Kyndryl announces a new Cloud Innovation Centre in Montreal

Centre will create nearly 500 new IT roles and extend Kyndryl's industry-leading cloud services to more Canadian organizations

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) announced today the creation of a new bilingual technology services centre in Montréal, Québec that is expected to create nearly 500 new IT jobs in the next five years. This centre will enable Kyndryl to meet the growing demand for cloud skills and extend delivery of its industry-leading digital transformation services to Canadian organizations.

Kyndryl, the new independent infrastructure technology services company spun off from IBM, is the largest in Canada and the world. The company supports mission critical workloads and digital transformation for top Canadian organizations. The company designs, builds, manages, and modernizes the mission-critical technology systems that the world depends on every day including Canadian customers such as financial institutions, airlines, governments, industrial products, and more. 

The new Cloud Innovation Centre will provide Canadian customers with high value certified skills in areas including cloud application modernization, automation for DevOps and service management, analytics and artificial intelligence, and digitization services. By expanding access to this advanced expertise, Kyndryl will help its existing and new customers tackle their most pressing business objectives in modern, digital ways.

Cloud, one of Kyndryl's key practice areas, is being used to accelerate digitization for organizations across every industry. Through partnerships with hyperscalers such as Microsoft and Google Cloud – and leading solutions providers SAP and VMware – Kyndryl is delivering enterprises the freedom of choice to deploy the best technologies that fit their operations. Additionally, cloud is the enabler of the other practice areas Kyndryl delivers including: Applications, Data & Artificial Intelligence, Digital Workplace, Security & Resiliency, Network & Edge, and Core Enterprise & zCloud.

The centre has already created more than 100 new IT roles who have a desire to build innovative skills for the future. New employees are receiving training across the tech industry's leading cloud platforms, automation tools, cybersecurity, and from Kyndryl's vast partner network.

"This centre creates tremendous opportunity in several ways. Our customers and organizations across Canada can now leverage Kyndryl's world class talent, with the top skills in cloud and technology services, to help them accelerate their digital transformation strategies and achieve their business goals," says Xerxes Cooper, President of Kyndryl Canada.  "The next-generation workforce from local technical colleges and universities have the opportunity to deliver the technology skills needed to drive business innovation, and this centre positions Quebec as a hub for global businesses."

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to accelerate their digital transformation strategies. Today, the pressure to remain relevant in a fiercely competitive market means that transformation must continue. The demand for skills and expertise has never been higher, making the creation of Kyndryl's Cloud Innovation Centre important and timely for Canadian companies.

"Canada is home to a diverse, highly-skilled, and well-educated workforce and a thriving innovation ecosystem. Investments like Kyndryl's will play an important role in supporting Canada's strong, sustainable, inclusive economic recovery. Our government will continue to promote Canada as a leading investment destination and create good-paying middle class jobs around the country."

• Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development

"The Ville de Montréal is delighted that Kyndryl has chosen Montréal for its new services centre. Coming out of the pandemic, companies must transform their business models and adopt new technologies. Kyndryl's growth in Montréal demonstrates the impact of the efforts made by the city and its partners over the past few years. The company will be able to count on the talent from our universities and the support of our teams throughout all stages of the business development."

●  Valérie Plante, Mayor, Ville de Montréal, and Chair of the Board of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal

"Montréal International is proud to support Kyndryl in this project that will offer great career opportunities to young graduates and professionals while growing the local IT talent pool. This investment will also provide local businesses with specialized services in an evolving sector where the demand keeps on growing."

• Stéphane Paquet, President and CEO, Montréal International

"By leveraging cutting-edge expertise, this new service center will undoubtedly enrich our technological ecosystem in order to shape the future of businesses here and abroad. We are pleased to support Kyndryl in its transformation and growth projects in Québec, and our teams will continue to support foreign companies looking to invest in Québec for the long term."

• Hubert Bolduc, President of Investissement Québec International

"Invest in Canada welcomes Kyndryl's investment announcement in Montréal, Québec. This investment is further evidence that Canada is well-positioned to continue its leadership in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, thanks to our excellent talent, robust industry support and a track record of innovation." 

• Katie Curran, Interim CEO, Invest in Canada

"Canada's technology sector, from large multinational companies to innovative scale-ups, is a key driver of our economic future and it is clear we have all the ingredients to put Canada back on the world stage," said Angela Mondou, President & CEO, TECHNATION.  "What our country needs is a coherent approach that combines Canada's digital transformation agenda with an economic development agenda – fueled by Canada's innovative technology businesses. Kyndryl's significant investment today is an example of how large tech drives entire supply chains – delivering jobs of the future, supporting entrepreneurs and thousands of SMEs and fueling business success across all sectors. It is a win for everyone."

Recruitment for new positions in the centre continues, interested applicants of all ranges of experience are invited to visit our Kyndryl Careers page to view open positions and submit applications.

About Kyndryl 
Kyndryl (NYSE "KD" @kyndryl) is the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider. The company designs, builds, manages, and modernizes the complex, mission-critical information systems that the world depends on every day. Kyndryl' s nearly 90,000 employees serve over 4,000 customers in more than 60 countries around the world, including 75 percent of the Fortune 100. For more information, visit www.kyndryl.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements often contain words such as "will," "anticipate," "predict," "project," "plan," "forecast," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "target," "may," "should," "would," "could" and other similar words or expressions or the negative thereof or other variations thereon. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, may be forward-looking statements. These statements do not guarantee future performance and speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company, Kyndryl, does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements. Actual outcomes or results may differ materially from those suggested by forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties which include, among others, the factors described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Information Statement included as Exhibit 99.1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on October 12, 2021, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC.

Sources and information:
https://www.kyndryl.com/ca/fr/news
https://www.kyndryl.com/ca/en/news

SOURCE Kyndryl