Case study

New base for Canadian company in London

UK government support helped telecoms company Ormuco set up a London base for its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations.

This case study was withdrawn on

This page has been withdrawn because it is out of date. For information on exporting visit great.gov.uk.

Man sitting at a computer

This company was assisted by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), which has since moved to the Department for International Trade (DIT).

In mid-2013, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in Montreal approached Ormuco to discuss its plans for expansion beyond Canada. The company already had 2 major clients in the UK and was considering how to develop these relationships further. UKTI advised on the process for establishing a presence in the UK and offered the support of its UK team of advisers.

Ormuco talked through potential locations for its new office with a UKTI adviser. The company decided on Citypoint in central London, with its access to a strong pool of talent, potential partners and clients.

Contact an Investment officer for help setting up in the UK .

The adviser made introductions to people who could help with public relations, accountancy, human resources and insurance. Ormuco were advised about possible grants and support available to businesses coming to the UK.

Bibi Bajwa, Ormuco’s Chief Operating Officer for EMEA said:

UKTI has been instrumental in the move to the UK. Their advisers have a wealth of knowledge of different UK regions and it was useful to tap into this as we decided where to base ourselves. This has been crucial to us getting employees on board with the right expertise and experience, finding the best partners to work with and attracting suitable clients.

UKTI’s introductions supplemented our own networks, saving us time and effort.

Up and running

Ormuco officially opened its EMEA operations in London in September 2014 and now employs 9 people. In November it announced its first deal - providing data centre hosting and connectivity services for UK-based cloud service provider, Core DataCloud. The 2 businesses have also formed a partnership to deliver fully managed enterprise grade IT recovery solutions that better protect businesses, at an affordable price.

UKTI’s advisers are still on hand to provide guidance and support as needed, both from Canada and in the UK. They recently referred Ormuco to a Tech City networking event that led to some business connections that could be useful for the future.

The company also plans to use UKTI’s network of international advisors to help identify potential clients and expand its business overseas, starting with France, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, where opportunities have already been identified.

Bibi Bajwa said:

Setting up in the UK enables us to fulfil demand from clients across the EMEA region.

UKTI has been a great help in making sure that we get off to a strong start.

Ormuco Communications

Ormuco Communications provides telecommunication services that incorporate the latest IT virtualisation technology. With 100 employees in Canada, the company has clients in several sectors, in particular online gaming, government and financial services.

Fast facts

Company Ormuco Communications
Sector ICT
Country of origin Canada
Investment location London
Website www.ormuco.com
Published 7 January 2015