Noel White, Irish Ambassador to Australia; Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport; Donal Ryan, managing director, Equinome; and Caitriona Ingoldsby, Consul General of Ireland to Australia, in Sydney, Australia
Irish company Equinome, which develops genetic tests for thoroughbred horses, is setting up a sales and marketing office in Australia to help with its expansion plans into the Asia-Pacific market.
The company made the announcement at Enterprise Ireland’s offices in Sydney at an event that was attended by Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar, TD, while he was on a trade and tourism visit to Australia.
Equinome’s new office in Australia is set to be the focal point for the company’s sales and marketing activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The company itself was set up in 2009 by Dr Emmeline Hill, a genomics scientist at University College Dublin (UCD), and the Irish racehorse trainer and breeder Jim Bolger. Equinome is based at NovaUCD and also has lab facilities at the university and at Bolger’s training yard in Co Kilkenny.
The company has developed genetic tests for thoroughbred horses, such as its ‘speed gene’ test that is now being used in the racing industry to identify the optimum racing distance for individual thoroughbred horses.
Equinome’s managing director Donal Ryan is currently in Australia to set up the company’s new office and to recruit a sales and marketing team.
“With our business growing rapidly in the region it was necessary to establish a permanent base here to meet the increasing demand for our services and to provide enhanced support to our existing customers,” he said.
