Expanding SAS seeks 50 new recruits

SAS, the business analytics specialist, has hit the recruitment trail a year after snapping up Memex, the East Kilbride-based software firm.

The US-headquartered group, which had a long-standing Glasgow operation before last summer's acquisition, has also opened an Edinburgh satellite office to help service a growing client base in the east of Scotland.

Ian Manocha, managing director of SAS UK & Ireland, said the current combined Scottish headcount of about 130 could grow by up to 40 per cent over the next two years.

"We will be taking on 30 to 50 people," he said. "Memex has gone very well for us and this is just the start."

Memex, which SAS bought for an undisclosed sum, specialises in security and intelligence software. Its client base includes police forces and security agencies, including the Los Angeles police department. In 2009, prior to the takeover by SAS, the firm turned over some 8 million.

Manocha, who has been with SAS for about 15 years, said: "We have now restructured and combined the customer-facing part of Memex with the focus we already had at SAS - using that to grow our international business.

"In effect, from Scotland, we are running the international public security business for SAS and investing heavily in the leadership of that.

"This has also driven more work for our research and development group, so we are scaling that up, too."

The group, whose private sector clients include Royal Bank of Scotland and Aegon, outlined immediate plans to hire 15 more staff and upgrade its facilities in East Kilbride.

While the group has ties with a number of universities, Manocha called for stronger government support for the software sector, and in particular the development of talent in the data and analytics arena.

"There is not enough skills in the market right now in this area of analytics. Access to the right skills and talent from the Scottish universities system has been key to Memex's success."