Three ConnectIreland projects land in Dublin with 48 jobs
Minister Richard Bruton with John Contas, executive vice-president of Lobo Leasing and Michael McLoughlin, CEO of ConnectIreland. Photo by Paul Sherwood

Three ConnectIreland projects land in Dublin with 48 jobs

15 Apr 2014

Two US and one European company are establishing operations in Dublin following encouraging link-ups through the ConnectIreland programme. Between them, the companies will create 48 high-quality jobs for the region.

The ConnectIreland programme comes as part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs and harnesses opportunities using the Irish diaspora. Individuals (or ‘connectors’) inform ConnectIreland of companies planning a European operation and the team led by CEO Michael McLoughlin then works with the IDA to bring these firms – and jobs – to Ireland.

If ConnectIreland is successful in securing the deal, the connector earns a Government reward of up to €1,500 per job created.

Energy consulting firm Sure Power Energy and Utilities is now ready to create 25 jobs in a Dublin office, from which the US company plans to expand into European markets. Candidates sought are professionals for consulting assignments with experience in project and programme management, with a core focus on SAP, Oracle and the myriad technologies used by energy, utility, and oil and gas organisations.

Communications agency Wired Island already has a presence in the US and Europe and is planning to expand this with eight new staff members in Dublin. The company provides PR and digital marketing services to high-tech companies and will be hiring senior PR and communications account managers, and strategic digital marketing experts.

Finally, Lobo Leasing, a helicopter leasing company founded in Austin, Texas, will establish its global headquarters in Ballsbridge, creating 15 positions.

These jobs were announced today by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD, and bring the total number of jobs created by ConnectIreland over its two-year existence to 346 in 15 companies. Further announcements are also expected over the coming months.

Elaine Burke
By Elaine Burke

Elaine Burke was editor of Silicon Republic until 2023, and is now the host of For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. Elaine joined Silicon Republic in 2011 as a journalist covering gadgets, new media and tech jobs. She later served as managing editor before stepping up as editor in 2019. She comes from a background in publishing and is known for being particularly pernickety when it comes to spelling and grammar – earning her the nickname, Critical Red Pen.

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