Divide + Conquer

“We were lucky in that as a technology company, it was becoming very apparent the way out of COVID for many companies is digitization and their digital strategy. So HPE has actually done quite well in terms of helping customers to transform and to help them with their digital transformation,”

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE (HPE)

Next, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a global edge-to-cloud platform as-a-service company, which celebrates 50 years in Ireland this year, announced its plans to recruit 150 experienced technologists in Ireland over the next two years with jobs in R&D, cyber security, software development and cloud consulting.

The company has also named Galway as its European hub for cyber security operations and they will be establishing a new Hybrid Cloud Practice, an element Maeve Culloty, Managing Director of HPE says will be critical when it comes to helping Irish customers accelerate their digital transformation as their new normal continues to evolve.

The company, Maeve says, have always been one to pivot as their needs – and those of their customers demanded – and the pandemic has been no different.

“We were lucky in that as a technology company, it was becoming very apparent the way out of COVID for many companies is digitization and their digital strategy. So HPE has actually done quite well in terms of helping customers to transform and to help them with their digital transformation,” she said. “That same sentiment goes from a worldwide perspective, and in the last two years, we’ve really worked to ensure that from a global perspective, we continue to be relevant. We really focused on high capability, high complexity work that requires a highly capable workforce. And that’s what Ireland can deliver on. In 2013, we started the cybersecurity practice out of Galway. We’ve been developing that ever since and been able to expand what that team is doing out of Galway, across Europe. So it’s focusing on those key areas of where the strategy of the business is going. And making sure that we’ve got a workforce that can follow through and deliver against that.”

She explains along with their customer buying behaviour changing and accelerating, HPE too, had to change to meet those demands. This is what, she feels, has made the company excel where others may not have.

“One of the things that we help our customers with is to build a technology platform that enables their data and apps to live. Now, they’re just looking for access to what that technology can do – they are saying, ‘just give me access to the technology’. And I’ll either run it myself or have HPE run it for me.’ And In this way, change is at the heart of what HPE does. As a brand, we’re constantly changing and providing the roadmap for the future.”

“So that means our team, and our people have to move with that pace. And when it comes to digitization, and the Technology Roadmap that’s going to get us out of this, it’s very much part of the HPE DNA to be able to accommodate that and go with that change. We’ve had to understand our own teams, as well as being able to solve the customer’s problem; how do we solve this internally from a physical and mental health perspective?”

As to why some companies haven’t or refused to do this during the pandemic, she explains each company needs an energy, a motivation to be able to do that transition. “And if motivation isn’t big enough, and the change doesn’t happen.”

DIVIDE

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THRIVING MULTINATIONALS OPERATING IN IRELAND ARE OFTEN ENCOURAGED BY THE IDA TO OPEN A SECOND SATELLITE OPERATION, PREFERABLY OUTSIDE DUBLIN TO STIMULATE JOBS AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NEW TALENT POOLS. IT’S A POLICY THAT HAS HELPED BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO TOWNS AND CITIES ACROSS THE MIDLANDS AND WEST AND HAS IN TURN ALLOWED GLOBAL FIRMS TO GROW AND DEVELOP.

DENISE MAGUIRE asks three global firms what they see as the benefits to having multiple sites around Ireland?

Operating in Ireland since 1997, SAP began its journey as a 30-strong company in East Point Business Park, Dublin. Today, SAP has three office locations in Dublin and Galway and employs up to 1,200 people. The decision to open a facility in Galway was fuelled by the company’s rapid expansion. A new multi-lingual support team was required and Galway was deemed the most advantageous location. “We interacted with the IDA who encouraged us to investigate areas outside Dublin. Galway had the critical mass with options to grow and hire and it also had a large multi-lingual community,” said Liam Ryan, Managing Director SAP Labs Ireland. A thriving university infrastructure was also a major factor when it came to choosing Galway as a second site. “You had GMIT as it was called at the time and UL which was the only university back then that offered a whole degree programme in technical communication. To this day, we have really strong links with UL that benefit both the students and us,” said Rachael Hewetson, User Assistance Development Manager at SAP. A major advantage of having an additional site in Galway is the new talent pool it has opened up to the company. “It has also given employees a choice. We had several members of staff based in Dublin who were from the West. With the Galway site, we were able to retain those staff that wanted to relocate back home. It’s another reason why employees should continue to work with SAP as they have that choice of location,” said Liam.

Established in Galway in 1994, Boston Scientific has become synonymous with Ireland. With three location across the country (Galway, Clonmel and Cork), the company exports approximately 10 million medical devices worldwide annually including stents, balloons, platinum coils, catheters, inflation devices, pacemakers and ICDs. A large cohort of people studying similar disciplines and working in similar areas is something the company has leveraged over the years, says Sean Gayer, VP Operations in Cork. “The three locations are served very well educationally and that obviously helps us. All of the educational facilities in the area collaborate with us to ensure they’re offering their students the right type of courses so they’re better placed to work with us in the future.”

For a US company locating in Ireland, integration into local communities is crucial. “Over the past 10 years, our charity endeavours in Cork alone have raised over half a million euro. Our staff are also heavily involved in volunteering, which is just as important as funds raised. Some of the ideas from our charity team have been really innovative. A few years ago, they asked if they could raffle off the two parking spots nearest the employee entrance. You had 1000 people that really wanted those two spaces! I thought it was brilliant in its simplicity,” says Sean at Boston Scientific. The company is also one of the key sponsors of the College of Medicine and Health interdisciplinary Seed Awards at UCC and all three sites work with local schools to encourage children to get involved in STEM.

Liam Ryan, Managing Director SAP Labs Ireland Sean Gayer, VP Operations, Boston Scientific, Cork

A much-improved road network and proximity to regional airports have helped make Ireland an attractive location for multinationals. With remote working looking like it’s here to stay for many companies, connectivity has never been more important. “We still have a bit of work to do in terms of broadband in certain areas, but I think our mindset of connectivity is perhaps even more important and I think that has improved hugely since the pandemic hit. We have four employee resource groups that work across the three sites and in terms of keeping us connected and promoting diversity and inclusivity, they’ve never been more important,” says Sean at Boston Scientific. In 1996 Fidelity Investments, the Boston headquartered financial services company, chose Dublin as its first global

“We have four employee resource groups that work across the three sites and in terms of keeping us connected and promoting diversity and inclusivity, they’ve never been more important.”