Sofico is sponsoring the Ghent Marathon in Belgium as part of a drive to increase visibility outside its niche market, to help it better attract talent for future growth.

Sofico chief technology officer Piet Maes is also co-founder of the Ghent Marathon

The global automotive finance, leasing, fleet and mobility management software provider has signed a two-year sponsorship deal with the event, which takes place on Sunday 29 March and will be run through the historic centre of the city for the first time.

Piet Maes, Sofico’s chief technical officer and co-founder, said: “We are extremely delighted to tie Sofico’s name to the biggest spring marathon in the country.

“It gives an enormous boost to our colleagues, dozens of them have already registered. We have made a conscious choice for a participation sport, which fits in nicely with our company’s vision for a healthy work–life balance.

“The icing on the cake for us is the passage of the race through the city’s Technologiepark, the hub of the future and site of our headquarters. It goes without saying that it is our ambition to gain more visibility as an employer in the region. We are growing fast but are constantly looking for new talent,” he said.

Sofico’s recruitment drive comes on the back of a year of global success in 2019 with implementations of its Miles software solution in a number of new countries and an increase in employees to record levels worldwide.

The expansion saw 70 new employees recruited in locations around the world, taking the total headcount to around 340, although it’s still looking to recruit further staff in some locations.

Part of Sofico’s worldwide success has come from adopting a local office approach for key markets, rather than organising everything centrally. The company has opened four additional local offices since 2016, to better serve customers in the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and Mexico. While Sofico Services Netherlands and Sofico Services Mexico are now fully staffed, Sofico Services Germany and Sofico Services UK are still looking to increase their headcount.