Symphony opens new tech hub in Belfast, creating 17 skilled jobs

The establishment of the new hub in Belfast will lead to 17 high-tech jobs across a variety of sectors over the next year.

New York-based technology company Symphony has today (28 May) announced that Belfast will be the new location for it multifunctional hub, which will create 17 highly skilled jobs for the region over the next year. 

The decision came after a two-day investment summit hosted by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest Northern Ireland in September last year. President and CFO of Symphony, Ben Chrnelich and a senior delegation from the company attended the event and met with existing investors to discuss the benefits of conducting business in Northern Ireland. 

Symphony develops communications software solutions for global finance, with more 1,000 financial services firms relying on its platforms, supported by more than 500 global staff.

The new hub will create 17 high-tech jobs across the engineering, finance, legal and compliance sectors, with plans to “grow beyond the initial 17 roles and establish a much larger operation in Belfast”, according to Chrnelich. Though the hub will be situated in Belfast, hybrid working options will open up opportunities for professionals all across Northern Ireland. 

In the future, Symphony plans to partner with universities to offer placements and employment opportunities. 

Commenting on the announcement, Chrnelich said the Northern Ireland Investment Summit was “by far the best investment event” he had ever attended, sparking his interest in exploring “the potential of Northern Ireland for Symphony”. 

“The new hub will help Symphony to achieve its growth plans by providing the capacity required to support our rapidly growing business,” he said.  

Steve Harper, Invest NI’s executive director of international business, noted Northern Ireland’s “highly skilled talent supply”, as well as “strong business links to academia”, were among Symphony’s reasons for selecting Belfast.  

“The company’s presence here will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s reputation as a centre of excellence for tech and financial services,” he said.

Invest Northern Ireland recently announced a new Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre based at Ulster University that will help businesses in the country adopt AI to boost their competitiveness and productivity.

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