French software company chooses Dublin over France for expansion

It is much easier to find skilled staff in Ireland than in France, a French chief executive said yesterday as his financial software company announced 90 new jobs for Dublin.

Olivier Novasque was speaking at the official opening of Sidetrade's shared services centre, which will recruit accounting, finance, marketing and customer support staff over the coming two years.

Energy and dynamism

Mr Novasque, who founded Sidetrade in France in 2000, said he liked “the energy and dynamism” of Ireland, describing Dublin as “a fantastic hub for energy and innovation”.

Ireland is home to “a wealth of candidates, especially within the multilingual sectors”, he said, adding that the aim of the Dublin office was to become closer to clients across Europe, using multilingual support.

“You can find very skilled people in all European languages,” said Mr Novasque when asked why the company had opened the office in Ireland instead of France. “This is very difficult to find in France.”

New York Stock Exchange-listed Sidetrade offers accounts receivable management services to medium and large companies through a cloud-based software platform. The company already employs almost 140 people between offices in France and London.

IDA focus on mainland Europe

Minister for Jobs

Richard Bruton

yesterday wished Mr Novasque “bienvenue” and said the Government was “thrilled” about the investment, which he believes reflected the IDA’s increased focus on mainland Europe.

Martin Shanahan, who took on the role of IDA chief executive last week, agreed with the Minister and said Sidetrade was particularly welcome as a French company based in Paris and listed on the NYSE.