Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Avanade opens office in Scotland
Leading global technology integrator Avanade - a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture - today (Tuesday 25 January) opens its new Scottish operation in Edinburgh which will create up to 50 new high-skill jobs in the next two years.
Avanade specialises in Microsoft business products and helps companies around the world which use software to make the most of their IT investment.
Speaking ahead of the opening of the new facility in St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh, Avanade’s chief executive Mitch Hill said: “Avanade is an early-stage, high-growth company. Formed in 2000, the global organisation is focused on achieving 30-40 per cent growth and our business in the UK grew by 181 per cent in our last financial year. Establishing an office in Scotland is key to our continued development given the concentration of large enterprises, particularly in the financial services sector, who can all benefit from the services we provide. We are keen that Microsoft technology is used by more organisations in Scotland, and it will be Avanade’s role to ensure the successful deployment and exploitation of Microsoft technologies to customers.”
Welcoming Avanade to Scotland, Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace MSP, said: “I am pleased that a leading IT solutions company like Avanade views Scotland as a location to grow its rapidly expanding business in what is highly competitive market place. Clearly the availability of a skilled and reliable workforce has played a major role in winning this project and demonstrates Scotland’s excellent qualities in supporting companies whose business is driven by technological development and innovation.”
Heading up the new operation is Simon Fielding-Turton, previously a Business Manager for Microsoft in Scotland. He said: “Microsoft has great products, they are robust, secure and manageable, but we do not believe that Scotland has sufficient system integration companies of the scale and capability to deliver the technology that Scotland’s leading organisations rely on.”
He added: “Even though Avanade’s Scottish office is part of a global organisation our policy is to hire locally. Over the next two years we plan to grow our headcount to 50. We want to employ people with experience of working on large and complex projects who are highly skilled in the delivery of Microsoft technology. By encouraging more businesses to use Microsoft technology we anticipate an overall growth in the size of the Microsoft services sector in Scotland.
Brian Shaw, Director of Field Operations, Scottish Development International, said: "Attracting investment in growth industries is an important strand of the Smart, Successful Scotland strategy and the work of Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian in helping convince the company that Scotland is a place in which they can grow and develop, demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Scotland remains a place where multinational corporations can do great business. We have fostered a close and positive relationship with the company and we are pleased that Scotland is now set to reap the rewards of these efforts."
Notes to editors
Launched in April 2000 with a US$385 million investment from Microsoft, Avanade is a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture. It now has 31 locations worldwide with around 2,800 employees. Its global headquarters are in Seattle, Washington. Further information is available on the Avanade website.
Avanade customers in the UK include BG Group, Mercer, Tesco, Medicines Control Agency, London Stock Exchange, Imprint Plc and EMI.
Anyone interested in working for Avanade in Scotland should visit the Avanade website for more information on the roles available.
Simon Fielding-Turton the head of Avanade's new Scottish office is available for interviews.
In October 2001, "Scotland: A Global Connections Strategy" was launched as part of the Scottish Executive's guiding principles for the Enterprise Networks, "A Smart Successful Scotland." It set out a radical new approach to establish Scotland as a world class business partner in the globally connected economy of the 21st Century, including the creation of a new body, Scottish Development International, which is jointly operated by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise.
For further information contact:
David Cannon
Senior Press & PR Executive
Scottish Enterprise
Tel 0141 228 2702
Mob: 07887 830128
Avanade contacts:
Scotland - Sheila Kennedy
Tel: 07906 178234
Email: sheilake@btinternet.com
UK - Jennifer Gardet or Jane Green
JBA Public Relations
Tel: 01372 734262
Email: jennifer.gardet@jbapr.com or jane.green@jbapr.com
