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.

The Irish Times reports that IDA-backed multinationals created 1,350 net new jobs in Ireland in 2010. The IDA’s interim statement for 2010 shows that multinationals supported by the government agency created 10,897 new jobs last year. Chief Executive Barry O’Leary said that about 9,545 jobs were lost in multinationals last year. He said some of the job losses were the result of closures announced in 2009, including that of PC maker Dell. The IDA said it hopes to bring in projects that will lead to the creation of 10,000 new jobs in 2011. It also hopes to bring in investments that will create 62,000 new jobs by 2014.

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.

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.

The Irish Times reports  that a new online tax service will offer some of its services free and others at a heavy discount. PayLessTax.ie said it would create 20 jobs in the next two years. Established by tax expert Cathal Maxwell, the firm is targeting self-employed people who have to make their own returns to the Revenue Commissioners and PAYE workers who do extra work that is not taxed at source. The online service starts at EUR239 for the self-employed. PAYE workers with no other income sources can avail of a free service to find out if they are due a tax refund

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’.