Cloud company plans 200 new Irish staff

California-based software company Workday plans to create 200 jobs in Ireland over the next three years, the company announced during a visit of Taoiseach Enda Kenny to its head office in Silicon Valley.

The company is expanding its Irish workforce adding to its three-year commitment in 2012 to create 100 new jobs, which, Workday said, was completed in just over two years due to the company’s strong growth in Europe.

Workday established a European headquarters in Dublin in 2008 and announced the latest expansion plans of its Irish business when the company’s co-founder and chief executive Aneel Bhusri met Mr Kenny in Pleasanton, California.

The new jobs will double the existing 200 staff in Dublin over the next three years.

“Winning international investment in areas like the high growth technology sector is essential to our recovery plan and a testament to our exceptionally talented workforce and our business-friendly environment,” said Mr Kenny.

On the third and final day of his US trade mission, the Taoiseach visited the head offices of internet company Google in Mountain View, California and met with Irish employees of the company. He also visited electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors, networking systems company Cisco, and software analytics company New Relic in Silicon Valley.

Mr Kenny met senior Google executives John Herlihy, chief executive of Google Ireland, which employs 2,600 staff and 1,300 contract staff in Dublin, and David Drummond, vice president of corporate development at the company's head office.

Afterwards, Mr Kenny took a tour of the headquarters campus, known as “The Googleplex,” in Google’s self-driving car.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, he described his journey as “quite an experience.”

“The car never suffers from road rage. It doesn’t get tired. It doesn’t get emotional. It doesn’t get sick,” he said.

“I could see opportunities for that, though Irish driver habits would probably need some adjusting to the cultural shock that is involved here.”

Discussing the developments at Google and Tesla, Mr Kenny said that there were “interesting opportunities” in innovation for Ireland and that he expected electric cars to become “very commonplace” over the next couple of years.

Mr Kenny also visited the Californian offices of PCH International, the product development and supply chain management company founded by Cork entrepreneur Liam Casey.

At PCH, the Taoiseach was shown a demonstration by Irish tech start-up Drop, which has created a new interactive recipe platform that works with an iPad-connected kitchen scale that serves as a digital baking assistant.

Last night Mr Kenny met California governor Jerry Brown at a Enterprise Ireland-organised event for young Irish start-ups pitching ideas to mentors and investors.

The Taoiseach told the event that Ireland emerging from the EU and IMF bailout programme was “a testament to the sacrifices and commitment of the Irish people to bring about a sense of stability.”