Voxpro to grow in Cork in 2017

Cork-headquartered tech support company Voxpro has said it should have the capacity to grow employee numbers in its home city by a further 400 in the next 12 months.

Speaking at yesterday’s formal opening of the company’s first Dublin office, which itself, will house 400 staff, Voxpro co-founder and chief executive Dan Kiely said the firm has taken full ownership of its Mahon headquarters and should have the capacity to add around 400 extra jobs there over the next 12 months.

Voxpro, which provides outsourcing services in the areas of customer services, technical support, and sales solutions to the likes of Google and AirBnB, currently employs around 1,500 people in three offices in Cork. The 400 Dublin jobs, to come on stream over the next 18 months, will boost its Irish workforce to almost 2,000 and its global staff numbers to 5,000.

It has two facilities in the US — the most recent one being a €4m centre of excellence in Georgia, which opened in August and which will house 500 staff by 2020.

Voxpro also has plans to grow further overseas next year, with management targeting office openings in eastern Europe by the end of the first quarter of 2017; Asia-Pacific by the end of the second quarter and Latin America by close of the year.

Taking the company public is also still part of management’s plan, but an IPO is unlikely to happen for at least another three years.

Speaking after yesterday’s event attended by Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell-O’Connor and Housing Minister Simon Coveney, Mr Kiely welcomed the Government’s housing plans, but added that he “wouldn’t underestimate” the challenge the accommodation shortage has on growing companies when sourcing staff.

Mr Coveney said Voxpro shows the potential that exists outside of Dublin and is an “inspiration” for young Irish entrepreneurs in that it shows that one can “grow and conquer the world if they’re good enough”.

“What we’re witnessing here is the growth of an Irish-owned multinational,” he added.

Meanwhile, MsMitchell-O’Connor said Ireland remains on course for 50,000 new jobs this year.

Including Voxpro, 700 jobs have been announced this week, including 200 in social networking site LinkedIn and 100 through US drug company West Pharmaceutical Services expanding its manufacturing presence in Ireland through a 60,000 sq ft expansion to its Dublin facilities.

From Irish Examiner  (30/11/2016)