Domain services company Demand Media is to open an international office in Dublin that will employ between 20 and 40 people in Dublin by next year. The opportunity was made possible by ICANN’s plan to open up the market for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) later this year.
Joining a string of international offices in Toronto, Buenos Aires and London, the Dublin team will be focused on preparing for the historic change about to take place on the internet, as thousands of new generic top-level domain names come to market later this year.
The company has hired David Ryan as general manager, who up until recently worked with Fortune 500 company Electronic Arts. Ryan served as senior director with Electronic Arts, one of the largest video-game developers in the world, leading the online games’ live operations division, and was responsible for the development and execution of community and customer service efforts. Ryan has also led start-ups, including LeasePlan Infrastructure services and Vordel, growing both businesses in valuation and services offered.
Taking on the shape of a technology start-up, the company is seeking talent with experience across all functions, including product engineering, sales and marketing, IT, finance, operations and customer support, and expects to employ between 20 and 40 people within the next year. The company has partnered with Morgan McKinley to assist with its recruitment drive.
The Demand Media team will be based at One Clarendon Row, located next to the Gaiety Theatre and St Stephen’s Green.
“We are excited to expand our business into the thriving tech scene of Dublin,” commented Dave Panos, executive vice-president of emerging markets for Demand Media.
“At such an exhilarating time in the domain services industry with the upcoming launch of new TLDs, we are eager to recruit creative and high-energy professionals who are up to the challenge of taking the lead in the changing internet landscape.”
Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Richard Bruton, TD, said that since the present Government took office, some 11,000 new jobs have been created in the ICT sector.
IDA Ireland chief executive Barry O’Leary said the vision Demand Media has for its presence in Dublin is exciting and fits well with Dublin’s growing reputation as a “silicon hub.”
He said: “The presence of Demand Media here will significantly add to our cluster of cutting-edge technology companies undertaking innovative activities that are at the forefront of development in the online sphere.”
Digital world image via Shutterstock
