Some of Europe’s leading young tech stars have gathered in the North West for the Innovators Under 35 Europe Festival.
This year’s event, held in Gweedore, County Donegal, celebrated a new generation of changemakers tackling society’s most pressing challenges as it emerges from the pandemic.
Since its creation, MIT Technology Review has been publishing an annual list of the best Innovators Under 35, from biotechnologists to artificial intelligence pioneers, with notable alumni including Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
The festival, which took place in the gteic hub in May, was sponsored by Derry City and Strabane District Council alongside other regional organisations and educational establishments.
“By choosing this location, we wanted to demonstrate that in our connected world, no location is off-limits when it comes to innovation,” said Connla McCann, director of the festival’s host, Aisling Events.
“The Atlantic edge – and places like it – will be the centre of the new world.”
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg00Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2022-07-14 18:37:142022-07-29 15:07:16Europe’s top innovators gather in Gweedore
Ecommerce support platform eDesk is to create 150 jobs in the next 18 months as it plans further expansion in the US and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, more than doubling its current headcount.
From left: Ross Keating, vice president of sales for eDesk; Courtney Graham, vice president of customer success; Mats Forsgren, vice president of operations; Dermot O’Connor, chief executive.
Among the roles on offer are positions in product, sales, marketing, customer success and customer support.
The jobs will be based at eDesk’s headquarters in Dublin, its Derry office and its premises in Skibbereen, Co Cork. Some of the roles will also be based on the east coast of the US, where the company is planning to hoping to have 20 employees in the coming 18 months. EDesk currently operates a hybrid work environment, with remote working and office space available for its employees.
Founded by entrepreneur Ray Nolan as xSellco in 2012, the company provides ecommerce support solutions to customers looking to sell across multiple channels and consolidating all customer interactions into a single box. It rebranded to eDesk in 2021. Among its customers are Superdry, Pitstop Auto and Right Deals UK, with partners that include Amazon, eBay, and Shopify.
“Ecommerce is so hot right now and eDesk as a product has seen significant growth in recent years so we are delighted today to announce the growth of our team over the coming months with these new open roles,” said chief executive Dermot O’Connor.
“eDesk was created to ease the complexity of customer service so that companies can focus on growth. These new hires will continue to support our growth by creating new updates and top-tier products to ensure that our customers truly support each individual customer across all of their sales channels, allowing them to more effectively grow their own businesses.”
Boxever cofounder Mr O’Connor was recently appointed chief executive of eDesk, joining a number of senior hires that include vice-president of sales Ross Keating; Courtney Graham as vice-president of customer success; and Mats Forsgren as vice-president of operations.
“I’m so proud of our team for getting eDesk to the point where we can double our headcount, creating 150 new jobs,” said Mr Nolan. “Dermot brings with him to eDesk over two decades of experience in founding, building, and scaling successful SaaS businesses out of Ireland. I have every faith that he and the eDesk team will take the company to the next level of growth.”
The news of the expansion was welcomed by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. “EDesk’s creation of 150 new jobs over the next 18 months in Dublin, Derry, Skibbereen and the US is a testament to the company’s ongoing commitment to Ireland,” he said. “The company’s incredible growth shows how Irish eCommerce and Business to Business firms like Flipdish, Intercom, and Wayflyer continue to take on global markets and grow from here in Ireland.”
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg00Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2022-05-27 08:57:432022-05-27 08:57:44Irish ecommerce company eDesk to create 150 jobs
Learning Pool has paid an undisclosed sum for True Office Learning, a firm in the United States which specialises in compliance training.
True Office was at one time owned by the New York Stock Exchange.
Learning Pool’s chief executive Ben Betts said the deal with True Office Learning is “a significant step” for the Derry-based company.
“In the past two years, the way we work and learn has changed dramatically, and our aim is to lead the way in reshaping the new workplace learning landscape,” Mr Betts said.
The addition of True Office should take Learning Pool’s annual turnover to around £50m. The firm is aiming to significantly grow its business in the US where it already has an office in Colorado.
True Office’s major clients include the pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and the agri-food company, Cargill. Learning Pool was founded in 2006 by Paul McElvaney, who is now the firm’s executive chair.
The company provides online training courses for a range of major businesses and public sector organisations.
Last year a US private equity firm, Marlin Equity Partners, bought a majority stake in the business.
https://i0.wp.com/investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/learningpool-logo.jpg?fit=500%2C300&ssl=1300500Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2022-01-06 12:10:582022-01-06 12:11:00Learning Pool Furthers Expansion into US Market.
