INVEST NI has taken a £400,000 risk on an American company which allows organisations to holistically understand, manage and control their own risks.
But both the agency's chief executive and Economy Minister Diane Dodds believe the punt in Riskonnect - which is bringing 100 new jobs to Northern Ireland - is money well spent.
The Atlanta-headquartered risk management firm is setting up a fintech centre in Belfast which will pay its newly-recruited workers (25 are already in place) average salaries of £30,000.
“Riskonnect is a global leader in integrated risk management, and this project represents a significant investment into the Northern Ireland economy,” the minister said yesterday in New York, during the second day of her economic mission to the States.
“The company is offering well-paid roles for engineers and developers, all high quality jobs contributing more than £3 million in added annual salaries to the Northern Ireland economy.”
Riskonnect,which also has offices in the US, London and India, provides technology solutions to more than 900 customers around the world to help them anticipate, manage, and respond in real-time to strategic and operational risks.
Invest NI's chief executive Kevin Holland added: “This announcement follows recent investments by US companies including Aflac, Contrast Security and ESO, and further demonstrates our ability to attract global businesses.
“We are a significant player in the global fintech sector. Indeed, Belfast was recently ranked third after London and Singapore in fDi magazine’s 'Fintech Location of the Future' for 2019/20.
“Invest NI will support the company with expert advice and an offer of £416,000 towards the creation of the jobs.”
The Belfast team will support the company’s global operations and provide it with the capability to facilitate ambitious growth plans.
Riskonnect's chief executive Jim Wetekamp said: “We are making this major investment in response to an increase in demand for our services. Northern Ireland’s burgeoning fintech sector, together with a dynamic and highly educated workforce, makes Belfast an obvious choice for us.
“We were highly impressed by the local talent offering and by the strong links forged between industry and universities. We're confident we can find the workforce we need among Northern Ireland’s talent base to support our ambitious global strategy.”
