During Mayor of Montréal's economic mission to Europe - French group Astek announced the set up of its North American headquarters in Greater Montréal and the creation of 100 jobs

Paris, France, May 14, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - French group Astek, which specializes in information and scientific and technical engineering systems, today announced its decision to set up its North American headquarters in Greater Montréal and create close to 100 jobs over three years. On hand for the announcement made by Mr. Julien Gavaldon, CEO of Astek, were Mr. Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal and Chair of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), and Ms. Dominique Anglade, President and CEO of Montréal International.

"We value our relationship with our clients and are committed to providing them with know-how, expertise and innovative solutions, and to being close to them. Over time, we have developed strong ties with many North American clients, and Montréal, a true gateway to the continent, came as a natural choice when we decided to expand into this new market," said Mr. Gavaldon. "Montréal is known for its dynamic research and development community, its pool of highly skilled workers, and its competitive and innovative business environment. Those are some of the key elements that will help our company become a leading long-term partner in innovative IT projects," he added.

"Astek has been one of the big names in the European IT services and consulting industry since 1988. And I am proud and pleased that the company has decided to expand its operations to Montréal, a city internationally recognized for its information and communication technology (ICT) industry. Earlier this year, Greater Montréal was ranked among the top 21 smart communities of 2014 by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). Our region is constantly innovating and moving forward, and the arrival of major players like Astek confirms our position as a world leader," said Mr. Coderre.

With a GDP that has been growing at twice the rate of the overall economy for the past 10 years, the ICT industry drives Greater Montréal's economy. The sector employs 93,000 people in Greater Montréal and accounts for 73% of ICT jobs in Québec.

Montréal International, whose mission includes attracting foreign direct investment to Greater Montréal, is helping Astek set up its headquarters in the area. "We are pleased to support Astek's international growth strategy. Investment projects in knowledge-based industries are a key driver of economic development, but attracting foreign investments requires resourcefulness, determination and patience. We approached Astek over a year ago and our efforts have paid off. The arrival of this major IT group shows once again just how attractive Montréal is to businesses," explained Ms. Anglade.

Astek's decision to set up its headquarters in Greater Montréal is part of the Group's North American growth strategy, which includes opening a sales office in Toronto.

About Astek (www.groupeastek.com/en/)
Founded in 1988, Astek is an independent French group, which has become a major player in the IT services industry. With 2,500 employees and operations in eight countries, Astek has a turnover of €185 million. Its clients include big names such as Amadeus, Thales, AIRBUS, Air France, BNP Paribas, Société Générale, and Orange. The group's technical and operational expertise is focused on three major activities: consulting, information systems, and scientific and technical engineering.

About Montréal International (www.montrealinternational.com)
Created in 1996, Montréal International (MI) is the result of a private-public partnership. Its mission is to act as an economic driver for Greater Montréal to attract foreign wealth while accelerating the success of its partners and clients. Its mandates include attracting foreign direct investments, international organizations and international strategic workers as well as promoting the competitive and international environment of Greater Montréal. Montréal International—a non-profit organization—is funded by the private sector, the governments of Canada and Québec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (Montréal Metropolitan Community) and the City of Montréal.

Since its creation, Montréal International has helped attract $10.6 billion in foreign direct investment to Greater Montréal. And these investments have contributed to creating or maintaining close to 52,000 jobs. To date, MI has also supported almost half of the city's 60 international organizations in setting up their operations in the area, while helping attract and retain more than 9,000 highly skilled foreign workers.

SOURCE: Montréal International

Céline Clément, Public Relations Director, Montréal International, Tel.: [phone], Cell: 514-892-4030, [email protected]; Yoann Rouleau, Chief International Officer, ASTEK, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]; Andrée-Anne Toussaint, Press attaché, Office of the Mayor and the Executive Committee, City of Montréal, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]