Photographer: Geo Kalev
Global business news agency Financial Times officially opened its office in Sofia. It is expected to employ 130 employees by the end of the year, to be responsible for engineering, development, design and economic analysis.
The fact that Sofia has been chosen by one of the most prestigious business media in the world means great trust and opportunities, Yordanka Fandakova, mayor of Sofia, said at the opening.
The event was attended by Cait O’Riordan, chief product and information officer at FT, who told us more about how Sofia has been chosen: We were looking at various possible locations for this office – in Asia, Europe and the UK before we chose Bulgaria. The long reputation of Sofia as a technology center, along with the development of the data industries, artificial intelligence, the renaissance of Sofia as the capital of technology on the Balkans – all these factors make your city an irresistible destination for such an investment. Our teams in Sofia are the engine in the main areas.
We continue to invest in Sofia: we plan to expand our business here by creating a new team that will work for FT’s specialized editions. We hoped that the city would provide us with talented people who would help us transform FT. Reality exceeded our expectations. Your dedication and energy are extremely exciting and I cannot wait to see what else we can achieve together.
FT has educational initiatives for high school students who are provided with free access to the publication. This is how we raise the next generation of FT employees and readers. In addition, we also find other ways to contribute to education by working with schools, clubs, universities, organizing events with students, Cait O’Riordan added.
According to FDi Intelligence, Sofia is among the most attractive locations for international investment in the next 2 years.
Sofia ranks 28th out of a total of 283 European regions included in the index for jobs involving intellectual activity. In 2018, Sofia was ranked 18th out of 400 world regions with excellent command of English, which also is important for attracting international companies to the capital, according to Sofia Municipality, as stated in the coverage of the event.