Swiss payment service provider wallee is reinforcing its presence in Lithuania and currently expanding its team in Vilnius. According to the company’s management, the expansion will primarily focus on roles related to software engineering and technical expertise, representing a well-calculated move to tap into Lithuania’s wealth of talent.
wallee, whose mission is the creation and development of sophisticated payment processing products and services, currently employs 140 professionals in different locations. The long-term plan for the Lithuanian office, which currently focuses primarily on software development, is to continue expanding its team of professionals. The company, which hired its first local employees in 2022, aims to grow the Vilnius team to 20 highly qualified specialists. Thomas Hunziker, the wallee CIO and co-founder, says that the company is currently consolidating and enhancing its existing operations while at the same time maintaining flexibility to adapt to emerging opportunities and business needs. wallee, with offices in Winterthur, Hamburg and Warsaw, caters to businesses operating across multiple channels, such as e-commerce platforms, physical retail stores, and vending machines. The Vilnius team is expected to act as an indispensable hub for innovation and talent, tasked with furthering the platform’s technological capabilities and ensuring its operational efficacy. W. R. Grace & Co. (Grace) is a global leader in speciality chemicals and materials. Grace's technology plays a vital role in everyday life - from parts in cars and coatings on furniture to pharmaceuticals and renewable fuels. The company is actively recruiting for several open positions in customer service, sales and procurement, with plans to hire more than 70 people in Poznań. In addition to an attractive salary, Grace team members are entitled to the following benefits: an annual bonus, holiday allowance, medical and life insurance for employees and their family members, reimbursement for the purchase of glasses, language courses and a MultiSport card. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online at jobs.grace.com. The new state-of-the-art office space will be home to the company's global customer service centre and is conveniently located in terms of public transport and less than 5 kilometres from the city centre.
Print, copy, and services giant Xerox says it is looking for ways to improve its business efficiency and how it works with clients via what it calls Xerox’s “reinvention,” which includes sweeping changes at the executive level, big layoffs, and a reorganization of some of its business functions.
'Reinventing' Xerox Xerox Holdings Corp. Wednesday reorganized its business as part of what it calls its “reinvention,” aimed at better aligning its resources. Along with the reinvention, the Norwalk, Conn.-based services provider and printer and copier heavyweight also made significant changes in its executive leadership team and said it plans to lay off about 15 percent of its workforce – which could amount to more than 3,000 jobs. The plans, which includes reorganizing the business around areas, are key for helping Xerox execute more efficiently and better serve customers going forward, said Xerox CEO Steven Bandrowczak in a statement. “The evolution of Xerox’s reinvention aligns our resources in three key areas – improvement and stabilization of our core print business, increased productivity and efficiency through the formation of a new Global Business Services organization, and disciplined execution in revenue diversification,” Bandrowczak said. “The shift to a business unit operating model is a continuation of our client-focused, balanced execution priorities and is designed to accelerate product and services, go-to-market, and corporate functions’ operating efficiencies across all geographies we serve.” Significant changes from the Xerox “reinvention” include the development of a new Global Business Services function to simplify how the company does business, along with a sweeping re-organization of its executive suite which will has led to multiple multiple changes in the top roles as well as the departure of at least two long-term executives. The changes will also see Xerox lay off about 15 percent of its workforce. A Xerox spokesperson responded to a CRN request for more information by saying that changes in how Xerox reports its finances have yet to be determined. The company currently breaks out its revenue by “print and other” and “financing (FITTLE).” Revenue is also broken out according to “equipment sales” and “post sale revenue. Xerox Forms A New Global Business Services Function A major part of the reorganization is the realignment of Xerox’s resources into three new areas. Included in these is a newly-formed function called Global Business Services. A Xerox spokesperson told CRN via email that Global Business Services is a support function for Xerox’s customer facing activities including financing, and not a separate division or business unit. Headed by Xerox Chief Transformation and Administrative Officer Louie Pastor, Global Business Services going forward will be focused on simplification to drive enterprise-wide efficiency and scalability with centrally coordinated internal processes leveraging shared capabilities and platforms. GBS is also charged with reducing transaction costs to help Xerox leverage and invest in its growth segments, and with continuously improving clients’ and employees’ experiences. Here are more key details about Xerox’s latest moves. Viking Shared Service Center Cluj is among the most important employers and significant pillars of support business services in Cluj-Napoca. The company relocates to new offices in Record Park.
