PBT Group continues to expand its European operations, with signed strategic partnerships with companies in the Netherlands, Ireland, the UK and Germany, positioning it to support data related projects across Western Europe.
Ken Wood, CEO of PBT Group, comments: “We are thrilled to be able to grow our international operations. The European Union (EU) is one of the fastest maturing data economies in the world and we are excited about the opportunities this creates in the market and how we – through our data skills assets, solutions and expertise – can contribute to this growth.”
Reports estimate that in a high-growth scenario the value of the EU Data Economy will jump from €300 billion in 2016 to €739 billion in 2020 – and the number of data workers could increase to 10.43 million for the same period.
“The aspiration behind PBT Group was to establish and run a business that would become the preferred information specialist and business data insight solution provider to a global client base,” Wood added. “This is still core to our business and growth strategy – and we believe our worldwide expertise and regional specific wisdom means we can help position our clients ahead of the curve.”
Henschel Kok, EU operational manager at PBT Group, says: “PBT Group has been working in European markets for a number of years, where previously much of our work in the region has been in support of projects and business needs of our multinational clients. However, with the rapid expected growth in the EU Data Economy, we recognised the immense opportunities this offers a business like ours and the decision was taken to formally establish our presence in the European market.
“We also continue to place strong focus on building and maintaining strategic partnerships, which continues to enable our growth into new markets,” adds Kok.
By December 2018 PBT Group had established premises in Utrecht and Dublin, respectively. Since the start of 2019, PBT has engaged through partnership initiatives in Great Britain and Germany. Through these partnerships PBT Group will gain exposure to a mixture of projects in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) data engineering, visualisation and various major cloud platforms, including the likes of Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
With in-depth knowledge of data solutions and experience that spans more than two decades, PBT Group prides itself on being technology agnostic data specialists that offer custom-made Data and Analytics services and solutions. This enhances the Group’s ability to provide end-to-end solutions to valued clients, giving them the benefit of a comprehensive service platform for their business success. The company has over 520 data specialists working on client projects across 27 countries on three continents, including in Africa, Australia and Europe.
Additionally, as a South African started company, PBT Group remains listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
“It has certainly been an exciting start to the year and this new venture in our business. We started this journey with aspirations, and the goal to provide a solutions and services tailored for businesses and the European market, which we are confident we are doing well. But, this new part of our company journey has also just begun, and we are very excited for what is still to come; as we continue to deliver solutions that give clients not only an intelligent competitive edge, but also a sustainable advantage,” says Kok.