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Park Place Technologies MD Sean Sears explains what attracted him to Ireland as a location for the company’s EMEA headquarters.
Park Place Technologies MD Sean Sears has confirmed to Siliconrepublic.com that the company is looking to move into a new 10,000 sq ft office space and will likely double its previously projected staff headcount in Cork.
The data centre support company previously announced that it would create 70 roles over the next two years at its EMEA headquarters in Lapp’s Quay, Cork. It is currently ahead of its recruitment schedule, with 35 roles in place, and is on track to hit the goal figure by January 2020.
However, the company is set to shore up even more staff numbers here in Ireland and will be moving to a new, significantly larger location to accommodate further growth. It is also looking at a few different talent disciplines for its expansion.
“We’re looking at [staff for] first-line defence service centres, multi-lingual [professionals] and also advanced engineering, so those individuals with minimum 12 to 14 years’ experience. We’re probably looking at expanding supply chain here also,” Sears said.
‘While I may like a location, I have to look at access to get to work, because that can play a massive part in getting the skilled individuals you want’
– SEAN SEARS
First-line defence, he explained, is one of Ireland’s most important functions within Park Place Technologies’ global strategy.
“There’s such a wealth of great knowledge here [in Ireland]. It’s a great place to be. Geographically, it’s a perfect centre point to cover all of Europe. So, Ireland is critical to us.
“When we were looking at expanding the EMEA supports online, Ireland was number one. It was based on the quality of people you can get here. A lot of technology companies are here, it was just the right thing to do.”
Ireland’s infrastructure
Many international businesses have previously looked to Ireland as a place to relocate their UK offices, fearing that Brexit fallout could impede access to the EU market.
“We started planning for whatever that [Brexit] decision was going to be more than two years ago. Whatever it is – exit, non-exit – we’re ready. For us, it’s all about the customers. We need to ensure there’s going to be zero impact to them,” Sears said.
On the question of whether the growing housing crisis in Ireland could be an issue for Park Place Technologies as it expands it presence here, Sears maintained that it has yet to be a problem, but that elements such as public transport and housing play a significant role in location-related business decisions.
“While I may like a location, I have to look at access to get to work, because that can play a massive part in getting the skilled individuals you want. When I’m working with real estate, I have to look at if there’s a train that can get the employees there. I have to look at the bus and how that will run, even looking at how late it runs in the evening, if we’re looking to continue to grow a company.
“It’s one of the key conversations we have with employees – if we move to a new place, is it going to impact [them] from a perspective of time, or even cost?”
