US technology and data consultancy Transiris Corporation is opening an office in Glasgow creating 26 jobs, with support from Scottish Enterprise.
Transiris, which also has operations in Canada, Spain, Romania, and Austria, develops technology solutions in areas such as digital automation, digital marketing, big data, and data analytics.
According to Transiris’ CEO, Silvian Centiu, the decision to invest in Glasgow came from a desire to access cost-effective talent, in particular data scientists and AI engineers.
“We’re always looking for the best people anywhere in the world – that’s how the workforce generally develops these days,” he said.
“Scottish universities include some of the best in the world, and there’s a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. We found a very good business infrastructure here, and a culture that’s viable for a growing company.
“The strong communication, friendliness and openness to change that we’ve seen in Scotland, combined with capability and high professionalism, will give us the competitive advantage we’re looking for.
“Based on what we’ve seen so far, the support in the business environment is comparable to Silicon Valley, which is a place we thought was unparalleled in that aspect.”
Headquartered in San Carlos, California, the company’s clients include Cisco, ThermoFisher, HPE, Bank of Montreal, and Vodafone. It’s expansion into Scotland is supported by £250,000 of Regional Selective Assistance funding from Scottish Enterprise. Most of the new roles will have salaries 20% higher than the national average and a number will be targeted towards graduates.
“By connecting a fast-growing, global company like Transiris to a hub of talent, academic expertise and an integrated supply chain,” said Paul Lewis, managing director of Scottish Development International, “we are able to deliver fantastic jobs and training opportunities for the people of Glasgow and anchor the company within Scotland’s dynamic data and technology ecosystem for long-term economic impact.”
The announcement follows the publication of the EY Scotland Attractiveness Survey, which highlighted a 56% growth in the number of digital foreign direct investment projects coming to Scotland. A recent Tech Nation report also noted that Glasgow is attracting a new generation of tech start-ups and workers, with a focus on data science and data-driven innovation.
“Foreign direct investment is a significant contributor to Scotland’s economy with over 2,350 foreign-owned companies operating from 8,850 sites,” said Scottish Government Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation Ivan McKee.
“Scotland has huge economic potential and we are well placed to take advantage of the economic opportunities that come from our established strengths in innovation and technology.”
McKee added that the Scottish Government has “increased investment in the economy this year by 64%, as part of our £2.4 billion investment in enterprise and skills. We have the most competitive business rates system in the UK and we are supporting sectoral and business growth, for example through delivery of the National Manufacturing Institute (NMIS) and the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB).”