US insurance company Aflac has confirmed plans to create 150 jobs in Northern Ireland overthe next five years with the opening of a new technology and cybersecurity innovation centre.
The new centre, which will be based in Belfast will provide support to customers in the Fortune 500 company’s two lead markets, the US and Japan.
Aflac is a provider of supplemental insurance in the life and health category. Founded in Columbus, Georgia in 1955, it has more than 50 million customers worldwide and last year recorded revenues of $21.7 billion.
Invest Northern Ireland, which is providing over £1 million for the project, estimated that once fully operational, the new jobs will provide a £7 million boost for the local economy.
"What is particularly attractive about Northern Ireland is the existing expertise in areas such as mobile and cloud development and intelligent surveillance technology," said Virgil Miller, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Aflac.
“Investing in advanced technologies is at the heart of our strategy to deliver an exceptional service experience to our customers, and in Northern Ireland, we know that we can drive world-class innovation for our company. We are also pleased that the new centre will provide an additional time zone, enabling expanded threat monitoring and response,” he added.
