Eli Lilly to create 100 jobs in Cork

Pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly is to create 100 finance jobs at a European services centre in Cork city over the next 12 months.

The centre will provide general accounting and cash services to Eli Lilly’s European operations. The drugmaker is to begin recruiting immediately, with most of the jobs scheduled to be filled by next Spring.

Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe said the Government had worked closely with the company to secure this investment in Cork, and the firm’s decision to invest in the county "attested strongly to the academic calibre of the local labour pool and the quality of our higher education institutions".

Mr O'Keeffe said Eli Lilly is a firm known the world over for high standards of quality and innovation in pharmaceutical products.

"We have shown again to the world that we can attract strategic investments from leading multinationals by providing the right mix of skills, workforce flexibility and pro-business policies to support business expansion plans and create jobs for our people," he said.

Eli Lilly's finance director Kay Flynn said: "The decision to locate this important operation in Cork was based on our track record here, the availability of a skilled workforce, language ability and the presence of a strong shared services base here in Ireland.

The drugmaker already employs 450 staff at a manufacturing plant in Kinsale, Co Cork.

The Kinsale plant manufactures the active ingredients for a number of the group’s pharmaceutical products, including drugs to treat schizophrenia, depression and diabetes. The company also has marketing and sales base in Dublin, and shared services centre in Cork city.

IDA Ireland's chief executive Barry O’Leary said: "This investment is strategically important to Ireland and Eli Lilly and it is a welcome addition to the growing number of leading pharmaceutical companies that have recognised the benefits of locating financial shared services centres here."

Cork Chamber president Ger O'Mahoney welcomed the announcement, saying it was good for the local economy at a time when it was most needed.

"It confirms the attractiveness of the Cork region as a leading location for global financial shared services activities with a requirement for top quality graduates and a supportive business environment," he said.