:format(webp)/https://www.therecord.com/content/dam/therecord/news/waterloo-region/2023/03/10/software-giant-epam-opens-outpost-in-downtown-kitchener/image.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Software giant EPAM opens outpost in Downtown Kitchener")
KITCHEN — One of the biggest software companies in the world officially opened a new office in downtown Kitchener Friday, thanks to new talent graduating from the University of Waterloo, a diversified tech sector and Putin’s war against Ukraine.
EPAM has more than 59,000 employees around the world working in more than 50 countries, and it quietly opened an office in downtown Kitchener as it helped employees flee Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The new office in 305 King St. W. has room for 100 employees, a small part of the massive, unprecedented reorganization of the war in Ukraine has caused inside the global corporation.
“We actively helped relocate 10,000 employees last year,” said Ethan Matyas, a senior-vice president at EPAM.
When EPAM suddenly had thousands of employees terrified and their families fleeing for their lives, some came to Kitchener-Waterloo. They liked it so much, the company decided to open an office here.
About 60 of EPAM’s 200 employees now in the region fled the Ukraine War, and that number is going up almost every day, said Matyas. EPAM’s Kitchener office will be used for meetings and events, but otherwise, most people work remotely now
“We are excited about the launch,” said Matyas.
EPAM is a global software engineering and services giant with a client list dominated by the likes of Google, Netflix, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce and many global brands on the Fortune 500.
The past year has been one like no other for Matyas and other leaders at EPAM because of the Ukraine war.
“It’s been terrible,” said Matyas. “Ukraine had been one of our largest locations before the war.”
The company had thousands of employees in Ukraine. It set up a 24-hour support line so employees fleeing the war could call for information, advice and support.
“Because they would call and say, ‘I am stuck here, I am trying to cross a border here, I need help,’” said Matyas. “We actually had our offices in Poland and Hungary become refugee centers for weeks.”
Some employees brought their spouses, children, parents and grandparents with them.
“Some of those people have relocated to Western Europe, to Latin America, but actually Canada has become a huge destination for our team from Ukraine,” said Matyas.
Ottawa has been great to work with, he added, by speeding up applications to come to Canada from Ukraine — another example of Canada’s immigration advantage in the tech sector.
The EPAM employees here have nothing but good things to say about living in the region.
“They feel like the people in Waterloo welcome them with open arms, the schools and otherwise,” said Matyas. “It has really been a good experience for us, and our customers have stayed with us because we have been able to deliver without missing a beat.”
The University of Waterloo’s highly regarded computer science program, combined with the region’s diversified tech sector are important pools of new talent for EPAM, said Matyas.
“We are excited by the talent that we see,” said Matyas. “We are optimistic about the future for growth in this location.”
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