US technology company Salesforce has officially opened its new Dublin offices in a move described by the Taoiseach as a "significant moment" for the technology sector in Ireland.
Leo Varadkar today attended the official opening of 'Salesforce Tower Dublin' on North Wall Quay.
In February, Salesforce said it would cut around 200 jobs in Ireland as part of global layoffs. At the time, the company employed around 3,000 people here.
"We are just out the other side of that now with just under 200 job cuts in Ireland but there are still nearly 3,000 people in Ireland and all of us located now in this amazing office," said Carolan Lennon, Country Leader, Salesforce Ireland.
Ms Lennon said that Salesforce had a long term commitment to Ireland.
"We have tonnes of amazing customers, we continue to innovate so Salesforce is going to be in Ireland for a very long time," she said.
"2023 is still unpredictable for all businesses , if you look what is going on in the world, coming out of the pandemic, political unrest," she said.
"I think there is still a lot of uncertainty but what we are hearing from CEOs is that it is all about digital transformation, it is all about using AI, data and automation to get more efficient and drive growth," she stated.
"We are number one in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for the last ten years and that is what we are good at so I think we have a long and bright future with Irish business customers helping them in their digital transformation," she added.
The new Dublin campus will be Salesforce's largest office in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and home to employees from 28 different nationalities supporting customers across Europe.
"As one of the first global technology companies to establish here, this latest investment by Salesforce is yet another vote of confidence in Ireland as a location for global business," Mr Varadkar said.
"The continued commitment of Salesforce to Ireland will support our technology ecosystem to grow and thrive in the years ahead," he added.
The new campus features a 150-person auditorium and the company said 'Salesforce Tower' is one of the most sustainable buildings in Ireland, powered by 100% renewable energy assisted by rooftop solar panels. A green roof will be covered with plants and 60,000 bees.
Salesforce said it will offer space in its new building for non-profits, education groups and foundations to host events on weeknights and weekends at no cost.
"Some companies that have cut back on their staff by 10-15% still have more staff than they had three years ago so it does need to be seen in that context. There was rapid expansion of digital and tech during the pandemic and now there is a resizing or a downsizing," the Taoiseach also said today at the Saleforce opening.
"I definitely think in the medium term there is going to be significant jobs growth in this sector," he said.
"Everyone knows the future is digital. Whether it is robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, you name it, the future is digital and there is going to be huge job and economic opportunities in that space," he added.
