GE Oil & Gas is to base its new headquarters in London, England, while leaving its global HQ for its GE Oil & Gas Turbomachinery Products & Services division in Florence, Italy.

The Florence division will remain a key manufacturing and engineering site for the production of its centrifugal compressors and gas turbines, it stressed, adding that it is “a more than US $6 billion business”.

“London was selected as the new headquarters location given its position as a leading international business and travel hub. From this location, a team of leaders from our global support functions will be able to more efficiently reach and serve our colleagues and businesses globally,” said Dan Heintzelman, president and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.

The new global HQ will support the business and 43,000 employees working in more than 100 countries, it added.

The new HQ will be operational in January 2014.