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The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund announced this week that it will provide India-based Mphasis with up to $7 million over four years in order to accelerate the attraction of intermediate and senior-level tech talent to Calgary.
The investment will expand Calgary’s talent pipeline by supporting the recruitment of up to 560 new technology and professional workers and create work-integrated learning opportunities for up to 100 students, according to a statement from OCIF.
“Calgary is a thriving tech innovation hub,” affirms Nitin Rakesh, Chief Executive Officer, of Mphasis, a multinational information technology solutions provider specializing in cloud and cognitive services.
“We are committed to growing and creating a competitive workforce here, by not only attracting professional talent that will help transform the businesses of our global clients, but also investing in creating new talent from within the local ecosystem, in working with the universities as well as by re-skilling existing professionals from other industries,” the CEO stated.
The global technology company opened its North American delivery centre in downtown Calgary at First Tower in June.
“OCIF’s investment into Mphasis to expand Calgary’s talent pipeline shows the world we have an ambitious, collaborative, business-friendly environment that supports the growth of innovative companies in the heart of our city,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who serves on the OCIF Board of Directors.
Mphasis’ downtown presence supports activation of the city’s core as a vibrant hub of innovation, where anchor companies help drive new solutions by working with local entrepreneurs and startups across industries, according to Gondek.
“Talent attraction is a global competition,” noted OCIF CEO Brad Parry, who is also president of Calgary Economic Development. “OCIF’s support of Mphasis demonstrates we are a city making the impactful investments necessary to expand our skilled workforce, drive future economic growth and accelerate the momentum in our innovation ecosystem.”
OCIF is a $100-million initiative launched by the City of Calgary in 2018 to “support catalytic investments within the city to help diversify and transform the economy.”
To date, more than $75 million has been allocated to 24 projects to date.
These projects include IBM’s latest Innovation Centre, local AI startup AltaML, and LodgeLink, which was founded in Calgary in 2016.