UK-based data analysis firm picks Athens
UK-based data analysis company GlobalWebIndex has chosen Athens for its expansion beyond Britain and the US, as it has just opened an office on Ermou Street in the center of the Greek capital.
Chief executive Tom Smith wrote on his LinkedIn page that, after London, New York and Los Angeles, his company chose to open its fourth office in Athens as part of the firm’s new strategy through to 2021 because Greece offers “world-class talent” in “engineering and data science.”
Smith explained that while there were plenty of challenges in choosing Athens, they were outweighed by the advantages of the Greek capital – the education level of Greeks, the language skills that “make a unified culture possible,” the eagerness of many members of the brain-drain generation to return home “for the right opportunity and salary,” and the fact that the Greek market is smaller, more connected and less competitive. He went on to highlight local success stories such as Taxibeat, Workable and Pollfish.
He does note however that “the biggest barrier is tax. If the Greek government is serious about companies investing in job creation, building wealth and moving people out of the black economy into payroll jobs, this is one burden that needs to be addressed.”
