A FORMER Lisburn man who has been living and working in Dubai for the last five years is returning home to "bridge a gap" in the financial services market with the creation of new cross asset brokerage company called Causeway Securities.
The firm - which already employs four people and aims to recruit another six by the end of the year - has secured premier office space in the Scottish Provident Building in Belfast's Donegall Square.
It has been set up by Conor O'Donnell and his business partner Mark Tully (originally from Co Donegal).
Between them, they have more than 20 years' experience in financial services and, specifically, structured product design and distribution.
Causeway Securities – which has just gone live – will sell structured financial products linked to major indexes such as the FTSE 100, with the entrepreneurs also planning to set up their own fund by 2018.
The project has received support from Invest NI through its Dubai office and clients include family offices, wealth managers and private banks based in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
"We simply saw a gap in the market in the north for what we are doing and, due to a mix of support, cheaper overheads and an intelligent work force, we chose Belfast over other prime locations, including South Africa," Conor said.
"I have been based in Dubai since 2013 and have been travelling all over the world, and Mark has been working out of London, so we are both excited about returning to Northern Ireland," he said.
"I am looking forward to relocating with my wife and child and coming back home.
"There is a real entrepreneurial vibe in Northern Ireland, Belfast in particular, at the moment, and, I believe there is significant scope for growth in this sector – I want to be part of that."
The globe-trotting businessmen looked at various locations, including Cape Town, Dubai and London, but, in the end, settled for Belfast due to what they said is the high quality talent and value-for-money benefits on offer in the city.
Causeway Securities is authorised in the UK by the FCA.
