FNZ wants more Scottish graduates for its world HQ

Financial services company FNZ said yesterday it would recruit more graduates to staff its new Scottish headquarters.

The firm, which supplies IT and administration services to wealth managers, will take on 20 graduates in the first three months of this year, after hiring more than 200 in Edinburgh in the past two years.

Director Christian Dougal said: “Despite reports of the worst economic slowdown in decades, at FNZ we’re seeing tremendous growth.”

He said that financial firms were increasingly turning to web-based, paper-free systems both to manage investments and to market products to clients. A system designed for Standard Life to offer products to financial advisors had been quickly adopted by other FNZ customers, he added.

Dougal said: “We’re looking forward to a very busy 2012, completing the roll-out of a number of platforms we have in development and growing our presence in the wealth management space.”

The company, which began life in New Zealand in 2003, moved to Edinburgh two years later. Growth in demand for its products means it now employs some 600 people, while assets managed on its platforms grew by 40 per cent last year to more than £20 billion. It also has offices in Australia, New Zealand and the Czech Republic.

Dougal said Edinburgh was “the place to be” for the company because of its supply of IT graduates and financial services expertise.

The firm recently moved into larger offices at Tanfield, bringing all its Edinburgh staff under one roof and declaring the site its global headquarters.

Officially opening the office yesterday, First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Scotland is a fantastic place to do business.

“It is unrivalled in the quality of graduates that come through our universities and are available for companies to employ.”