WP Engine starts up in Brisbane River City Labs
Texan tech company WP Engine has opened its Australian headquarters in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley start-up precinct.
WP Engine is one of the world’s largest hosting platforms for internet sites built using WordPress software.
The company is now operating from Fortitude Valley’s River City Labs co-working space after being introduced to Queensland by TIQ staff in North America and Brisbane.
Four new WP Engine employees have already come on board in the Brisbane office, with a total of 10 staff expected by the end of 2018.
WP Engine’s Chief Marketing Officer Mary Ellen Dugan said the move to Brisbane heralded an exciting new chapter of international expansion. ‘Brisbane is the perfect place for us to continue to build our global footprint and get closer to our customers,’ she said.‘We are energised by the opportunity to partner with the community, government and business leaders to build local talent and advance the local tech ecosystem.’
David Camerlengo, Queensland Trade and Investment Commissioner in TIQ’s North American office, joined Ms Dugan and others from WP Engine for the company’s official Brisbane office opening on 18 October.
Mr Camerlengo said that Queensland’s strong pool of ICT talent and business-friendly environment were key factors in WP Engine’s decision to base its Australian headquarters in Brisbane. ‘WP Engine was particularly impressed with the strong local talent pool of skilled ICT staff and the pipeline of talent graduating from Queensland’s universities,’ he said. ‘They decided on Queensland with assistance from TIQ and the Department of State Development.’
WP Engine was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
It also has offices in California, London, England and Ireland, and a customer base of around 70,000 companies in 130 countries.
TIQ provided business case advice and introductions to support WP Engine’s move to Queensland.
Attracting new business and investment to Queensland is a priority of the Queensland Trade and Investment Strategy 2017–2022.