Irish AI and digital transformation company Version 1 has simultaneously celebrated its 30th anniversary and the appointment of its 600th employee at its Belfast office, marking a significant milestone in the company's Northern Ireland growth trajectory.

According to Sync NI, the 600th employee joined through the Assured Skills Academy programme as part of a newly standardised career pathway designed to provide a strong foundation before progression into consultancy, management, business analysis or other specialist roles.

Version 1's Belfast office has grown into a strategic hub for the wider organisation, delivering cloud, intelligent applications, data and managed services enhanced by AI to clients across the public and private sectors. The company, founded in Ireland in 1996, now employs over 3,700 people globally and generates revenues exceeding €400 million.

The firm has positioned itself as an AI-first organisation, deploying artificial intelligence internally to drive productivity while helping clients do the same. Now in its third year, Version 1's dedicated AI-first initiative sees all employees engage with the latest AI developments throughout the year. An AI Steering Group provides governance, evaluating new tools for ethical responsibility before adoption across the business.

"AI has not impacted us in terms of the number or type of roles," said Lorna McAdoo, director of ESG and site lead at Version 1's Belfast office. "What it does is take away the tasks that consume time, so that our people can focus on higher-level, more strategic work."

McAdoo has set a clear target for the Belfast operation: reaching 1,000 employees.

Find out more about Version 1's Belfast milestone in the full story.