US tech company Salesforce has announced that it is investing $2.5bn (£1.87bn) in the UK over the next five years.
Salesforce, run by Marc Benioff (pictured) a world leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software said it would invest in the UK over the next five years to increase its headcount, data centre capacity and office space.
The news comes ahead of today’s tech conference at 10 Downing Street hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May which will see £2.3bn of private investment and 1,600 new jobs announced.
Other measures announced include a new £2.5bn British patient capital programme and a startup visa for entrepreneurs that will launch in early 2019.
May said: “The measures we are announcing today will allow innovative British start-ups to invest in their future – and in the UK – by hiring more skilled people, expanding their business and exporting their expertise across the world.
“It’s a great time to be in tech in the UK, and our modern Industrial Strategy will drive continued investment, ensuring the nation flourishes in the industries of the future and creating more high-paying jobs.”
Leading British companies of all sizes including Addison Lee, Aston Martin, British Airways, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Funding Circle, The Nottingham and Rated People use Salesforce to power their digital transformations and connect with their customers in a whole new way across sales, service, marketing, commerce and more.
“Salesforce has been a trusted partner for the digital transformation of our Contact Centre, which helped accelerate productivity and engagement across our teams,” said Tony Ackroyd, Director of Operations & Customer Services, DVLA. “With Salesforce, we are able to deliver a leading experience to millions of drivers and vehicle owners across the UK and drive ongoing innovation across our customer service teams.”
Today’s news follows other recent Salesforce UK investment announcements. Last month the company opened its first European Salesforce Innovation Centre in Salesforce Tower London. The Salesforce Innovation Centre offers an immersive environment where companies can understand how to drive the digital transformation required to connect with customers in new and intelligent ways by leveraging cloud, social, mobile, AI and connected products with IoT.
With the opening of the new space, Salesforce is now operating across nine floors in Salesforce Tower London, with plans to open a new ‘Ohana Floor’ by the end of 2019. The Ohana Floor will offer a unique hospitality and networking space for employees and customers to foster collaboration and will be available to nonprofits on weeknights and weekends to host their own community events.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is a global leader for technology innovation. Salesforce’s continued investment and growth in London demonstrates the strength of our city’s tech sector and its attractiveness to major international tech businesses. It also shows that London is very much open to international talent and investment.”
Salesforce continues to foster British innovation through Salesforce Ventures‘ $100 million EMEA Fund. In the UK, Salesforce Ventureshas invested in several companies driving technology innovation including Onfido, DigitalGenius, Qubit and NewVoiceMedia.
