4 Feb 2020 18:29

JTI to invest 3 bln rubles to set up Global Business Services center in St. Petersburg - company

MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax) - Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the largest player on Russia's tobacco market, is investing more than 3 billion rubles to create the Global Business Services (GBS) center in St. Petersburg, JTI said in a statement.

The GBS center is set to open in St. Petersburg in April 2020, and it will be one of three such centers that JTI is launching in Russia, Poland and the Philippines in order to improve operational efficiency "by standardizing operations, harmonizing business processes and sharing the best practices," the company said.

The center will offer full-scale solutions, consulting and analysis in order to manage complex operational tasks in such areas as finance, HR, marketing and sales, and procurement. The center will also provide extensive IT expertise for JTI's business throughout the world.

Investment in creating the center includes the selection and training of personnel, leasing a building, equipping offices as well as other expenditures associated with the project. The number of JTI employees in Russia will exceed 5,000 thanks to the 500 new job openings.

"We view the launch of the GBS center in St. Petersburg as a strategic investment in Russia - a launch that will not only create hundreds of new jobs, but will also further integrate Russia into the world economy," JTI Russia Managing Director Daniel Sciamma said.

JTI, formed in 1999 when its parent company JT Group acquired the non-U.S. operations of R.J. Reynolds, is a world leader in the production of tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Headquartered in Geneva, the company has more than 45,000 employees working at operations in 130 countries.