The Irish Independent reports that Dublin-based Endeco Technologies is to create 30 jobs over the next year, after receiving an investment of more than EUR800,000. Endeco, which specialises in energy management technologies, is to hire software development and sales and marketing staff as it seeks to triple its workforce. The move comes after an investment led by the AIB Seed Capital Fund. Additional funding was raised through Enterprise Ireland and private investors.

The Irish Examiner reports that US-owned PopCap Games has confirmed it intends to double the number of staff it employs at its European headquarters in Dublin. The company currently employs 55 people, and Senior Director Cathy Orr confirmed on Sunday that the firm is planning to create an additional 55 jobs at its Dublin office. “We are aiming to double the number we employ here over the next two to three years,” she said. The Seattle-based games developer established its European HQ in Dublin in 2005.

Dublin, Thursday, 9th December 2010 – Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today announced that Citi, the leading global financial services company, is to create 250 roles in the next year at its offices in Dublin and Waterford.  These roles will be in Funds, Client Services, Product Development and will include some Operations and Technology roles.  These roles will come on stream over the next 18 months.  Citi currently employs 2,200 people in Dublin and Waterford and has already hired 300 people in the last twelve months including a number of graduates on the FÁS Work Placement Programme.  Ireland was chosen for these new roles as Citi has a long standing and well respected existing operation here. There is also a very talented and well educated labour force available in the Irish market for these roles.

Citi is celebrating 45 years of continuous business in Ireland and is committed to growing its franchise here. The pro business environment and the support received from IDA Ireland since its establishment have enabled Citi to become one of the largest international financial services companies in Ireland.  Citi is also leading the way in the field of Services Innovation and was the first financial services company to set up a Research and Development Centre to develop the next generation of eBanking products. The Centre was officially opened last year and now employs a team of researchers, technologists and analysts.

Minister O’Keeffe congratulated Citi for investing in Ireland for 45 years and described the 250 new jobs as a “strong endorsement of Ireland’s financial services sector.

“More than half the world’s leading financial services firms now have operations in Ireland.  Citi, a pioneer in the financial services sector, has made an outstanding contribution to our economy for more than four decades.

‘It is a standard-bearer in Dublin’s IFSC and the expansion of the Waterford operation has dramatically enhanced the profile of the south-eastern region for top-level financial services investments.

‘Citi’s announcement today demonstrates that we can out-perform rival locations for major global investments in the financial services sector because we have the talent, track record and tax regime that makes global players want to hub here,’ said Minister O’Keeffe.

Francesco Vanni d’Archirafi, Global Head of Global Transaction Services said at today’s announcement “I am very pleased to announce the addition of these high value jobs for our Irish operations.  Citi in Ireland is a centre of excellence for our Global Transaction Services business and is now our location of choice for the pursuit of innovation in financial services.  There is a wealth of talent, experience and expertise based here and with the support of IDA Ireland, we will continue to grow our business and provide the banking products and services of the future from here.”

Also speaking at today’s announcement Aidan Brady, Citi Country Officer, Citi Ireland said “Ireland was chosen as the location of choice for these new roles due to the calibre of our employees and the depth of expertise and innovative thinking inherent in our workforce which has enabled Citi Ireland to continue to win business and become the leader in Services Innovation for the organisation worldwide.  The Government’s pro business approach and IDA’s support for projects in the financial Services sector has been vital to our continued success.”

Citi provides financial services and products for multinational companies, Irish companies and the government and public sector.  The range of products and services include: cash management, rate risk management, (FX and interest rates), funding, investor products, corporate finance, trade services, trade finance, custody, trustee services, fund administration, transfer agency, outsourcing and shareholder services.

Welcoming today’s announcement IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary said “Ireland’s international financial services sector is recovering and in expansion mode. IDA’s ‘Horizon 2020’ strategy identifies growth in services and technology as key strategic areas of opportunity for Ireland. The growth of Citi demonstrates Ireland’s continuing attractiveness as a location for foreign direct investment. The combination of talent, corporate tax, track record, technology capability and the ease of doing business positions Ireland to win further investments in international financial services.”