Viking Romania dates back to 2008 and belongs to Viking Europe, that represents one of the main suppliers of professional office solutions. They provide financial services and operational and technical support to all companies in this structure. RAJA Group purchased Viking Europe 2 years ago. This led to initiating a series of positive transitions. RAJA is known as one of the most influential retailers in Europe for its distribution of packaging, industrial equipment and office solutions. The establishment operates through 26 companies, in 19 countries, serving over 2 million customers and has been on the market for almost 70 years. “Viking Romania needed a new home, a place that corresponds to the current quality standards and the transition to hybrid working solutions, as well as our desire to offer our employees an enhanced working experience. We found the ideal location, a modern ecosystem, right in the heart of Cluj. The Record Park complex with its latest generation building and amenities is easily accessible, and it matches our vision perfectly. We are thus embarking on our latest journey, one which I am sure will lead us to many professional accomplishments. I am delighted we found this awesome new home for us” stated Adrian Fogaș, Managing Director of Viking Shared Service Center Romania. In Bucharest, fully 16.3% of adults are employed in brain business jobs, making it amongst the top-10 highest shares in all of Europe, according to an index by ECEPR.
The Geography of Europe’s Brain Business Jobs, an index that since 2017 has studied the geography of knowledge-intensive jobs in Europe, shows that in the average European region, 5.8% of adults work in brain business jobs, meaning that the share of knowledge-intensive workers in Bucharest is 181% higher than the average European region. Another measure is high-value-creating jobs, which include not only the most knowledge-intensive occupations but also work in manufacturing industries and professional services. Fully 44.1% of adults in Bucharest are employed in these jobs. In the average European region, 31.2% of adults are employed in high-value-creating jobs. In total numbers, there are 239,300 brain business jobs in Bucharest. This is slightly lower than 285,400 in Warsaw and 253,300 in Budapest, but higher than 162,400 in Prague. In all of Europe, the highest number is found in Paris, where nearly 1.3 million are employed in brain business jobs. IT services is the most common brain business job in Bucharest, with 71,300 employed in companies in this sector. Additionally, 38,100 are employed in engineering & architecture, while 31,200 work in high-tech manufacturing. “An important finding of this index is that regions need brain business jobs, or else jobs in manufacturing industries and professional services. Each percentage point higher of the population that is employed in these high-value-creating jobs corresponds with 0.21 percent lower regional unemployment. Essentially, regions need to have jobs high up on the value chain, to generate exports and stimulate job creation”, explains Nima Sanandaji, director of ECEPR. In all previous editions of this index, the Slovakian capital region of Bratislava has had the highest concentration of brain business jobs per capita. This year Budapest climbs to the number one spot, followed by Bratislava and Prague in third place. Full story at Romania Insider. Amazon Development Centre Romania: Unravelling new possibilities and redefining industry standards
4/12/2023
Established in 2005, Amazon Development Centre Romania is a pioneering R&D facility in Eastern Europe.As we continue to grow our teams in Romania, we invite you to learn more about the ground-breaking work done at Amazon Development Centre Romania (ADCR), as presented by our colleagues during GoTech World, which took place in Bucharest, Romania on 8-9 November. At a two-day conference that brought together 13,800 professionals, including 6,000 from the tech realm, amongst 165 speakers covering topics like Cybersecurity, AI, Java, DevOps, IT Ops, UX/UI, and Digital Marketing, our team gave three tech talks and an opening speech on the conference’s AI Stage, showcasing Amazon’s spirit of innovation. ADCR employs experts in Cloud Computing, Information Security, Machine Learning, and Data Analysis, as well as business teams in Retail, Compliance, Digital Imaging Services, and Amazon Creative Services.
