Software giant Sage has announced that it will invest £300m in the UK by the end of 2020.
The plans include moving its headquarters in Newcastle from North Park to Cobalt BusinessPark and a £40m investment in the North East of England over the next three years.
The move will allow 2,000 of its employees to work in the city, a significant part of its 13,000 strong workforce, itself set to grow by another 500 in product engineering, data science, support and sales across the UK.
Investments also include £1.6m in training in its employee’s leadership and innovation skills.
“The UK’s tech sector is fast becoming a centre of global excellence, and Sage is particularly proud to be part of this, and to have such a significant home in the North East,” said Steve Hare, CEO of Sage.
‘Our colleagues are one of our main strengths, and I’m pleased that this investment will create a great experience for them and a fantastic environment for innovation – both are crucial to our vision of becoming a great SaaS company.“
Sabby Gill, UK and Ireland managing director added: “Sage’s heart lies in the North East, the region is our spiritual home. Over the past three decades we’ve grown into a global technology leader, supporting over a million UK businesses directly or through our accountant partners, improving their productivity through digitisation.
“Sage continues to grow. Right now, we are recruiting for more than 200 open roles in the North East. It’s an exciting time for Sage, the North East and the UK.”
Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox MP, added: “The UK boasts one of the strongest tech industries in Europe, attracting more investment than any other European country and Sage is one of the UK’s best tech success stories.
“Their technology plays a vital role in enabling UK companies to do business each day and facilitates exports to markets overseas.
“My department is committed to attracting investment from across the globe to ensure that we remain the number one destination for investment in Europe.
“Sage’s investment shows a firm commitment to the UK and will help create high-quality jobs and drive prosperity into local communities in the North East.”