A North East tech recruitment specialist is expanding its global footprint for a second time in a month with the opening of a base in Italy.

Newcastle based Frank Recruitment Group, which was first established in the city 16 years ago, is opening its first office in the European country this week, with the Milan office becoming its 25th global site.

The opening comes just two weeks after the company – which specialises in cloud IT recruitment and now employs more than 3,000 members of staff – announced plans to open a new base in Montreal, Canada, where the business aims to fill digital skills gaps.

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The office will initially focus on finding professionals to work with Microsoft Cloud products, including Microsoft Dynamics and Azure, through its Nigel Frank brand, servicing Microsoft customers and partners across Italy. The decision to expand into Italy comes as reports show cloud usage nationwide increased almost twofold between 2018 and 2020, going from 23% to 59%.

Funding to support digitisation led to a boost in uptake to cloud solutions during the pandemic, leading to a significant increase in demand for the specialists.

Neil Walker, Frank Recruitment Group’s SVP for European operations said the company wanted to open in Milan, Italy’s financial and industrial heart.

He said: “It has always and continues to attract some of the best talent—topping the lists as one of the cities boasting the best quality of life and bustling with professionals looking for great opportunities. The pandemic has been a catalyst for the digital transformation, leading businesses worldwide to move to the cloud to communicate, operate and store data and information safely.

“Even the most tech-shy put aside their hesitancy, which has upped the demand for talented cloud specialists to levels never seen before. We’re looking forward to working on-site in a city where IT professionals are already in demand—and to bringing our experience, industry knowledge and expertise to new and existing clients and partners across the country to help them thrive, especially after two very challenging years.”

Based close to Giardini Indro Montanelli in Milan, the office will also create a number of jobs.

Zoe Morris, president at Frank Recruitment Group, added: “We’re thrilled to be opening our first office in Italy. The pandemic has put new strains on businesses, and further highlighted the importance of cloud technologies to help them operate successfully in today’s world. Especially now that we’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel, there are immense opportunities for growth through companies investing in and growing their digital infrastructure.

“Matching talented IT professionals with forward-looking businesses is our greatest passion, and we can’t wait to continue doing so in a new area—assisting people in finding their dream jobs and helping organizations take a greater leap in the Digital Renaissance.”

The office will be open for business later this month.