One of Europe’s leading information technology service companies announced today it was setting up a centre creating jobs for graduates and experienced software experts.
Paris-based Steria is creating 63 jobs in Belfast at a "centre of excellence" which will provide electronic document records management and customer relations management for the group across the globe.
The company has over 18,000 employees in 16 countries and currently employs around 200 people in Northern Ireland - more than half of them through their acquisition of British firm Xansa last October.
Announcing the investment Stormont Economy Minister Arlene Foster said: "Steria is a major player in the European systems integration market. Its decision to locate a centre of excellence in Belfast is testimony to its
confidence in Northern Ireland."
The minister said the announcement was the culmination of over 18 months work by Invest NI.
Invest NI has delivered significant success in attracting investment and reinvestment - despite an increasingly competitive global economy, the minister said.
There are now over 700 companies in the ICT sector in Northern Ireland, more than 100 of them international investors.
"Their success sends out a very clear message that Northern Ireland is an excellent place to invest," said Mrs Foster.
Paul Wickens, managing director for Steria in Ireland, said: "There was stiff competition for this investment from other Steria European locations, but we were convinced that establishing this centre of excellence in Belfast was the right decision.
"The centre will allow the company to achieve economies of scale and to develop intellectual property for the group".
PA