FICO, the predictive analytics and decision management Software Company announced that it has opened a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa. FICO is growing its regional presence to meet increasing demand for analytics-powered solutions, and to provide greater support for its South African clients, which include the country’s “big four” banks as well as many of the leading retailers.

FICO’s new Johannesburg office is led by Derick Cluley, who oversees FICO’s operations in Africa. “South African businesses are among the most sophisticated in the world when it comes to advanced analytics,” Cluley said. “Through our expanded team of local consultants, as well as our Johannesburg office’s state-of-the-art training facilities, we aim to help our clients derive even greater value from their investments in FICO solutions. Moreover, our strong presence in the region creates an excellent foundation for working with clients throughout the Middle East and Africa, where FICO’s industry-leading Big Data analytics solutions are increasingly relevant and valuable.”

One of the new team members for FICO in South Africa is Marina Terblanche. A market development professional specialising in credit risk management, she has worked closely for more than a decade with a number of large banks and retailers in South Africa, as well as elsewhere in Africa and the Middle East. She has recently returned from the US, where she helped create a successful pricing optimisation practice serving the payments industry.

FICO recently announced that its sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa grew by 19 percent in its fiscal 2014, which ended September 30.

The Johannesburg office is part of the global network of FICO offices. The firm’s European offices include its regional headquarters in the UK, as well as offices in Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Spain and Turkey.