Wickens said there was stiff competition for this investment from other Steria European locations but the company was convinced that establishing the centre in Belfast was the right decision.