Nokia appoints new CTO, Henry Tirri
Henry Tirri has been appointed to take over from Richard Green as chief technology officer at Nokia. Nokia appoints new CTOPictured: Henry Tirri Henry Tirri Appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Nokia In June, Green took a leave of absence from the company. At the time, he was reported to have been unhappy with management decisions and to have disagreed with Nokia president and CEO Stephen Elop’s smartphone strategy. Richard Green Departs Nokia to Pursue New Opportunities In a statement today, Nokia said Green, who was appointed CTO in May 2010 and had been a member of the Nokia leadership team since February of this year, had decided to leave…
Read MorePfizer to invest US$200m (€145m) at its Dublin biotech facility – creating jobs
Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD this morning announced that world-leading biopharma company Pfizer is to inject $200m, or €145m, into its Dublin biotech manufacturing facility in Grange Castle – one of the largest biotech manufacturing sites in the world – creating up to 400 jobs during the peak of the construction phase. The investment will enable Pfizer to introduce two new processing suites to the site and expand current production and product testing capabilities. Pfizer’s Grange Castle facility in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, currently produces two of the pharama giant’s blockbuster medicines – Enbrel and Prevenar 13. The Grange Castle facility is strategically important to Pfizer globally. Since opening in 2005,…
Read MoreUS consumers to spend US$4.2bn on deals by 2015
Increase in US Consumer Spending on Deals US consumer spending on deals including daily deals, instant deals and flash sales is set to increase from US$873m in 2010 to US$4.2bn in 2015, according to a new forecast from BIA/Kelsey. In March, the company had anticipated that deals spending would increase to US$3.9bn by 2015. It said its update indicates only a slight increase overall by 2015. However, revenues for 2011 have been revised significantly to US$2bn from the US$1.2bn originally estimated in March. “Even as more consumers sign up for deals programmes and awareness grows and new markets are entered, we see a ceiling on how many deals…
Read MoreEmirates Airline announces new daily Dublin-Dubai service
Dublin Airport Authority and Irish business organizations have welcomed yesterday’s announcement from Emirates Airline that it will begin a new daily Dublin-Dubai service from January. The new long-haul service, which will operate from Terminal 2, will expand Dublin Airport’s direct links to the Middle East and its onward connections into India, Africa, South East Asia, Australasia and China. “We are delighted to welcome Emirates to Dublin and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with our newest customer,” said DAA Chief Executive Declan Collier. “The improvements in Dublin Airport’s facilities in recent years, including the opening of Terminal 2, and our new long-haul gates in Pier E, was…
Read MoreSocial media a growing factor in buying decisions – IBM study
Social media is increasingly important in influencing consumer buying decisions, both online and in-store, while purchasers have a growing wish to be able to buy products through their mobile phones, according to a new IBM European study. The research into consumer shopping behaviour across retail channels found that consumers are using social networks to research products, prices, promotions and other consumers’ views in order to validate their decision making. This is then influencing sales across all procurement channels. According to the findings, over 50pc of respondents use social networks to help with their shopping decisions. Of those who would be likely to follow a retailer on a social network, 35pc…
Read MoreContact centre sector in ‘significant period of growth’ says industry body
Call Centre Closure vs. Contact Centre Industry Growth Despite the announcement yesterday that Waterford-based call centre Talk Talk is to close within a month with the loss of 575 jobs, the contact centre industry this morning reported that it is in a significant period of growth. Employment and Operations Research carried out by Amárach Research for the Contact Centre Management Association of Ireland (CCMA), with the support of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, reveals that the sector employs more than 29,000 people, with a spread of over 100 contact centre operations nationwide. Revenue Growth The research was conducted in Q2 2011 and involved involved 52 participants in the contact centre,…
Read MoreIrish Competitiveness Performance Mixed – NCC report
Ireland’s competitiveness has improved in certain areas over the last couple of years, but the country remains an expensive one in which to do business, according to a new report from the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), which has outlined seven priority areas where progress is required. Ireland’s Competitive Scorecard 2011 assesses the country’s performance using 127 statistical indicators – drawn from a range of data sources, including Forfás, OECD, Eurostat, and CSO – that provide insights into its ability to compete on world markets. The report indicated mixed competitiveness performance for Ireland in 2011. It finds that export-focused enterprise sectors are performing strongly and that growth in exports has been…
Read MoreESRI expecting lower Irish debt levels
The decision to reduce interest rates on EU borrowing, agreed by the EU Council on 21 July, means that Ireland’s public debt levels will be substantially lower than previously estimated, according to a new article from the ESRI. In coming up with the new figures, John Fitzerald and Ide Kearney, authors of ‘Irish Government Debt And Implied Debt Dynamics: 2011 – 2015’, said they make very conservative assumptions on the interest rates available after 2013, “which could well be significantly lower than we have assumed, with consequential beneficial effects on debt sustainability”. The article estimates that the net debt to GDP ratio will peak at between 100pc and 105pc of…
Read MoreNorwegian TV viewers to get a taste of Ireland
More than quarter of a million viewers of Norwegian TV travel show, Glefs, will be treated to images of a range of Irish locations in a 12-minute segment set to air on 10 of Norway’s local TV channels later this month. Some of the attractions appearing in show include Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse and the Brazen Head in Dublin; Belfast’s Titanic boat tour and the city’s music scene by night; and Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Co Monaghan. The Norwegian TV crew was invited to visit and film the various locations by Tourism Ireland in the Nordic region. Aoife Kernan, Tourism Ireland’s manager in the Nordic region, described it as…
Read More4FM launches new autumn marketing campaign
Multi-city broadcaster Classic Hits 4FM has launched a new €500,000 marketing campaign to drive brand awareness and listenership. Beginning this weekend, the campaign runs on TV, cinema, outdoor and press. The marketing push will roll out over the autumn period. The campaign will have a strong TV component, with the station becoming the sponsor of Saturday Night Movies on TV3 for a period of 14 weeks and a TV3/3e station ‘takeover’, which will see the station sponsoring the entire output on both stations over given weekends. Cinema screen and foyer advertising throughout Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Clare is also planned. The new advertising campaign was developed by advertising agency…
Read More