Notes to Editor
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

The Irish Times reports that online sports betting firm Betfair has announced plans to create up to 100 jobs at a new office in Dublin. Betfair said it intends to open a new data centre and relocate some of its UK customer operations teams to Ireland early next year. The company has already commenced a recruitment process to fill the posts. It said existing staff in the UK would also have the option to relocate to Dublin, but it was not yet clear exactly how many people would be interested in taking up this option.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith T.D. today (3rd November 2010) announced that global insurance and reinsurance provider, Global Indemnity plc, is to establish an IT development operation in Cavan through its subsidiary, Global Indemnity Services Ltd., creating 30 high value jobs over the next 5 years.  Global Indemnity Services will employ a wide range of technical staff to provide IT development for the Company’s policy administration and finance functions.  The investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

The release follows Global Indemnity’s recent announcement that it had completed its redomestication to Ireland and anticipated opening an operational office in addition to its administrative headquarters in Ireland by the end of the year, with the initial focus being IT development. 

Minister Smith, welcoming the announcement, said “Today’s announcement is excellent news for the North East region and Cavan in particular.  Global Indemnity is an established global insurer and reinsurer and is a welcome addition to the area.  The Company’s decision to locate in Cavan is an endorsement of the attractiveness of the area to global investors.  The availability of local talent, its position within the North East region and its proximity to Dublin with the recent opening of the new M3 motorway are all major factors contributing to the attractiveness of the area.  I would like to thank Global Indemnity for offering such excellent employment opportunities to the people of Cavan, and can assure the Company that it has my full support into the future as it develops its operation here.”

Larry Frakes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Indemnity plc said: “Ireland is an excellent locale for our headquarters with a supportive environment and infrastructure from which to conduct an international business.  Our decision to locate IT development operations in Cavan is based on the availability of a highly skilled local workforce, excellent IT infrastructure, and the access Ireland provides us to EU markets. Global Indemnity Services will play a major role in strengthening our European presence.  We look forward to developing the operation with the support of IDA Ireland.”

Barry O’Leary CEO, IDA Ireland added: “Ireland has a strong reputation as a leading location for global insurance companies, with over 15,000 people employed in the industry here.  Global Indemnity is an excellent addition to this cluster.  IDA Ireland looks forward to working closely with the company as it establishes its operation here.”
 

About Global Indemnity plc  and Its Subsidiaries
Global Indemnity plc (NASDAQ: GBLI), through its several direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiary insurance and reinsurance companies, provides both admitted and nonadmitted specialty property and casualty insurance coverages in the United States, as well as reinsurance throughout the world.  Global Indemnity plc’s five principal divisions include:
United States Based Insurance Operations:

Penn-America, which includes property and general liability products for small commercial businesses distributed through a select network of wholesale general agents with specific binding authority;

United National, which includes property, general liability, and professional lines products distributed through program administrators with specific binding authority;

Diamond State, which includes property, general liability, and professional lines products distributed through wholesale brokers and program administrators with specific binding authority;

CompGlobal, which provides workers’ compensation insurance.

International Reinsurance Operations:

Wind River Reinsurance Company, Ltd., a Bermuda based treaty and facultative reinsurer of excess and surplus lines and specialty property and casualty insurance.

For more information, visit the Global Indemnity plc website at http://www.globalindemnity.ie  
Forward-Looking Information
Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made under “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The types of risks and uncertainties which may affect the Company are set forth in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

21st October 2010, Dublin: Europe’s leader in ‘Content on Demand’, GoAdv has marked its rebrand to Populis (www.populis.com) with the opening of its new European headquarters in Dublin today.  The company, which employs over 45 people in Ireland, is also expanding its Irish employee base at the office in Barrow Street, Dublin.

Populis, which has been operating in Ireland since November 2006, delivers up to the minute ‘content on demand’ to web users.  This content from news to guides is crowdsourced from a team of expert collaborators and published through its network of wholly owned and operated websites including Excite Europe, Better Deals, Blogsfere and Nanopublishing.  The organisation has over 18 million unique monthly users across 500 wholly owned and operated websites in 8 languages.

Populis is expanding its Irish operation, with initially additional roles in Content Management, Search Engine Marketing and Administration, in one of Europe’s technology growth hot spots. The European headquarters already counts over 8 nationalities and 10 languages across its team of Search Engine Marketing and online content experts.

