According to Puls Biznesu, the issuer of payment cards is looking for a place for a service center, which will initially employ 500, and ultimately up to 2,000 people. Warsaw has a good chance of winning, against Prague and Budapest.
The New York company is looking for a place for a shared services center, in which 500 people will be employed initially.
“The company is looking for a bigger office than it needs for 500 employees. Ultimately, it can have more than 1000. Warsaw competes with Prague and Budapest, being the strongest player on the list. The center is to be opened by the end of the year”, says the source at “PB”.
“American Express has already decided on Warsaw, and if all goes well, will employ 2,000 people”, says another source.
The company has not yet officially announced the decision. It will probably apply for a grant.
The company does not confirm the investment information.
“American Express employs 150 people in two offices in Warsaw. We are a global company that supports card users, resellers and business partners through a network of offices in the US and other locations. We intend to develop business in the United States and beyond. From time to time, we evaluate the condition of our properties, checking if they meet our growing needs. We are considering opportunities, also in Warsaw and other places in the region. It’s just a study. We have not made any decisions”, says Doug Smith from the American Express press office.
Krzysztof Senger, a member of the board of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), refuses to comment, and Katarzyna Włodek-Makos, who is responsible for attracting investors in Warsaw’s city office, claims that nothing is known about this project.
An American Express investment would not surprise experts.
“Thanks to the entry of JP Morgan, the expansion of service centers in Poland, which belong to financial institutions, and more recently Standard Chartered decisions, subsequent players start talks with us. Poland is the most attractive place for the location of advanced services. I am in New York in meetings with potential investors. Americans highly value Polish graduates, who easily adapt to new jobs, quickly acquire competences, including soft ones, easily adopt the corporate culture of the employer”, says Krzysztof Senger.
In the autumn of last year, JP Morgan announced that he is opening an office in Warsaw, where he will employ 3 thousand. people. The company operates in a temporary office, looking for a target. A few days ago, the British Standard Chartered bank announced that in September it will open a business center in Warsaw, where 150 will work, and in five years – 750 people.