Up to 160 new software jobs for Belfast

Up to 160 new software jobs are to be created in Belfast following the decision of an Indian company to open an office in the city, it emerged today.

The investment by Polaris Software Lab was announced on the final day of a five-day business mission from Northern Ireland to India and was hailed as a landmark investment by Peter Hain.

The Northern Ireland Secretary said in Chennai: “It is exactly the type of investment we need to signal a transformation of Northern Ireland’s economy down the knowledge-based route.

“This is the first green field software investment by an Indian technology company on the island of Ireland.

“It sends the strongest possible signal to other Indian technology companies seeking a location from which to access the huge European market that Northern Ireland offers the best possible solution.”

Polaris is planning a banking and financial application certification centre in Belfast, creating 158 jobs over the next three years.

Invest Northern Ireland has pledged £1.5m (€2.2m) in public money towards the investment project.

Polaris is among the leading providers of software products to the banking, financial services and insurance sectors.

Based in Chennai, it has 12 engineering centres in India as well as offices in London, Hong Kong, Dubai, the United States and also wholly owned subsidiaries in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

The company’s executive vice-president and business head, Bikash Mathur, said Belfast was the ideal choice as a location for meeting the demands of European banks.

“Another compelling reason for choosing Belfast for our operation is the academia here,” he said.

“Information technology and software development, being the key focus of the universities in Northern Ireland, the Belfast centre of software testing will chisel the local talent into experts, providing our existing and potential customers in Europe specialised software testing surfaces with a faster response time and higher level of services.”

Mr Hain has visited New Delhi and Mumbai also this week with a number of Northern Ireland firms in a bid to secure new markets.

The Northern Ireland Secretary yesterday witnessed the signing of a £1.5m deal for Belfast-based company Howden to provide equipment to cleanse harmful gases emitted from a power station in Mumbai.

He also hosted a reception for representatives of the Indian travel industry and Bollywood movie producers.

The reception followed a recent visit by leading directors, producers and film industry journalists from India to Northern Ireland and the Republic which saw them scout potential locations in Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh, the Causeway Coast in Co Antrim and the Mournes in Co Down.