BELFAST-based foreign direct investment (FDI) specialist OCO Global has opened a new office in Nottingham after being awarded a £10.6 million contract by the UK Government.
The five-year contract with the Department for Business & Trade (DBT), awarded at the end of June, involves the trade, investment and economic development advisory firm support inward investment in the UK.
The new Nottingham office is OCO Global’s third in the UK.
OCO said its analysts are supporting DBT’s drive to attract higher value investment into the UK focusing on emerging growth sectors such as quantum mechanics, net zero and sustainability.
The Belfast firm said it provides potential investors with bespoke research to support their decision-making processes.
The Nottingham office will initially include five senior analysts specialising in FDI.
The company’s chief executive, Gareth Hagan, said: “Competition for inward investment has always been fierce but current geo-political events in Ukraine and China, and the impact of Covid-19 on national finances have put immense pressures on supply chains and talent retention.
“Governments have responded globally by moving the focus of their support for inward investment from quantity to quality.
“The UK has been at the forefront of this shift.
“Consequently, the decision-making process for investors has become increasingly complex and the need from DBT for enhanced high-end research from our Belfast and Nottingham teams continues to grow.”
Naomi Byrne, OCO global managed services director, who leads the DBT account added: “OCO has been working with DBT for over 12 years and in that time we’ve been involved in some of the largest inward investment projects announced in the UK.”
