Data firm Teknicor to create up to 100 jobs as Canadian investment here grows
TORONTO-BASED Teknicor, a specialist in data centre architecture, is aiming to employ 70-100 engineers in Ireland over the next three years.
The business has just embarked on its recruitment drive after establishing an Irish office.
“It’s a very accommodating environment for business. We’ve been impressed by the skillsets that are there,” Teknicor chief executive Alan Fullerton told the Sunday Independent.
“We’re finding it a very educated, experienced workforce to draw from for what we do. The culture is very similar to a Canadian culture in a way and we’re pretty excited to get the team on board to start speaking to our customers globally.”
Fullerton’s business operates in a number of other countries and he singles out the IDA as a strong promoter of what this country has to offer.
“There’s a massive difference between what Ireland does to attract business versus the other geographies that we operate in.
“The IDA are very interested in bringing investment to Ireland and in my opinion the approach works. There’s a spectacular hub of technology businesses in Ireland, they’ve been there a long time.
“There’s a great group of support services, whether it’s the IDA or others, that make it a lot easier for us to come over and get going,” Fullerton said.
Last summer, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said trade between the two countries was worth €2.75bn and Canadian investment in Ireland was valued at €10bn.
The IDA, headed by Martin Shanahan, is planning to open an office in Canada, citing the EU-Canada trade deal, the Nafta renegotiations, Brexit and the introduction of the GDPR as potential opportunities to win more business.
The IDA’s stats say there are 35 Canadian companies approved in Ireland, with an employment base in excess of 3,790 people — an increase of more than a third since 2014.
“The IDA has adopted a highly diversified cross-sectoral approach in the development of new business across the Canadian market. Our strong performance demonstrates the resilience of the Irish offering,” an IDA spokesperson said.
Other Canadian companies active here include Topaz owner Couche-Tard, Irish Life owner Great West Lifeco, and ecommerce software provider Shopify.