US Insurance Firm Brings 150 Jobs To Belfast

An insurance firm based in the United States is set to establish operations in Northern Ireland and bring 150 jobs to the region.

The multi-million pound investment will see Aflac Incorporated, headquartered in Georgia, set up a Global IT and Cybersecurity Innovation Centre in Belfast.

Recruitment for the roles will take place over the next five years, with opportunities in IT and cybersecurity on offer, each with an average salary of £45,000.

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. The firm employs 11,000 people globally.

The new centre, complemented by existing teams in the US and Japan, will support customers and market growth in both of these current Aflac markets.

When fully operational, the roles will contribute almost £7 million in annual salaries to the local economy.

The firm said Northern Ireland's skilled workforce is among the reasons that attracted them to Belfast.

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.

"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."

Invest Northern Ireland 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 at 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."

Keith Farley, vice president of Aflac Northern Ireland, added: "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."



(JG/CM)