The 13th annual Golden Bridges Conference has taken place, showcasing the best of Ireland North West to influential US business and political leaders.
This year’s event was held virtually at Gteic in Gweedore, County Donegal, and featured prominent speakers discussing themes of investment, innovation, tourism, culture and education.
The conference, held last month, gave the global audience a unique insight into how people in the border region of Derry, Strabane and Donegal are continuing to work in close collaboration to attract investment, create jobs and boost the economy post-pandemic.
The event, jointly coordinated by Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council, aims to promote partnerships between Ireland Northwest and Boston, Massachusetts.
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg00Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2021-12-13 19:49:162021-12-13 19:49:17Boston and NW join virtually for Golden Bridges conference
Learning Pool has agreed to a new investment from Marlin Equity Partners which will support the e-learning company’s continued growth and create 100 new jobs.
Founded in Derry and currently ranked as one of the top 60 Large Best Companies to Work for in the UK, Learning Pool employs more than 260 people across the UK and US.
The Marlin investment will facilitate further job creation, with plans in place to hire an additional 100 Learning Pool employees across the group this year.
As part of the investment, Marlin will acquire the shareholding of Carlyle Cardinal Ireland, who invested in Learning Pool in 2016. Since then, Learning Pool has seen revenue increase four-fold and made four acquisitions, most recently acquiring US-based Remote Learner. Marlin is expected to help accelerate growth both organically and through additional acquisitions.
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg00Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2021-06-25 10:24:372021-06-25 10:26:45Learning Pool agrees to Marlin Investment
A virtual event promoting the North West as a great place to learn, work and visit will be held on the eve of St Patrick’s Day.
The Destination Derry initiative is holding a free evening of celebrations to connect Derry diaspora from all over the world with their hometown on March 16.
The event will include entertainment from Ulster University students, conversations with people who have chosen Derry as the location for their business or place of work, and a photo and video exhibition of previous St Patrick’s Day events in the city.
There will also be the opportunity to network with others worldwide in breakout Zoom rooms, and Foyle Search and Rescue will share how people can help them in their vital work.
Destination Derry was created by homebuilder Taggart Homes and its website (www.destinationderry.com) includes business support information, a blog, and Live, Learn, Work and Visit sections.
Local company Learning Pool has announced the acquisition of US-based Remote Learner.
Paul McElvaney Learning Pool CEO
Situated in Denver, Colorado, the LMS (Learning Management System) specialist has represented more than a million users for over two decades, with clients including recruitment giant Indeed, Royal Caribbean Group and Ultimate Kronos Group.
Remote Learner is the fourth firm to join the Learning Pool Group in recent years and the news follows strong 2020 annual results for the Derry-based e-learning business, which saw revenues up 32% to £18.1m.
Learning Pool CEO Paul McElvaney said: “This acquisition puts the Group in great shape to accelerate our already ambitious customer satisfaction and growth targets in the North American region and takes the global Learning Pool team to more than 260 dedicated and talented people.”
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg00Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2021-03-16 10:04:122021-03-16 10:04:13New Stateside acquisition for Learning Pool
A transatlantic conference hosted virtually in Derry’s Guildhall has attracted a record number of global participants.
The 12th Golden Bridges Conference and Awards ceremony saw political leaders, business and community representatives and education providers from the North West and Boston share their experiences of dealing with the COVID pandemic and preparing for Brexit.
The conference saw more than 500 registrations from all over the world and its influential delegates and speakers included Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Charlie McConalogue, and Seagate CEO Dave Mosley.
The challenge faced by the Ireland NW region in dealing with the pandemic was a predominate feature of the conference, with inputs and views from various community, cultural and commercial sector representatives from both sides of the Atlantic.
The annual Golden Bridges conference, usually held in Boston, aims to promote partnerships between Ireland Northwest and Boston, Massachusetts and highlight various community, business, and education initiatives in the two regions by bringing together influential business and political leaders.
FinTrU has been named in this year’s Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 as the 42nd fastest-growing company across the whole of the UK. The league table features the UK’s 100 private companies with the fastest growth over the last three years.
FinTrU Founder & CEO, Darragh McCarthy, said “This is a fantastic achievement and something that all our employees should be immensely proud of. Each and every member of the team has played a crucial role in FinTrU’s success so far and this national recognition is testament to their hard work and dedication during their FinTrU careers.”
The league table ranks businesses across the whole of the UK and FinTrU is the only company from Northern Ireland featured in the list.
