According to the Financial Times, Skype plans to increase its headcount by nearly 50 percent this year. The hiring spree is an attempt by new CEO Tony Bates to inject urgency into the online telephony firm. Skype has been slow to come up with a broad “premium tier” of services for which it can charge users — something Bates aims to address. “You’re going to see a rhythm and cadence of product release that’s going to increase,” said Bates. He indicated Skype plans to hire up to 400 new staff this year, with 80 percent of those in Silicon Valley

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.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan TD, last month announced that Zeus, the US headquartered medical device company, is investing €10m in a 40,000sq ft expansion and creating 75 new manufacturing jobs over three years.

The expansion of its facility at the IDA Business and Technology Park, Letterkenny, Co Donegal is supported by IDA Ireland.

Zeus Industrial Products (Zeus), headquartered in Orangeburg, South Carolina, is a leading developer and manufacturer of precision polymer extrusions, including specialist fluropolymer tubing solutions, for a range of industries. Established in 1966, the company is privately held by the original founder Frank P Tourville and employs 1,200 people worldwide.

“The decision by Zeus to expand its operation in Letterkenny is testament to the availability of a highly-skilled workforce in the north west region, the performance of its existing staff and the ease of doing business in Ireland,” stated Coughlan at the announcement. “On behalf of the Government, I look forward to providing continued support to Zeus as its Irish operation grows and develops.”

Séamus Hughes, general manager of Zeus in Ireland, said: “Since establishing our operation in 2005, our experience of doing business in Ireland has been a positive one. Due to the growth in our customer base in Europe, we are expanding our operation in Letterkenny to meet the demand for our medical and industrial speciality tubing product. We are very excited about our expansion plans and I look forward to finding the right calibre of staff to ensure our continued success here.

“In addition, I would like to thank the executive management team of Zeus Inc for their continued support of the Irish operation and their confidence in the Irish employees. On behalf of the Irish employees, I am very proud to be part of a very progressive organisation.

“Finally, I would like to express our appreciation for the work and contribution made by IDA Ireland during this process and supported by the Irish Government.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary also welcomed the announcement. “Zeus is an important manufacturer in the medical device industry in Ireland and offers a key sub supply role in a very specialised area,” he said.

 “This expansion was won for Ireland in the face of stiff international competition from other global locations, proving that Ireland has an increasingly competitive and pro-business environment to offer investors with a strong manufacturing focus.”

The Irish Times reports that two companies have announced the creation of 100 new jobs over the next three years. Irish medical devices firm ClearStream Technologies is to create 70 jobs in Wexford under a major expansion plan, while French financial software firm Murex has announced 30 new software jobs. Both companies already have a presence in Ireland.

Thursday, 16th December 2010, Galway – Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today announced that Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. is to create up to 115 new jobs over 5 years and invest €1.1m at its facility in Mervue Business Park, Galway.  Recruitment is already underway.  This investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

Goodman Co., Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Japan manufactures and sells medical instruments and equipment worldwide.  Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. (GMIL) was established in 2004 and currently employs 56 people in the manufacture of cardiology products such as PTCA catheters and bare metal stents.

The expansion will transform GMIL’s business by adding to its manufacturing and R&D operations and becoming Goodman’s sales and marketing centre for EMEA by generating market data, developing territory sales strategies and managing distributors and sales related activities.  The company will also commercialise the ‘Vival’ stent developed onsite in Galway.

Minister O’Keeffe said the investment “strengthens Ireland’s well-established medical devices cluster, with many leading firms based along the western seaboard. The Galway operation will be a platform for Goodman Medical Ireland to develop its business in the EMEA region, driving better manufacturing and product innovation output through the skills of a flexible and highly educated local workforce”.

“The jobs bolster Ireland’s high-end manufacturing backbone and consolidate our reputation as a leading location in Europe for foreign direct investments,” said Minister O’Keeffe.

