Fintech firm Global Shares announced 150 new roles to be filled immediately, with plans to have a total of 1,000 employees by 2024.
Clonakilty-headquartered Global Shares, which has developed software for employee share plan management, is expecting to significantly expand its business in the coming years.
At an announcement today (11 September) attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD, the company confirmed plans to hire for 150 high-skilled roles immediately, in areas such as software development, compliance, cybersecurity, financial reporting and project management.
Global Shares currently employs 167 staff at its headquarters on the outskirts of Clonakilty and 35 in its Cork city centre office, which opened last year. It also has offices in London, Barcelona, New Jersey, Nashville, Tokyo, Miyazaki, Hong Kong and Beijing. The company plans to increase its total workforce from 370 to 1,000 by 2024.
Within the next four years, the company also said that it is “on track” to achieve unicorn status, which is reserved for companies with a valuation of more than $1bn.
“Our growth over the past couple of years has been enormous, but over the next few years, we’re aiming to be west Cork’s first unicorn, and we’re on track to achieve that,” said Global Shares CEO Tim Houstoun.
“This is something that is exciting for many reasons – including the fact that as an employee-owned company, many of our own staff will reap the rewards of the hard work they’ve put in over the years.”
‘An exceptional journey’
Global Shares was founded in Clonakilty in 2005 as a services company. In 2015, it launched its proprietary software platform and its clients now include Krispy Kreme, Cargill, Fujitsu and more.
The Taoiseach said that Global Shares’ impact has been “a remarkable one” and that this jobs announcement “marks another step in what is an exceptional journey”.
The jobs are being created with support from Enterprise Ireland. The agency’s CEO, Julie Sinnamon, said that it has worked closely with Global Shares for many years and supported its growth from Clonakilty into more than 100 markets worldwide.
“We are delighted to support the new jobs announced today, which will help further Global Shares’ innovation focus, and look forward to continuing to support their global ambitions for many years to come,” she added.
