Global tech firm Mphasis opens office in Calgary with plan to create 1,000 jobs
Company starting with 200 new local jobs, goal is to expand to 1,000 in a few years
An international information technology firm opened its Canadian headquarters in Calgary on Tuesday, and company officials say they hope to soon create up to 1,000 jobs.
India-based Mphasis, which formed partnerships with the University of Calgary, the provincial government and Calgary Economic Development, will open the location with 200 jobs.
"Effectively, think of us as the specialists who come with an understanding of deep technology and an understanding of the business that you're in, and how do you bring it together to solve business problems using tech," said Mphasis CEO Nitin Rakesh.
The company's Calgary location is intended to become a space to "incubate and grow quantum technology" and to promote its commercial application as an addition to Alberta's tech sector, according to a release.
Doug Schweitzer, Alberta's minister for jobs, economy and innovation, said the move represented a collaborative effort by multiple parties.
"I cannot emphasize enough how this has truly been a team effort," he said.
"It's the collaboration and the opportunities in the tech sector with big investments by Mphasis, they're going to allow for the acceleration of opportunities for young people."
University of Calgary president Ed McCauley said Calgary is poised to become a global quantum computing hub, adding that Mphasis chose Calgary "in no small part … because of our city's entrepreneurial spirit."
"The headquarters and research space that Mphasis will open shortly on our campus will be places for innovation, spaces for groundbreaking research that will support key industries like finance and energy and also health," McCauley said.
At the time of the company's announcement of its move last June, then-mayor Naheed Nenshi cited a mission to India in 2020 as having helped persuade the company to move to Calgary.
"Mphasis's decision to put their Canadian headquarters in Calgary reflects our city's growing reputation, and our global recognition, as a burgeoning technology ecosystem," Nenshi said at the time.
With files from Rick Donkers