President Takehito Yogo of Goodman Co., Ltd. said “We are excited to announce our expansion plans to meet anticipated long-term demand for our products worldwide.  We chose the Galway operation for our future growth and development due to our dedicated and proactive workforce, the support of IDA Ireland, our strong supplier network and the positive experiences we have had of doing business in Ireland since 2004.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “Goodman Co. Ltd’s decision to locate this operation in Ireland demonstrates our attractiveness for companies investing and expanding in the Life Sciences Sector. Ireland’s reputation as a hub for Life Sciences continues to grow with 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical and 15 of the top 20 medical devices companies worldwide with operations here.” 

“IDA’s strategy, Horizon 2020, sets out to achieve balanced regional development, and today’s announcement for Galway builds on the strong medical device cluster in the West of Ireland” concluded Mr. O’Leary.

Notes to Editor
Goodman Co. Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, is primarily engaged in the import, development, manufacture and sale of medical instruments and equipment. The company operates two business divisions. The Disposable Medical Instrument division develops, manufactures and sells catheters and stents for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The Medical Equipment and Others division is involved in the import and sale of medical testing equipment for circulatory organs and network system software for digital imaging equipment.

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.

Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív, TD today announced that GENBAND, a leading developer of Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure and service solutions, plans to establish its International Headquarters and Business Services Centre in Galway, which represents an €8 million investment by the company that will create more than 100 new jobs. GENBAND’s decision is supported by the Irish Government with the aid of IDA Ireland (Industrial Development Agency).

“We’re very pleased that the global leader in VoIP and next generation networking solutions has decided to locate its international headquarters here in Galway,” said Minister Ó Cuív. “On behalf of the Irish Government, we welcome GENBAND to Galway and appreciate that they recognize our region’s reputation as a leading technology hub. GENBAND’s role in transforming telecommunications networks through IP perfectly aligns with Ireland’s status as a Smart Economy. We look forward to supporting GENBAND as it develops its operations here.”

The Galway facility will create new employment positions in finance, supply chain management, customer support, software development, HR, legal and administrative activities.

“The establishment of our international headquarters operation in Ireland represents a critical component of GENBAND’s continued global strategy and growth,” said Charlie Vogt, President and CEO, GENBAND. “Ireland’s breadth of high-quality, skilled human resources made Galway an ideal setting for our expansion, particularly when combined with the region’s competitive cost structure and leadership as a telecommunications corridor. We look forward to being a part of the Galway community and would like to thank the Irish Government and IDA Ireland for their support, which enabled this expansion to come to fruition without delay.”

Barry O’Leary, IDA CEO said, “GENBAND’s investment is very significant for Galway and builds on the excellent telecommunications expertise available in the region.   Ireland is experiencing strong growth in international IT services which is contributing significantly to Ireland’s impressive export performance. Of the 72 investments made by IDA this is the 25^th investment involving 100-plus jobs that has been made by IDA in 2010 and    IDA is delighted to welcome this telecommunications leader to Galway and looks forward to supporting their continued global expansion.”

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe, TD also welcomed the announcement by Genband saying, ‘This investment shows that Ireland is very much open for business and that our enterprise economy remains vibrant. Ireland continues to meet the requirements of global corporations to run international operations.’

About GENBAND
GENBAND is a global leader of IP infrastructure and service solutions, helping fixed, mobile and cable service providers around the world evolve communications networks through IP innovation. The Company offers market-leading Switching, Networking and Service solutions, with products deployed in over 600 customer networks spanning more than 80 countries.  GENBAND is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and has operations in 50 countries. To learn more, visit us on the web at www.genband.com .

GENBAND, the GENBAND logo and icon are trademarks of GENBAND.

The Irish Independent notes that consultancy firm Ernst & Young plans to create more than 300 Irish jobs over the next 18 months. Half of the new employees will be graduates with degrees in engineering, IT, legal, business, accounting and finance.

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