Skype opens new London office

Skype has officially opened its new UK office in the Chancery Lane area of London - with executives calling the capital one of the world's hottest technology centres

Skype has officially opened its UK office this week at a site in Chancery Lane that will house the company's 380 UK staff.

The move is reflective of Skype's expansion over the last couple of years and the company says a 43 per cent growth since February 2012 has necessitated the move to larger premises.

"We incorporated our people- centric culture and our technology directly into our office, crafting an open and collaborative workspace and 'neighbourhoods' which bring our teams together and create a start-up feel which encourages staff to work together, and bring new ideas into our products quickly," said Mark Gillett, corporate vice president of engineering and operations at Skype.

The office was opened by The Hon. Ed Vaizey, parliamentary under secretary for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, who proceeded to unveil a London-themed plaque and wax lyrical about the captial's attraction to international businesses.

"I don't think there are many cities that can compete with London for having such a wealth of knowledge and passion for the technology industry, and for a company like Skype to recognise and nurture this home-grown talent is very encouraging and inspiring to see," he said.

"Tech City may have kick-started the journey, but that certainly isn't restricted to East London any more, as Skype has aptly proved. Long may Skype's love affair with London continue.”

Skype was first released back in 2003 and became the de-facto VoIP application and now boasts over 600 million users. It was famously picked up by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion.

The good news is that Skype could be looking to bring in more personnel following the move. The company says that in the previous eight months leading up to February 2013, the UK accounted for 33 per cent of its global staffing and, crucially, it doesn't expect this growth to slow down.

Given the current post-budget debate on jobs and growth within the UK, Skype's new move can be seen as a serious vote of confidence for the capital city.

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