UK-based Insurance and household financial services company BGL Group said that it will invest £3m in a new tech hub in Sunderland to create a new base for the development and growth of its digital insurance products.
Image: BGL Group invests £3m in tech hub. Photo: Courtesy of Markus Spiske/Unsplash.
BGL Group said that the hub will create 40 agile delivery professionals, software engineers, software quality engineers and business analyst jobs in the initial phase of the project.
The tech hub is planning to recruit 20 people by June 2019 and further investment and recruitment is planned for later this year.
In the recent years, Sunderland is claimed to have become a tech hot spot and Tech Nation cited it as one of the best places in the UK to launch and grow a digital technology business.
BGL Group stated that it has recognized the digital and engineering skills the city had to offer and chose to place the tech hub in the city, after the success of its London hub that was opened back in 2017. The new hub features customer research lab and will play host to around 100 technology professionals.
BGL Group insurance, distribution and outsourcing chief technology officer Steven Woodford said: “BGL has a long track record of investing in Sunderland via our award-winning contact centre, which has been a key local employer for many years. We’re very excited now to be expanding that investment into securing new talent with the digital and software engineering skills which will help us drive the future of our business.
“We looked at a number of locations before choosing Sunderland, but were keen to tap into – and become part of – the city’s growing tech community.”
BGL has invested significantly in the development of a technology platform in the recent years. The company uses Agile working practices and collaborative tools combined with the latest and established digital technology to power its insurance platform.
Presently, the company has close to 700 people working in Sunderland for its portfolio of motor and home insurance products, both in partnership with several brands in UK financial services and through own brands Budget Insurance and Dial Direct.
Sunderland City Council leader Graeme Miller said: “This is great news for Sunderland and for its thriving digital and knowledge economies. It’s a further vote of confidence in the city from BGL which already employs many hundreds of people in Sunderland. This new investment in a tech hub will create highly skilled technology jobs to boost the city’s software and digital strengths.”