Commenting on the rebrand and expansion, John Slyne, Managing Director Ireland and Group CFO, Populis said “We are delighted to celebrate our rebrand to Populis with new offices in Dublin. Content on Demand has experienced phenomenal growth and we needed a strategic base to help us achieve our expansion goals.  This further commitment to Ireland reflects the country’s growing leadership position in pan European digital communications.”

Welcoming the expansion and opening of the new headquarters Barry O’Leary, CEO IDA  Ireland said “As the only major player in the sector to produce content in 8 languages, Populis is a welcome addition to Ireland’s vibrant digital media portfolio and its rapid growth here is testament to the local management and highly skilled and talented staff working in the Dublin HQ.”

“Populis is an excellent example of the type of high growth technology company which IDA targeted under its Horizon 2020 strategy. The addition of Populis to our rapidly expanding digital media sector reinforces Ireland’s growing reputation as the internet Capital of Europe” he added.

About Content on Demand.
Populis takes a scientific approach to content generation with a database of over 16 million key words and a proprietary algorithm to define the hottest content topics of web users.  Once identified matching news, features, guides and comment content is then crowdsourced from a network of professional writers, video producers, expert contributors and editors.  This content is then published across a network of wholly owned media brands and optimized for search traffic via search marketing, social tools and community engagement.  This content is then monitised through partnerships with tier 1 search/contextual providers (e.g. Google, Yahoo) and direct deals (e.g. Expedia, lastminute and eBay).

About Populis
Populis is one of Europe’s fastest growing digital media companies (GP Bullhound Media Momentum 2010) and European leader in the production of multilingual content on demand. Created in 2004 the Group crowdsources, distributes and monetizes over 20,000 items of compelling content in 8 languages per month for a vibrant network of 500 fully owned and operated websites including Excite Europe, Better Deals and Nanopublishing. The media properties generate over 18 million unique monthly users (Source: Comscore September 2010).

Populis is a pan-European company with a team of over 125 working across offices in Ireland and Italy, active in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, US, Australia, Russia and Brazil.

The company has experienced double digit revenue growth every year for the past 5 years, culminating in multiple award wins (Media Momentum, Red Herring 100) and the enviable position as European leader in content on demand, GoAdv’s rebrand to Populis will increase its visibility with an easily recognizable name and identity, while strengthening its space in an increasingly competitive market sector.

D&B, the world’s leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses, has increased its recruitment drive in Ireland. D&B Business Information Solutions Limited (DBIS) has already employed 40 people in highly skilled roles in Sandyford, Co. Dublin following the establishment of a strategic business centre earlier this year. Today’s announcement means the company will create 150 jobs in Dublin by 2011 rather than the original 100 previously announced. Positions currently being recruited by the company include researchers, software developers, analysts and support staff.

This follows the company’s announcement that it would undertake a two-year strategic technology investment program to strengthen its commercial data and rebuild its technology platforms to meet the emerging needs of customers.  The project is being supported by Government through IDA Ireland.

Minister O’Keeffe said the extra jobs showed investor confidence in Ireland’s capacity to recover was strong because the Government is pursuing the right policies for a return to economic growth in the near term.  “D&B’s decision to ramp up its recruitment drive shows confidence to hire and to invest is returning to the economy and our high-calibre graduates are exceeding the expectations of global market leaders.”

“I was very encouraged by a recent meeting I held with met senior members of the DBIS team and today’s announcement aligns well with Government policy to position Ireland as the top European location for innovation-led knowledge-intensive global business services.  The company’s decision to locate a strategic centre in Dublin and recruit for more positions endorses our global standing in the international services sector and prospects for economic recovery”, said Minister O’Keeffe.

Walter S. Hauck III, Senior Vice President, Technology and Chief Information Officer said “DBIS is using leading edge technologies that will allow a new D&B suite of products to be delivered to customers quickly and efficiently.  This project is of major significance and commercial importance to D&B and forms an integral part of the future strategy of the corporation. The Dublin centre will focus on and deliver the next evolution of our technology strategy, delivering maximum value to customers around the world.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “In recent years Ireland has been building a growing and diversified business services cluster particularly in the operations, analytics and technology areas.  IDA’s Horizon 2020 highlighted the growth in business services as a key area of opportunity for Ireland.  D&B is a world leader in business information solutions and its recent decision to locate a strategically important part of its global operations in Ireland which is now significantly larger than originally envisaged, is very welcome indeed.”

