About 60 digital nomads employed by a billion-dollar data and software company in Bermuda are leaving the island after less than a year.

But a spokeswoman for Afiniti insisted that the company is committed to growing its presence in Bermuda.

Afiniti made headlines in January when its founder, tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti, said he planned to employ up to 1,000 staff on the island in the next five years.

The company, which develops artificial intelligence software, is incorporated in Bermuda and has moved its headquarters to the island.

A total of 65 staff were brought in last October under the Government’s digital nomad residential certificate scheme, which enables foreigners to work from the island on one-year work permits.

Most of the staff relocated to Bermuda from Pakistan and were expected to “work from home” while Afiniti went through the process of applying for traditional work permits.

A company spokeswoman confirmed that staff that arrived last October will relocate to Turkey in the next few months.

The spokeswoman said: “Like any global company, we are constantly looking at how and where we can best use our teams, and moving some of our data scientists and engineers from Bermuda to Turkey will enable us to meet changing client needs and access new markets.”

The spokeswoman added that Afiniti now has 14 full-time staff on the island and is looking to bring in more staff.

She said: “We remain firmly committed to our headquarters in Bermuda.

“Several members of our leadership team, including our CEO, live on the island and we are bullish about growing our presence here.”

Afiniti's directors and advisers include David Cameron, a former British prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, a former president of Spain, John Snow, a former US treasury secretary and Dame Jennifer Smith, a former Progressive Labour Party premier.

The company has a worldwide staff of about 2,500.