Finance gurus, techies wanted by community

The city's growing financial outsourcing base in Shibei Hi-Tech Park is looking to the Shanghai Expo to make a broader audience aware of the multitude of services it has to offer to the modern service industry.

The park in Zhabei district, which has been reaching out to non-banking service providers including accounting firms and consulting agencies in recent years, hopes to attract more international clients using the expo as a magnet, said Lang Baochun, the park's director of research.

"Twenty percent of enterprises at the park are overseas-funded," said Lang. "We will take the opportunity presented by the expo in Shanghai to promote our services to overseas investors.

"We want to make Shibei Hi-Tech Park an international community for modern service industries."

The park's changing times also fit the expo theme of "Better City, Better Life".

According to Lang, the park, which concentrated on manufacturing when it was first approved in 1992, has now turned a focus to servicing industries that see added-value in pursuing low-carbon emissions production goals.

It is also evolving alongside Shanghai's rapid development, which has earned the city its deserved reputation as the country's leading financial hub.

Apart from appeasing financial service providers, its support is drawn from outsourcing providers in related industries, such as human resources and information technologies.

Additionally, the park is placing an increasing emphasis on software development. It supports entities cooperating with the government-supported development of domestic-based software aimed at protecting national security.

Three software firms have already settled in the park, and plans are in motion to welcome more to a designated 10,000-sq-m area later this year.

Finally, providing outstanding service remains a top priority.

The park has dedicated staff working around the clock to improve the integration of its services and resources.