International companies cite Glasgow's supportive environment as key to their success in the city
Published: 27 November 2023
International companies based in Glasgow have explained their reasons for coming to the city and what has helped them achieve success here.
Supportive business environment cited as reason for Glasgow's economic success.
The companies were attracted by Glasgow's exceptional business environment, highly-qualified workforce, easy access, strong and growing tradition of innovation, and the cosmopolitan feel and attractions of a large city. These comments are often echoed by a range of companies in the city, from start-ups and SMEs to blue-chip organisations.
Glasgow is recognised as one of the UK's leading cities for attracting overseas investment, with 18 such projects in the past year, bringing around 1,000 new jobs.
HFD Group, one of Scotland's leading property investment, development and management companies, moved headquarters to their flagship building at 177 Bothwell Street - the single largest office development in Glasgow - which was recently sold to Spanish investment firm Pontegadea for £215 million. HFD Group have a long and successful track record in and around Glasgow - Bothwell Exchange (122 Waterloo Street + 177 Bothwell Street) and the G1 Building to name a few. The number of Grade A office developments and high-quality refurbishments by HFD points to Glasgow being able to sustain this level of capital investment.
Stephen Lewis, MD of HFD Property Group, said: "Glasgow has a thriving business community that we're proud to be part of. There are so many reasons that make the city a great place to do business. Availability of our top-class universities feeding into the talent pool that employers have access to on their doorstep and of course, the high quality of sustainable office accommodation on offer is a big draw for companies looking to establish or grow a footprint in Scotland. Our move to 177 Bothwell Street means HFD is now in close proximity to a wider range of customers across the public and private sector, as well as being at the heart of the busy international financial services district."
BigTinCan's global headquarters are in Sydney, Australia and recently made Glasgow one of its principal international locations, with the Glasgow software centre is a strategic hub focused on Data Science, R&D as well as evolving core products. BigTinCan chose Glasgow because of the skilled workforce, ability to recruit and proximity to technology and innovation.
David Keane, CEO and co-founder of BigTinCan said: "Bigtincan has grown dramatically - and this growth presents exciting opportunities for our customers and employees. We are expanding our presence in Europe, with our Scotland development centre as a strategic hub focused on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, R&D, as well as evolving our core products. This exciting growth hub is only the beginning of our investments in Scotland, and we are committed to continued growth in the dynamic city of Glasgow."
Merck, a global science and technology company, has been based in Glasgow since the 1990s. Earlier this year an investment of €35 million in biosafety was announced. The expansion will create nearly 500 new jobs (bringing Merck's workforce to over 1,200 employees across two sites in Glasgow and Stirling). The centerpiece of the investment is a new 1,200-square-meter facility in Glasgow, which will house molecular biology and sequencing services.
David McClelland, Site Head & Managing Director at Merck, said: "Despite technological advancements, the success of our business at Merck is reliant on the quality of our people. We have been able to continually find committed and talented staff in Glasgow, during a multi-year period of sustained growth. This is testament to the scientific ecosystem in and around Glasgow, starting from our high-quality Colleges and Universities who have developed their life science programs to produce industry-ready scientists. Merck is a truly global science and technology company, but our contract biosafety services were largely born in Glasgow. From our 1990 beginnings as a spin-out from the University of Glasgow, we continue to grow our business here, and continue to offer a world-leading service fuelled by the local talent we are able to attract, train and retain at our Glasgow facility."
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "Glasgow continues to attract companies of all sizes - from local start-ups to global organisations - and this is crucial in our work to deliver the inclusive economic growth that benefits the entire city. The city has a tremendously supportive business environment, one of the UK's best qualified workforces, and a growing innovation sector that will be key to our future economic growth."
Invest Glasgow, the inward promotion team based within Glasgow City Council, has recently launched four video testimonials from HFD Group, Merck, Bigtincan, and Dalata Hotel Group telling their Glasgow story. Aimed at target markets in Europe and North America the campaign promotes Glasgow to the international business community as an exceptional business environment with a pipeline of talent and skills and a dynamic city with room to grow. All videos are here:
