US consulting firm Envorso launches office in Belfast
A US headquartered consultancy has become the latest in a growing list of advisory firms to invest in Northern Ireland’s capital city. Envorso will open a new centre in Belfast, bringing 19 new jobs to the city by 2021.
Founded by Adrian Balfour in 2016, Envorso has experienced rapid growth since its launch. Specialising in productivity improvement and business strategy in the financial services and automotive sectors, the firm now has offices located in London, Detroit, New York, and Seattle. It focuses on delivering such services as data analytics, smarter working, legacy migration and leveraging cloud and IoT, its clients include Ford Motor Company, Rivian, Aptiv and Microsoft.
Now, as the firm looks to grow its European wing, it has launched a new office in Belfast. Envorso plans to roll out 19 new jobs in the Northern Irish city by the end of 2021, with the new hires earning average annual salary of £40,000. Speaking about the announcement, Balfour – who originally hales from County Fermanagh – said that the new facility in Belfast will help Envorso realise its ambitions for expanding across the UK, Irish and European markets.
Commenting to SiliconRepublic.com, Balfour explained, “We have seen rapid growth of our business in the US since our formation in 2016 with expansion in the automotive and financial services sectors… As a Northern Ireland native, I know what this country has to offer, but I have been really impressed by the quality of talent here and the engagement between business, government and academia… I am confident that locating this new hub here in Northern Ireland will provide the best platform for us to expand into Europe.”
The new centre is a key aspect of Envorso’s expansion ambitions outside of the US, where it currently employs around 50 people. Envorso Partner Brian Taylor will lead the Northern Irish team, which Invest NI will support through an investment of £95,000.
Kevin Holland, CEO at Invest NI, remarked, “Adrian Balfour has a strong pedigree as an entrepreneur and successful businessman with his interests also extending to US Rugby Union and farming. It is wonderful to see him choose his native Northern Ireland to grow his new business and bring back some of this knowledge, connections and expertise to benefit our local economy.”
As the consulting industry bids to tap into the Northern Ireland market ahead of Brexit, many firms have invested heavily in the region in the last three years. In late 2019, The Department for the Economy worked with PwC, Belfast Met and Ulster University to develop a £4.4 million pre-employment training project, which forms part of significant growth plans for PwC in Northern Ireland over the next five years. Meanwhile, Big Four competitor Deloitte aimed to increase its headcount in Belfast to 1,000 by the start of 2020, and RSM looked to better profit from its Northern Ireland-residing wing by merging it fully with its larger UK business.