About Dun & Bradstreet® (D&B)

Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB) is the world’s leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses, enabling companies to Decide with Confidence® for 169 years. D&B’s global commercial database contains more than 165 million business records. The database is enhanced by D&B’s proprietary DUNSRight® Quality Process, which provides our customers with quality business information. This quality information is the foundation of our global solutions that customers rely on to make critical business decisions.

D&B provides solution sets that meet a diverse set of customer needs globally. Customers use D&B Risk Management SolutionsTM to mitigate credit and supplier risk, increase cash flow and drive increased profitability; D&B Sales & Marketing SolutionsTM to increase revenue from new and existing customers; and D&B Internet SolutionsTM to convert prospects into clients faster by enabling business professionals to research companies, executives and industries. For more information, please visit www.dnb.com.

For information on recruitment opportunities please contact
Premier Group, Tel: +353 (0) 1 665 2222 or Email: dnb@premierjobs.ie

The Irish Independent reports that Taoiseach Brian Cowen will on Tuesday launch a jobs plan aimed at creating 300,000 new roles over the next five years. The plan is intended to create jobs in manufacturing, tourism and trading services. The Government claims the new plan, ‘Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy‘, is the first “integrated strategy to promote overseas trade, tourism and investment”. News of the plan emerged after more bad news on the jobs front, with 195 jobs due to go at electronics manufacturing firm UTC Fire and Security in Dublin.

IDA Ireland today (September 2nd 2010) welcomed the announcement by AOL Global Operations Limited that it is to further expand its Dublin operation, creating an additional 20 software development positions at its Dublin Development Centre. 

Today’s announcement follows the company’s announcement in June that it was to create 50 software engineering positions to expand its reach as a leading provider of Internet advertising technologies, services and user content through its wide range of AOL content brands and site.

Commenting on the announcement, IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “The decision by AOL, a leading global internet services and media company, to expand further in Ireland reinforces Ireland’s reputation as one of Europe’s leading locations  for digital media companies. Having only recently announced an additional 50 positions, today’s announcement demonstrates the commitment by AOL to the growth and development of its Irish operations.  I wish the company continued success in Ireland”. 

The new employment opportunities are for high value experienced professional software engineering positions, with opportunities available for both senior and intermediately experienced recruits. 

AOL has been based in Dublin for the past 10 years and currently employs 133 people. Dublin is its development engine for Europe and works alongside its sister Development Centres in San Francisco, Dulles, New York, Bangalore and Frankfurt. The company announced in June that it plans to move to a new headquarters in Dublin City Centre.

The Irish Times reports that Dublin-based business technology provider Origina is to invest EUR1.1 million in developing a cloud computing service, creating 10 new jobs. Part of the funding will be put towards collaborative research with universities to design the service. The company also plans to seek up to EUR2 million in additional external funding over the next 12 months to support further infrastructure investments and a move into other markets, including the UK. The service is due to be launched later this year in Ireland, followed by the UK early in 2011. Origina will provide ‘infrastructure as a service’.

With the establishment of a new operations centre in Dublin Google is to create 200 jobs here in Ireland immediately.

The new Dublin-based operations centre will be focused on the search engine giant’s location-based products including Google Local and Google Maps.

These new jobs will bring the number of people employed in Dublin by Google to a total of 1700.

“Dublin is rapidly becoming the multilingual internet capital of Europe and Google is proud to be leading the charge on this and further increasing our presence here,” said David Martin, director, Geo Operations for Google in Europe.

Martin said that the Dublin operations centre will take care of its location-based services for the pan-European market and will be developed as a centre of excellence.

“Google Maps displays so much more than the geography of a place, and now incorporates rich data from thousands of sources in different languages from across the world and also includes local business listings.  This operations centre will help to manage these data sources to give Google Maps users even more local information than before,” he added.

Martin explained that the decision to open a European centre for its location-based service was due in part to the fact that increasing proliferation of smartphones and uptake of Google’s own Android operating system meant that more and more people are using Google Maps, its free Sat Nav service for Android, Street View and so on, and the aim is to provide information that is as accurate and up to date as possible.

