ATHENS – NTT DATA, the 6th largest IT services provider in the world, said on Tuesday it was planning to recruit a total of 400 people for a new office in Athens.

As the Tokyo-based company said in a statement, “In recent years, Greece has proved to be an outstanding operational base for major technology companies, which have entered the market to complement and extend their operations in Europe, mainly thanks to the availability of excellent IT talent and highly skilled people. NTT Data believes Greece is a source of real added value to its business, while further demonstrating its commitment to young talent worldwide. The company aims to seek out great young talent, to invest in their training and development, to bring them into large-scale strategic projects, while also partnering on original research with major universities.”

The Athens office, it said, “will also contribute to Greek market development, helping in post-COVID economic recovery, while also creating added value in digitization services delivered internationally, with Greece as an important international base.”

Plans include hiring over 100 employees this year and over 400 by 2026, on a flexible working model that will offer opportunities for employees to work on international projects, it said in its statement.

Speaking of its future local hires, NTT Data said, “Greece has always been a country with highly skilled people, many of them already experienced in working for the International Organizations sector. Many big multinational companies are operating in the country, demonstrating that the Greek market can create development opportunities. The new base in Athens will therefore help NTT Data strengthen and add value to the services it delivers for International Operations.”

According to Fritz Hoderlein, NTT Data Europe & LATAM CEO, the company plans to attract and engage the best people in our industry worldwide. Greece is a great digital and business talent hub that will allow us to hire both high-tech skills and functional experts.”

NTT Data Greece Managing Director Evangelos Konstantinis noted that the company’s entrance into the local market “represents a great opportunity for talent in Greece” and expressed the certainty the new office “will contribute to the country’s efforts to eliminate ‘brain drain’ and become an innovation hub in the region.”

The company operates in more than 50 countries and employs 140,000 professionals, according to its site.