New York – Gerson Lehrman Group, a leading primary research provider, has established a European office in Dublin plans to create 50 new jobs by 2011, with almost half being employed within the next twelve months. The goal of the new office is to provide operational support, including expert recruiting, for Gerson’s European operations. Gerson’s move is well-timed and will be difficult for direct competitors to match.
Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, IDA Ireland (Industrial Development Agency) announced Gerson’s commitment to Dublin. IDA Ireland says it worked strenuously to influence Gerson Lehrman Group’s decision to select Ireland as the preferred location for this investment while the company was undertaking an extensive due diligence of a number of European locations. IDA is now assisting Gerson Lehrman Group Ireland with the start-up of the new facility.
Gerson Lehrman Group Ireland’s activities will include sales and client service, software development, including next-generation technology platform and research software. The firm will also be recruiting new European members for the Gerson Lehrman Group Councils; supporting and developing the global IT, legal, finance, accounting, sales and marketing operations; and coordinating with the relevant New York and London based teams.
Alexander Saint-Amand, CEO, said, “Gerson Lehrman Group Ireland will advance our business significantly as we look to employ engineers and individuals proficient in various languages to assist in growing the European Councils. Ireland’s reputation as a premier centre of education and Dublin’s large population of foreign nationals make the city a perfect location for the office. With Ireland’s availability of highly qualified and skilled workers, we look forward to counting Dublin as a pivotal hub of our European presence.”
According to the press release, recruitment has already commenced for third-level graduates for positions that include C#/ASP/.Net software engineers and quality assurance engineers, product managers and professionals to help build, manage and deploy experts from the Gerson Lehrman Group CouncilsSM.
The timing of Gerson’s move is savvy. In the current environment, it will be hard for other primary research providers to match the extent of GLG’s European operation. In addition, local competitors based in Europe will also find their competitive advantages diluted by Gerson’s move. As buy side clients in particular seek cost savings in the wake of reduced research budgets, the expanded European operations helps to substantiate Gerson’s premium pricing. Further, the Dublin platform also supports Gerson’s efforts to diversify its services to consulting firms and corporations.
The full release can be found at the following url: http://www.glgroup.com/GLG-creates-new-operations-hub-in-dublin.html