US special envoy Joe Kennedy announces £3.8m investment in Northern Ireland by US company

The US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs said that the insurance and technology company plans to establish an engineering development team that will create 31 jobs.

It is estimated the project will generate an additional £1.9 million in annual salaries for the local economy.

The announcement comes as Mr Kennedy leads a delegation of senior US business and investment leaders on a four-day visit to Northern Ireland.

Yesterday, the delegation visited the Belfast Campus of Ulster University.

Mr Kennedy said investment was a further mark that President Joe Biden's ambitions for a trade delegation to Northern Ireland were being realised.

He added: "Frontline is joining the many US investors who have experienced success and growth in Northern Ireland and is setting up its new engineering development team, taking advantage of the excellent skills available and the business-friendly environment.

"This investment underscores the compelling proposition that Northern Ireland offers."

Frontline is one of the largest carriers in the south-east United States with a presence in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and soon-to-be Virginia and Colorado.

It will operate in Northern Ireland under the brand OpenData Belfast.

Ivan Roche, originally from Co Cork, is the chief technology officer of OpenData Belfast, located in Belfast's Gasworks.

Mr Roche said he was excited to lead the new team that "will create innovative products to support the next stage of Frontline's growth using the best of local talent".

"Frontline was made aware of Northern Ireland's attractive business environment by Invest NI's US office and through meetings with NI Connections, both of which are championing the strengths of the region," he said.

"Before confirming the investment, our leadership team visited Northern Ireland and were impressed by what they saw."

The Northern Ireland team will deliver data analytics, data science, product development and support.