Invest with Purpose

Essential News

BAT continues trusting in Costa Rican talent to drive their digital transformation
NEWS

BAT continues trusting in Costa Rican talent to drive their digital transformation

  • BAT is committed to its purpose of building A Better Tomorrow™ while tracking and sharing the progress of itstransformation.
  • BAT GBS is looking forward to becoming the Finance Hub of the Future.
  • At least 70 new open positions will be recruited in the coming months.
San José, Costa Rica. November 18, 2021. Last year, BAT announced the expansion of its Global Business Solutions (GBS) hub, based in Heredia, Costa Rica, and its intention to add at least 150 new employees to the 395 already employed as of 2020; their estimated investment was USD $1 million.

Today, the company reiterates their commitment to building a Better Tomorrow™ in Costa Rica, confirming that during 2021 they went beyond their initial plans of hiring 150 new employees and increased their hiring scope up to 200 employees. With a current headcount of 590 direct employees, BAT GBS is looking forward to attracting new talent to fill its 70 new open positions during the early months of 2022.

“Costa Rica continues to be a strategic location with amazing talent, that allows us to support 45 BAT Markets, including the Americas, from Canada and the United States to Chile, as well as some countries from South Europe. We are focused on building A Better Tomorrow, providing best-in-class solutions and commercial value, along with cutting-edge technology solutions,” explained Gustavo Guzman, Costa Rica GBS General Manager.

Andrés Valenciano, the Minister of Foreign Trade, expressed his pleasure at the news, commenting, “Costa Rica continues to be a world leader in attracting FDI, especially for investment projects with a purpose and that seek efficiency and added value in their operations. BAT's growth fills us with pride: 70 more Costa Ricans will now have the opportunity to be part of the team that supports 45 world markets from BAT’s Finance Hub of the Future. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, we are pleased that such renowned companies continue to view our country as a strategic ally in their decision-making."

Jorge Sequeira, the Managing Director of CINDE, also weighed in, “A year ago, BAT announced growth in its Costa Rican operations. It more than achieved projections, adding 50 more positions than expected. Today, we celebrate a new expansion of 70 additional positions. This decision highlights the solidity and confidence in business strategy that BAT enjoys in Costa Rica, from which it provides services in finances, human resources, and the supply chain. In this, we're referring to disciplines that now join the more than 100 different business processes developed in and from Costa Rica, thanks to the presence of 189 multinationals – BAT being one of them – in the services sector."

This business unit relies on the best of a diverse talent pool, comprised of 54% women and 46% men, to provide transactional finance, marketing finance for new categories of products and trade marketing, and operations finance and taxes, as well as human resources, supply chains, and procurement services.

During 2021, BAT has invested USD $2 million in improving their current facilities and acquiring new technological equipment and will invest an additional USD $1 million during 2022 to create cross-collaboration spaces and an auditorium.

“We are looking forward to continue increasing the scope of services we provide from Costa Rica to BAT, bringing more value-added processes, becoming for 2023 the Center of Excellence or what we have called the Finance Hub of the Future,” stated Gustavo Guzman.

For the third consecutive year, BAT GBS has been recognized as one of the world’s Top 20 Most Admired Shared Services Organisations (SSOs) by SSON Analytics, the global Data Analytics Centre of the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network.

Interested parties may apply to one of BAT’s open positions at: https://careers.bat.com/

About BAT
BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business with a purpose to build A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for adult consumers.

The company continues to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. BAT encourages those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk alternatives.

In order to deliver this, BAT is transforming into a truly consumer-centric multi-category consumer products business. BAT employs over 55,000 people and operates in over 180 countries, with 11 million points of sale and 45 factories in 43 markets. The company’s Strategic Portfolio is made up of its global cigarette brands and a growing range of reduced-risk* New Category products. These include vapour, tobacco heating products, modern oral products including tobacco-free nicotine pouches, as well as traditional oral products such as snus and moist snuff. In 2020, we had 13.5 million consumers of our non-combustible products, a rise of 3 million over the previous year. The BAT Group generated revenue of £25.8 billion in 2020 and profit from operations of £9.9 billion.
*Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.

Our products as sold in the US, including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without FDA clearance.