Most significant Investor of the Year – Business Support Services

23 Jun. 2009 | CzechInvest, AFI | The most significant investor of 2008 in the area of business support services was IBM, which established a new headquarters in Prague from which it now directs its operations in Central and Eastern Europe. The Prague headquarters is responsible for business policy and development of innovations and intelligent solutions in 19 other countries, including the Baltic states and Turkey.

“The establishment of the headquarters is in accordance with our strategy of adapting resources to the needs of clients in rapidly growing markets. IBM is prepared to respond to current challenges and to the requirements of customers in our region with a combination of worldwide know-how and regional and local expertise,” explains Aleš Bartůněk, CEO of IBM Česká republika.

Second prize in the category Most Significant Investor of the Year – Business Support Services was awarded to Monster, the world leader in online personnel advertising. Last year the company invested in a new centre in Brno, where it concentrated shared services for its European and, to some extent, worldwide branches. For companies within the group, the centre provides support for financial operations, ensures technical support for customers, and assists job applicants in working with the portal. The company’s employees at the Brno centre speak a total of 14 languages.

Third place in the category Most Significant Investor of the Year – Business Support Services went to Covidien, one of the world’s biggest providers of products for the healthcare industry. In 2008 the company decided to establish a shared-services centre in Prague where it will gradually concentrate financial operations, accounting and other business support services for all of its branches in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In competition with other cities, Prague won the investment thanks to its outstanding business environment and quality infrastructure, as well as its high standard of living.