Edinburgh is to be the home of a new technology centre created by Australian financial services company Computershare which will create 300 jobs.
Computershare secured a £2 million grant from Scottish Enterprise and has been working with Scottish Development International (SDI) to develop the project.
The company’s expansion plans were announced on the same day SDI annual results were published showing that 7,839 jobs were secured in Scotland through new and existing investors – an increase of 10% on the previous year.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Scotland is open for business and continues to be a very attractive location for investment, as evidenced by the recent EY Attractiveness survey, which noted that Scotland was the top UK location for foreign direct investment outside London for the fifth consecutive year.
“Together with the inward investment figures published by SDI, this offers further evidence that we have the skills and expertise to attract and retain global companies like Computershare.”
Computershare was founded in Melbourne in 1978 and has an existing operation in the Scottish capital at Edinburgh Park.
Computershare CEO Stuart Irving said: “As a truly international capital city, Edinburgh has a bright future and is a natural home for a global company.
“As a growing business we need the skills and hard work we see on offer in this city.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International for helping us with our plans and are looking forward to our continued partnership.”
SDI operations director Neil Francis said: “When a company like Computershare chooses to invest in Scotland, it sends a message to the rest of the world that Scotland is a first-class destination.
“We have a clear focus on winning the right kind of investment for Scotland – which is secured because of our skills base, science and research excellence and our connected business infrastructure, and this investment by Computershare is an example of this.
“We’re thrilled to have secured these new jobs for Edinburgh; it’s a ringing endorsement of our offering to international investors and we look forward to working with the Computershare team to help them fulfil their growth ambitions in Scotland.”