Atea Global Services Ltd. was named Riga’s Enterprise of the Year in the Global Business Services Sector at the end of 2025. Following the award, the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency, together with Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs, visited Atea Global Services to take a closer look at how one of Riga’s most established GBS organizations continues to grow.
During the visit, Roberts Eberlins, Managing Director at Atea Global Services Ltd., shared his perspective on why Riga remains a strong long-term location for global business services.
How would you describe Atea Global Services’ company culture in Riga, and what factors have contributed to the long tenure and loyalty of employees over the years?
Our culture is deeply rooted in a strong growth mindset and a genuinely people-oriented approach. I’m a direct example of this myself. Having been among the first 20 employees when the Riga office opened in 2006, I've been able to grow, evolve, and take on new challenges over these years. It’s exactly the focus on long-term development and meaningful opportunities that has kept me here, and I believe it’s also a key reason why so many of our employees choose to stay with us.
Our company vision “The Place To Be” reflects our sentiment in decision-making. We're ready to invest in our people and their environment, because we're confident that by having the right people on our team, our clients and partners will also recognize us as a place to bring their business.
This connection between personal growth and business impact is central to our culture and a major driver of loyalty. In practice, a people-oriented culture means investing in continuous development, caring about employee well-being, and creating an environment where individuals can focus on growing professionally. We support this through targeted training, accessible and knowledgeable leaders, and sufficiently challenging projects that keep our people engaged and motivated.
Atea Global Services grew from around 20 employees in 2006 to more than 500 in 2025. What key factors have driven this growth and sustained your success?
Our growth story has never been about headcount. From the very beginning, we have focused on bringing high-value roles to Riga – roles that create great workplaces for our people, offer inspiring growth journeys, and allow us to be more deeply involved in the business itself.
Over the past two years, we have welcomed outstanding new teams delivering advanced, high-value services such as AI and automation, cybersecurity, and software and cloud solutions. This focus has strengthened our position as a center of excellence and consistently demonstrated our capabilities and commitment to our Group, ensuring that Riga is seen as a key location for future growth.
Which of the newer competencies – such as AI, cybersecurity, and cloud services – stand out in your Riga operations today, and how do they contribute to Atea’s capabilities at the Group level?
It is difficult to single out one service or expertise, because each of the mentioned areas – AI, cybersecurity, and cloud services – positions itself in different business directions, which we as a company are developing and which our clients and partners are currently seeking in the market.
AI is part of our Group's strategy, where we develop directions on how to accelerate both the productivity of our Atea employees and deliver AI solutions to our clients, where they very often complement existing services and offerings, making them even more attractive and adding value to how they support our clients' business. Today, our team in Riga has been given an excellent opportunity to lead one of the group's AI initiatives, and I believe we can do even more, which is why we also place a strong emphasis on raising general AI literacy among employees. I believe that through this we can generate even more new ideas and solutions.
Cybersecurity, however, has gone from being an underdog to one of the top concerns that business owners worry about. The presence of cyber risks has multiplied both in number and complexity, as evidenced by the fact that attackers today maliciously exploit the opportunities offered by AI.
In your view, what is the greatest advantage of being based in Riga?
The “few handshakes” principle applies to Riga just as much as it does to Latvia as a whole. One of the advantages of being in a small country is the accessibility of senior decision-makers. You can always reach the right people when needed. While we haven’t often needed to rely on this, it strongly shapes how it feels to operate in Riga. The recent visit from the Mayor of Riga and his team is a great example of this openness and accessibility.
When it comes to the city itself, Riga is compact yet well-developed, with strong infrastructure to support global businesses – particularly those in the Nordic region but not limited to it. As part of a Nordic company, we experience smooth and natural collaboration, as cultural differences are minimal and easy to navigate. With just a short flight, in-person meetings are easily possible as well, allowing us to address topics that might otherwise be lost in online communication.
Another significant advantage, of course, is Riga’s local industry ecosystem. Our healthy, but friendly competition fosters innovation and continuous business improvements.
What advice would you give to international companies considering Riga as a business location?
Be prepared for some friendly competition for talent, because the effort will be worth it. Latvians are incredibly hardworking, quick learners, and have a strong aptitude for languages. Our CFO, who remembers our first wave of growth here in Riga, recently recalled that it was precisely these qualities – Latvian work ethic and talent – that gave him the confidence to advocate for expanding here. When you get to know the people and their qualities, you will know you made the right choice.