FinTrU Chief of Staff, Katrien Roppe, also added “We are delighted that FinTrU has received this accolade. This is not only recognition for this year but for the past number of years in FinTrU’s short history. During this time, our employees have excelled professionally and demonstrated ambition with humility, whilst our company has undergone rapid growth. We recently opened our first US premises in New York, which demonstrates our commitment to expand our global footprint.”
Despite the pandemic, FinTrU has proven to very resilient during 2020 with a growth rate of 75% driven by operational excellence. The company has secured eight new client contracts and two additional Tier 1 Investment Bank clients during this period.
About FinTrU
Founded in December 2013, FinTrU is a multi-award winning RegTech company in the Financial Services sector that is committed to giving local talent the opportunity to work on the global stage with the largest International Investment Banks. FinTrU works with Tier 1 Investment Bank clients to find solutions to help them meet with their regulations in areas such as; Legal, Risk, Compliance, KYC, Operations, Consultancy and Technology. FinTrU employs over 700 people across Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, London and New York.
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg00Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2020-12-14 14:50:112020-12-14 14:50:12FinTrU listed in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 League Table 2020
The head of Allstate NI has paid tribute to hundreds of staff in the North West for helping ensure the firm’s continued success during the Covid-19 crisis.
The business, which is now Northern Ireland’s largest IT firm, was established in 1998 to provide high quality software development services and business solutions in support of its US-based parent company, the Allstate Corporation. It employs 900 people in its Derry and Strabane offices, and a further 1500 staff in Belfast. Allstate took the decision to move all 2400 staff to virtual working in mid-March, as the global pandemic loomed. Since then, the company said it has managed to maintain productivity levels and a steady order book – an achievement managing director John Healy attributes to the talent, skills and connectivity found in the North West, and Northern Ireland in general.
“I’m hugely proud of how the workforce has responded to this. We’ve managed to get all our resources home, and maintained high levels of productivity. As I talk to the leaders back in the US, they are incredibly happy with what we’ve managed to achieve here,” the Derry native said. “We already have a culture within the business of people working from home; we have the infrastructure to allow that to happen, and we periodically test it. But whenever you’re doing it for real, to watch how people respond, now for over 11 weeks, it’s just been amazing.” Staff from the Derry and Strabane sites were “incredibly busy” as Covid-19 unfolded, with part of Allstate’s technology helpdesk functionality run in these locations. “During the initial weeks of the crisis, those teams in the North West helped our colleagues right around the globe to move quickly and safely to working from home,” added Mr Healy. “The volumes have now come back down to normal levels, but definitely they were key to the success of the corporation as a whole as we all move to new ways of working.”
As a major centre for innovative software development, covering the full lifecycle from design to maintenance and support, the local wealth of talent and experience was a huge draw for Allstate. Asked what message he would give to other investors who are considering the North West as a location, Mr Healy said: “The initial set-up of Allstate in the North West was around getting access to a deep talent pool, not just in Derry and Strabane, but also from hinterland such as Donegal. “What we’ve managed to achieve over the years that we’ve operated out of the North West shows that decision was absolutely spot on. These are really talented individuals who are making a great contribution to the success of all of our businesses. “And the innovation, the resilience, the ingenuity of the people who are making it work, from home, in recent weeks has been great.”
Mr Healy predicted longer term changes to working practices for many businesses, including Allstate NI. “We’ll still have the office and we’ll still have people who are calling in to work with colleagues and interact with others, but I think it will definitely change our perception around how much we need to be in the office and how that space is used,” he said. “Whenever you’re working in a hi-tech environment like ours, as long as you’ve got your laptop and a connection to the internet, you’re able to connect onto the Allstate infrastructure and do your job from wherever you find yourself.” The broadband infrastructure in employees’ homes has been holding up “incredibly well”, Mr Healy added. “We’ve had very few issues with connectivity for our employees when they’ve been working from home. “It’s fantastic that we can have everybody at home, safe and secure, at a time of crisis.”
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, praised Allstate NI’s teams in Derry and Strabane for their resilience and innovation during the Covid 19 crisis. “The global outbreak of Covid 19 created unprecedented challenges to Allstate and how they provide their software solutions and services,” he noted. “The team in Derry and Strabane displayed resilience and innovation in quickly moving to remote working and a virtual office space to ensure their client’s services continued as normal. “Allstate are a shining example to other prospective investors of the talent pool that exists in this region who can meet the needs of global companies and rise to the challenges posed during periods of uncertainty.”
https://i0.wp.com/investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/allstate_toe-1.jpg?fit=308%2C200&ssl=1200308Adam Goodallhttps://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpgAdam Goodall2020-07-07 10:34:052020-07-07 10:34:07Allstate NI for praised for resilience during COVID-19
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