3 minute read
The Leader
Neueda delivers large-scale transformational software projects across enterprise integration, legacy system modernisation and data services.
Paul Madden MANAGING DIRECTOR ATHLONE SITE, NEUEDA
Is the world-leading talent you are looking for in Ireland?
We have an operation in Athlone where we perform R&D for the likes of Ericsson, Neo4j and Citibank and we have been able to recruit locally the high-calibre software engineers that we need. Athlone Institute of Technology has been ranked the number one IT in the country twice in the last three years by The Sunday Times. We also have engineers who lived in the midlands region and were commuting to Galway or Dublin city, and we have been able to offer them high value work in Athlone. It’s important to the industry that the work they do is cutting edge. Athlone has a lot of selling points that make it easier to attract talent from overseas too; there’s a great education system, the cost of living is quite reasonable and it’s relatively easy to secure good quality accommodation that is close to your place of work.
How has the Irish workforce helped to drive growth?
Culturally, as a country we are very flexible. In larger software services companies elsewhere, the work relationship can be very contractual. We are much more focused on what the customer wants and the best way to help them. That willingness to bend over backwards to meet customer demand, rather than worrying about having the terms and conditions in place has reflected very well on us and worked very well with our clients. Our starting position is that there is a level of trust in place.
What are the disrupters – both positive and negative – facing your industry?
Our fear isn’t that the software services industry becomes disrupted, so much as our clients becoming disrupted. It’s creating awareness among our client base about new technologies. If you go back ten years ago, Ericsson’s major competitors were Nortel, Alcatel, Lucent, Siemens, Nokia – they were all huge companies with tens of thousands of employees, and now a number of them don’t exist. Companies don’t survive as long as they used to.
How has Ireland changed as a place to work and grow a business?
Athlone has undergone a hugely positive transformation. As a model, it is a great example of a town that has grown enormously. There is a lot of industry and plenty of jobs and a great community spirit in the town. When we were looking for office space, as soon as I mentioned it, there were business people from the town calling to ask if they could help. When you are creating enterprise here, everyone will get behind you.
How is your Athlone workforce helping to shape that culture?
Continuous learning is something we emphasise, encourage and support within the company, that people don’t rest on their laurels, that they would continue to learn and develop. We are in an industry that is constantly changing, and to survive a 40-year career in this type of industry means you have to completely re-educate yourself every decade at least. We try to feature that as normal and it is something that our employees here respond really well to. They organise internal workshops themselves on new technologies: a couple of them will take the time to learn about it and then run a workshop for everyone else. Ensuring that we are always ahead of the latest technologies is embedded in the culture of the company.
What is next for Neueda in Ireland?
We are always hiring and we are halfway through a four-year plan for the Athlone site to get to the full 200 people. We believe that if you make a development site too big it becomes impersonal so if we want to continue to expand beyond that we are more likely to open another office, maybe on the west coast of Ireland. neueda.com
