Derry’s remote working success for London consultancy firm
09 March 2022
A London specialist consultancy firm who recognised Derry’s ideal location for business and set up a remote office at Ebrington to service their international clients are now ready to officially launch their new Quality Assurance and Testing Centre of Excellence at an event in Derry’s Guildhall later this week.
ChallengeCurve is a specialist software Quality Assurance and Testing consultancy based in London that was established in 2015 by Co-Founders and Directors Paul Nelis and Chris Bean. Last year the company connected with Derry City and Strabane District Council and with Council’s assistance set up a remote office in Derry to service their London and international based clients, including Nationwide, Prudential, Tandem Bank, Nomo Bank and NHS.
Initially the company drew their intake of software testers for their remote office from the Kickstart Your IT Software Fundamentals Programme which is delivered by NWRC in partnership with Council and the Department for the Economy. The programme provided the participants with OCN Level 4 Diploma in Software Testing plus industry recognised ISTQB Foundation Cert in Software Testing. ChallengeCurve delivered a pre-employment training programme and recruited all participants while the NWRC supported the company to identify candidates, supported the candidates and provided temporary office space. The company currently employs 10 staff within offices at the AMP Incubator at Ebrington.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the company’s new QA & Test Centre of Excellence, which takes place on Thursday 10th March 2022 at 16:00 - 18:30 at the Guildhall, Derry~Londonderry, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Alderman Graham Warke said he was delighted that a company of the calibre of ChallengeCurve were recognising the benefits of locating here.
He said “This is a really good news story and something that will hopefully encourage other companies to consider when they see the added benefits of locating in our city and district. Our region is exceptionally well-placed as an investment hub and for companies like ChallengeCurve to do business in. We have a young, talented and educated workforce with good connectivity and competitive salary costs and a pro-business environment and I am delighted to see the success of the company’s establishment in our city. The financial and business technology is a key growth sector for Derry City and Strabane District Council and ChallengeCurve is joining a strong fintech ecosystem in the North West with major international players such as FinTrU, Alchemy, Fujitsu, Allstate NI, TCS, Optum and SIT.”
ChallengeCurve Co-founder Paul Nelis said he was delighted to be hosting the launch event to showcase the company and to share their story around the recent investment in Derry and to further develop relationships with Council, strategic partners and the wider public.
He said: “‘The Covid pandemic massively impacted people’s lives and the economy. However, businesses have had to innovate in order to survive and one of the better outcomes is that remote working and technologies to support this have finally come of age. In April 2021, we had an idea to open up a remote office, to service our London and international based clients. We evaluated several options but chose Derry, a city with a youthful and energetic population and a fantastic support infrastructure, to be the centre of our new operation. We have had an amazing journey and we wish to share and celebrate our good news with our key business contacts, clients and colleagues at an event in the prestigious Guildhall.”
He said since the company has taken up office space at the new Amp building in Ebrington Square, they have hired a new office manager and is on the outlook for more recruits. Paul added: “I think Derry can be the centre of a fantastic tech hub and we want to play an active role to help achieve this. “