VIDEO: U.S. insurance firm to create 150 new jobs in Belfast

By Q Radio news

U.S. insurance company Aflac has announced plans to create 150 new jobs in Belfast.

The Georgia based company which also has offices in Japan will open a new technology innovation centre.

Details of its location have yet to be formalised.

The Global IT and Cybersecurity Innovation Centre is part of a multimillion-pound investment here.

Aflac is the leading supplemental insurance provider in the life and health category in the United States and Japan, providing financial protection to more than 50 million people worldwide.

Invest NI’s Alastair Hamilton says insurance company Aflac will contribute nearly £7m in wages to the N.I. Economy. The U.S. based firm will creat 150 new jobs in Belfast.@InvestNI @aflac pic.twitter.com/eAByu3IJZV

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) October 3, 2019

Invest Northern Ireland has offered just over £1 million to help secure the project and create high-value jobs for Northern Ireland, establishing itself as a fintech hub.

Alastair Hamilton, CEO, Invest NI said: “Aflac operates in the two largest insurance markets in the world, the U.S. and Japan. The increased safety of its customers is central to its business, and this new centre will ensure Aflac remains at the cutting edge of technology with access to global excellence in cybersecurity.

“The team here will provide technical expertise and operational support to complement its U.S. cybersecurity and IT operations. With a constant drive to innovate and exploit new emerging technologies, this will be an exciting addition to our cybersecurity and ICT sector,” Hamilton added.

Aflac will recruit for the new roles over the next five years, offering opportunities in IT and cybersecurity with an average salary of c£45,000. When fully operational, the jobs will contribute nearly £7 million in wages to the Northern Ireland economy.

(Keith Farley V.P. Aflac N.I.; Alastair Hamilton, CEO Invest NI & Virgil Miller Executive vice-president of Aflac U.S.)

Virgil Miller, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Aflac U.S., and president of Aflac Group Insurance, said: “What is particularly attractive about Northern Ireland is the existing expertise in areas such as mobile and cloud development and intelligent surveillance technology. 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.”

Miller added, “We conducted extensive research in Europe to identify a location that not only has the expertise in IT development and cybersecurity to support our business strategy, but also complements our company culture. We believe we have found that here.”

Keith Farley, is vice president of Aflac Northern Ireland, said: “It’s not every day that you can join a 64-year-old company on the ground floor, but that is exactly what we are offering. We are looking for great talent to help build a presence here in Belfast as a company that puts people first with a history as the leading innovator in our industry. And at Aflac, we understand how our products provide solutions for our policyholders in their greatest times of need, which means that employees in Northern Ireland will be able to share in that satisfaction, taking pride in the work that they are doing each and every day.”

BREAKING: American insurance company Aflac Incorporated is to create 150 new jobs in Northern Ireland. #aflac The Georgia based firm will announce a location for a new innovation centre in Belfast at a later date. Here’s Keith Farley, VP of Aflac NI... pic.twitter.com/JkU8BkGcHT

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) October 3, 2019

Aflac currently employs c4,700 employees in the U.S. and 11,000 globally. In 2018, Fortune magazine recognised Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 20th consecutive year.