John Herlihy to step down as head of Google Ireland

John Herlihy is to step down as the head of Google Ireland after 10 years at the helm.

The Limerick native, who grew the company from 50 employees to more than 2,500 staff during his tenure, is leaving the company on April 30th.

Under his leadership Google acquired its EMEA campus on Barrow Street in Dublin, located a new data centre in Ireland and established The Foundry, Google’s first centre for digital excellence in Europe.

Mr Herlihy, who is the company’s vice-president of sales and operations, as well as managing director of Google Ireland, said he was proud of what the management team at Google has achieved over the past 10 years.

Vibrant

“We have built a vibrant organisation which has become the heartbeat of EMEA. The energy that runs through this campus powers a burgeoning digital industry in over 100 countries and is helping revitalise economies, Ireland’s included,” he said.

“On a personal level, it has been a tremendous experience but, after 10 years, I believe the time is right for me to explore new opportunities and I’m looking forward to taking some time out while I consider my next challenge,” he added.

Google vice-president of large customer sales (EMEA), Ronan Harris, will succeed Mr Herlihy as site lead and will head up Google's operations in Ireland.

Mr Harris said he was “delighted to be appointed head of Google in Ireland”, adding that he is looking forward to leading the Ireland management team as it positions its EMEA headquarters for continued growth.

“I have worked closely with John for many years and all of us at Google in Dublin value greatly the contribution he has made to Google and to Ireland’s reputation as the digital capital of Europe,” he said.

Prior to joining Google, Mr Herlihy worked at First Data, Oracle, Adobe and KPMG, among others. He was a non-executive director at Greencore for six years, and is currently a non-executive director at Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Last month, Google paid €13 million in an off-market deal for the Dock Mill, a former warehouse which sits on the water’s edge in Grand Canal Dock. The company is also expected to keep a close eye on the former Bolands Mill on Barrow Street which will be the centrepiece of a new development planned by Nama.