“The operations centre will be based in Eastpoint Business Park and plans to be fully operational this year. Google is working with local staffing partners CPL and Manpower to recruit and potential employees will be expected to graduates with one or two years experience in their field and strong IT skills,” said Paul Sweetman, director of ICT Ireland.

“This investment by Google highlights the strength of Ireland’s ICT sector, proving Ireland continues to be the location of choice for major multinational corporations.

“The ICT sector is leading Ireland’s Smart Economy with seven of the top ten global ICT companies having a major presence here. In addition to the 200 jobs announced by Google today, over 2,000 new jobs in the ICT multinational sector have been announced since January 2010. In 2009, the indigenous software sector grew by 6pc in export value.”

Dublin, Friday 30th July 2010 – IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary welcomed the expansion of Kellogg’s European Headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin.  The company, which is the world’s leading supplier of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, is creating 50 high value positions bringing total employment at the Dublin centre to 250.

Kellogg’s set up its European Headquarters in Dublin in 2005, with the support of IDA Ireland.  Kellogg’s Headquarters in Dublin includes service functions such as Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain Management, Legal, Finance, HR, Corporate Affairs and Nutrition. 

Welcoming today’s announcement IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary said “Kellogg’s decision to deepen its commitment to Ireland is a very welcome development demonstrating that even in difficult economic times the positive experience of Foreign Investors in Ireland is such that they will continue to grow their businesses and enhance their strategic standing within their parent corporations. This announcement by a leading global brand like Kellogg’s in their European Headquarters is a significant vote of confidence in Ireland’s international reputation and standing as an excellent investment location.”

“The winning of the original investment in 2005 was of key strategic importance as it helped Ireland establish its reputation as a European Headquarter location for MNCs.”

He added “The company chose Ireland as its European base in 2005 over stiff competition from other locations. Ireland won the investment because we have the skills that the company needs to operate successfully in Europe, including a well educated workforce and a pro business environment.  On behalf of IDA, I look forward to working closely with Kellogg’s as it continues to develop its operations in Ireland.”

About Kellogg:
With 2009 sales of nearly $13 billion, Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and veggie foods. The Company’s brands include Kellogg’s(R), Keebler(R), Pop-Tarts(R), Eggo(R), Cheez-It(R), Nutri-Grain(R), Rice Krispies(R), BearNaked(R), Morningstar Farms(R), Famous Amos(R), Special K(R), All-Bran(R), Frosted Mini-Wheats(R), Club(R) and Kashi(R). Kellogg products are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, visit the Kellogg Company web site at http://www.kelloggcompany.com.

For Further information:
IDA Ireland
Thomas McEvoy, Press Manager, Tel: 01 603 4255, Mob: 087 7426684
Gillian Kelly, Press Officer, Tel: 01 603 4190

The Sunday Business Post reports that Web Reservations International is planning to expand, adding 50 jobs over the next two years. WRI was bought by US private equity firm Hellman and Friedman for US340 million last year. The company, which handles online bookings for hostels, already employs about 100 people. The majority of the planned new jobs will be in Dublin, and will be for software programmers, internet content specialists and senior positions in the management team.

The Irish Examiner reports that e-payments provider Payzone saw its pre-tax losses increase to EUR177.2 million in its last financial year, according to accounts filed with the Companies Registration Office. The company, established through the 2007 merger of Irish firm Alphyra and British cash machine operator Cardpoint, had generated a pre-tax loss of EUR148.7 million the previous year. The latest set of accounts for the Dublin-headquartered company also show an increase in operating loss from EUR119.2 million to EUR148.6 million and a rise in overall revenue from EUR555.7 million to EUR588.7 million.

The Irish Times reports that Airspeed Telecom has purchased Magnet Networks’ wireless spectrum licence, allowing it to expand its WiMax broadband services. Airspeed already holds a licence for another piece of the spectrum and through it provides broadband to businesses around the country. The deal means Airspeed now owns the 3.5GHz Fixed Wireless Access Local Area spectrum licence for Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Magnet will maintain its relationship with customers using the frequency, but with Airspeed now providing the service as a wholesaler.