Dinesh Rajasekharan, Amazon’s Principal PMT for Security Products, Identity & Access Management, spoke on November 8th, unravelling the intricacies of enhancing access security for critical resources on the conference’s Business Transformation Stage. With over a decade of experience in developing and launching security products and services, Dinesh shared insights on navigating the evolving threat landscape. His session, titled "Securing Access to Critical Resources in the Age of Generative AI”, delved into the challenges posed by tools like Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI). Attendees discovered how security researchers and organisations are leveraging Gen AI to establish a framework for safeguarding critical resources in this new era. Full Story at Amazon. The last talk at the Aspire Leaders Summit (held 23 November in Krakow) was by renowned futurist Prof. Ian Angell, ahead of the publication of his new book, “The Technological Mind”. He spoke about the impacts of digital intelligence on our human future and provided his thoughts on what this means for GBS and for Kraków.
The repercussions of systemic consequences extend beyond the confines of the initial setup. They spread in various directions, with effects that can range from minor ripples to potentially transformative tsunamis, as illustrated by the impact of AI on contemporary business. According to the professor, AI is a technology that will completely change our reality. Summit participants had the opportunity to listen to an engaging speech filled with knowledge and specific business solutions. Other topics covered were as follows:
HIPA, the Hugarian Investment and Promotion Agency, in cooperation with AmCham Hungary and ABSL Hungary, hosted 200 guests at its 30 November annual conference. The event featured more than 25 speakers, and distinguished 3 BSCs for their leadership and innovation: TCS, Kostal Group, and ThermoFisher Scientific.
Also, the event unveiled the results of the 2023 Survey that showcases a remarkable growth of the sector: by now 100,000+ people are employed (up from 70,000 in 2021) in 201 centers. ️The very best BSCs were also recognized in three categories: ️KOSTAL Group (Investor of the Year) ️Tata Consultancy Services (Business Excellence and Innovation) ️Thermo Fisher Scientific (Best in Education Cooperation & Talent Development) Key takeaways: 💡the Education system must be improved to ensure a strong Talent pipeline. 💡one of CEE's ultimate edges is its quality of life. 💡81% of BSCs plan to bring more high added-value functions to Hungary in the next 3 years 💡economic growth will drive further development of the region. Although not yet officially announced, the City of Krakow will host ABSL Poland's annual conference, with the date set for 3-5 June.
Krakow was also the host for the 2023 event. Zedge, a prominent US technology company, has experienced substantial growth in recent years and is now poised to expand its footprint in Vilnius. Over the next three years, the company aims to add 20 highly skilled professionals to its workforce in the city, bolstering its existing team of specialists to a total of 50 individuals proficient in technology and mobile applications. In line with this expansion, Zedge has committed to collaborating with local universities exploring synergies, particularly in the realms of AI and data engineering.
Established in 2003 initially as a platform for ringtones, Zedge has evolved into a versatile mobile content platform, boasting over 40 million users and 620 million app downloads. The company’s recent growth trajectory includes strategic acquisitions such as Emojipedia in 2021 and GuruShots in 2022. Notably, in 2023, Zedge embraced AI technology, introducing innovative products like pAInt, an AI wallpaper maker, and AI Art Master, a generative AI game. The company has offices in the USA, Norway, Lithuania and Israel. Since its inception in 2018, Zedge’s Vilnius office has emerged as a pivotal center for developing new products, driving innovation, and optimizing the platform’s systems. Currently employing 32 highly skilled professionals, constituting approximately one-third of its global workforce, Zedge Lithuania remains integral to the company’s technological advancements. Looking ahead, Zedge plans to further strengthen its Vilnius team by hiring 20 additional software developers, product owners, monetization specialists, data engineers, and other professionals over the next three years. The recruitment focus will emphasize Senior-level expertise, complemented by a select group of Junior to Mid-level professionals. Source: Invest in Lithuania |
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