FNZ selects BRNO for its next European branch

9 Mar. 2011 | CzechInvest, FNZ | Thanks to FNZ, up to 100 new jobs will be created for IT specialists in BRNO.

Highly skilled and enthusiastic workers, a welcoming country and a pulsating city in the centre of Europe within reach of clients from Great Britain were the main requirements of the New Zealand company FNZ when seeking a location for its expansion. "The Czech Republic currently offers one of the best conditions for investment in information technologies or software development. I am glad to announce that we have managed to attract yet another company that will create dozens of highly skilled jobs,” says Martin Kocourek, Minister of Industry and Trade.

“We are pleased that Brno emerged as FNZ’s choice. The South Moravia region has been very popular among investors in recent years, especially in the areas of information technologies and software development. The presence of Masaryk University, which produces capable graduates, is certainly an important element in this,” explains Miroslav Křížek, CEO of CzechInvest.

FNZ operates in Europe and the Asia Pacific region and is developing very rapidly. In spring 2010, the company turned to CzechInvest for assistance with finding a location with suitable property in which it could set up its offices. “Brno did not disappoint in any of our original criteria. It is a city with a rich cultural scene situated in the heart of Central Europe, not far from historical cities such as Prague, Vienna and Budapest,” says Jack Doig, Head of the Czech Development centre at FNZ. The company thus realised an investment worth more than CZK 25 million in the Czech Republic. Operations began in July 2010.

Primarily university graduates focused on information technologies have found employment opportunities at the company. “We currently have 55 employees working on eight projects, and we intend to hire another 50 people in the near future,” says Jack Doig. In addition to Czech citizens, the company’s current team in Brno includes Slovaks as well as a Bulgarian, a Portuguese, an Armenian, two Scots and several New Zealanders.

FNZ offers to its customers, which are mostly from Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, a unique online wealth management system which is designed to meet the needs of financial institutions. End-clients are professional financial advisers and specialists as well as their end-customers and financial specialists within corporate structures. Clients include AXA, JP Morgan and HSBC, among others. FNZ is based in New Zealand and its European management is located in Edinburgh.