(Jan Matejko Square in Kraków. Photo credit Jakub Hałun.)
Guidwire Software has opened a new Regional Development Center in Krakow, capital city of the Małopolska region of Poland, to support the expansion of global operations. The sixth of such facilities, the Krakow center follows the earlier establishment of those in California, Dublin, Pennsylvania, Tokyo and Toronto. Guidewire has begun recruiting developers within Poland to staff the center.
Dan Lonborg, Senior Director, Guidewire Software
“Building on the success of our Dublin Development Centre, our investment in Krakow will allow us to increase European recruitment and to undertake full life-cycle product development that will benefit the Guidewire customer community,” comments Dan Lonborg, senior director, software engineering, content, Guidewire Software.
Guidewire chose the Małopolska location in part because of a high concentration of talented software development professionals, according to Ali Kheirolomoom, chief product officer, Guidewire Software. “Access to high quality staff, combined with a central European location will enhance our product delivery efficiency significantly,” he says.
Ali Kheirolomoom, Chief Product Officer, Guidewire Software.
Staff at the Krakow center will build products not just for the Central and Eastern European market but for Guidewire customers globally. The Krakow centre will operate with a team structure, and have a specific product focus, according to a Guidewire statment:
- Core InsuranceSuite applications, with a broad geographical and time-zone coverage for critical customer escalation;
- Digital applications (digital functionality underpinning core applications and enhancing user experience) working closely with California and Dublin development teams; and
- “Content” modules for core applications, developing country- or market-specific variations according to insurance sector need.
“The opening of Guidewire Software’s new development and research center in Krakow is excellent news for our city,” comments the Mayor of Krakow, Professor Jacek Majchrowski. “We have been observing a very positive trend in the IT industry. Rather than our professionals going abroad in search of attractive jobs, IT companies are opening their centres in Poland, including Krakow.”
Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of Krakow.
Majchrowski believes that the opening of Guidewire’s center will attract more skilled and highly paid young workers, creating an increasingly better environment for subsequent ventures. “This is clearly a very positive and desirable development, both for Krakow and for the entire region,” he adds.
IT is one of the fastest growing industries in Poland, and foreign investment is being driven by the increased availability of qualified IT professionals in the country, according to Tomasz Latocha, vice president of the Krakow-based Małopolska Agency for Regional development (Małopolska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego, MARR). “Each year about 15,000 students graduate in Computer Science in Poland,” he reports. “Young Polish IT specialists, especially developers, rank with the best in the world. Guidewire Software is sure to find top class professionals in Małopolska.”
“The choice of Małopolska for the new development centre is a very positive sign from Guidewire Software,” Latocha adds. “Krakow, and the entire area of southern Poland, is a major IT industry center. 33 universities and almost 190,000 students are a real magnet for investment in the IT and R&D sectors. Over 16,000 people have already found jobs at more than 160 companies. We are particularly happy that Guidewire Software is another technology company to bring its advanced knowledge, know-how and capital to the region.”