Ardonagh to have 20 staff by January

The global insurance broker setting up a new data and risk management centre in Mullingar has received a lot of inquires from tech professionals looking to relocate home to the midlands from Dublin and other cities.

In July, The Ardonagh Group announced that it was opening a new data and risk management centre in Mullingar with the creation of 60 high end jobs. The centre will be based in Marlinstown Office Park.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner this week, the man who will lead the new centre’s chief data officer, Shane Keating, said that preparations are going well and he expects around 20 staff will be in place by the time Ardonagh starts operating in Mullingar early in the new year.

Data analytics is one of the major growth areas in the IT sector, which means that when it comes to recruiting staff, it is “very competitive” for employers at present, Mr Keating says. However, Mullingar’s location will help attract people, he believes.

“That was one of our reasons for not doing this in Dublin or Cork or some of the other bigger centres. We are hoping that we will be able to attract talent, people who just don’t want to be there [in a big city] or might have been commuting from the midlands to Dublin and want to do something different. Or in some cases they may have been working in other areas in the midlands region and are looking to change career. We have had a huge amount of interest.”

“While we are targeting 20 by the end of January, we are just going to keep going. As we find people, we will hire.”

Another factor in Ardonagh’s decision to open a base in Mullingar is its proximity to the TUS in Athlone. Mr Keating says that he has already had “good interaction” with the university.

“I think it is going to be really beneficial for both of us, probably six months from now, when we have a core nucleus of more experienced staff in place and then we can start looking at postgrad and graduate students. For us, that relationship is going to be critical for both expanding and growing the staff over the next few years.”

While the initial announcement in July referred to the creation of 60 new jobs, Mr Keating says that figure is just a starting point. He expects Ardonagh to create significantly more jobs in years to come.

“The 60 was the initial project we discussed with the IDA and they have been really supportive. As a group we are expanding so quickly and so rapidly.

“We very much see investment in the centre of Mullingar as helping to be an engine for that.”

Looking ahead to the new year, Mr Keating says that he is looking forward to getting his team settled in their new base. Remote or hybrid working is now a fundamental part of many people’s professional lives, but when it comes to innovation, he says that it is important that colleagues are in the same space.

“For a business like ours, initially in particular, the innovation and collaboration comes from bringing people together. When you look at Mullingar, it is much easier and a much better quality of life, ultimately. You are not sitting in traffic for an hour and a half each way every day.”