IDA Ireland Announces Head of West Coast US to Support U.S. Companies Doing Business in Ireland

Strategic West Coast Hire Reflects Strong Regional Business Sector

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–IDA Ireland, the Irish Government’s Investment and Development Agency, has announced a strategic hire among its US-based team. Ivan Houlihan was promoted to head of West Coast U.S., a key management position to help expand IDA Ireland’s reach in this significant territory and work as a strategic partner with clients to help them establish and grow their operations in Ireland. Houlihan has worked for IDA Ireland for 18 years. His promotion reflects continuing growth in U.S. companies doing business in Ireland. According to a new report by the American Chamber of Commerce, U.S. companies operating in Ireland is at an all-time high and now stands at almost 900.

US companies establish their European operations entities in Ireland to gain access to the EU, the world’s largest single market of almost 447m people and a workforce of almost 200m. From Ireland, they tap into a highly skilled, English-speaking and flexible workforce. Ireland’s attributes include ease of doing business, political stability, a common law legal system, a dynamic R&D ecosystem and an attractive, transparent and stable tax regime.

Over the past few years, in fact, over 280 U.S. West Coast companies have discovered that establishing in Ireland helps their businesses grow in the US. This is demonstrated in the $12bn investment from Intel last year, the significant expansion of Apple, Workday, NetApp and many more.

Houlihan is well suited for his new role. Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he previously ran IDA Ireland offices in Boston and Atlanta, and has extensive experience partnering with companies in a variety of industries to establish and grow their Irish operations. Among these industries is technology, which will influence his new role overseeing a heavily tech-centric region. Houlihan commented, “As the global economy faces uncertain times ahead, Ireland is a stable location for talent, R&D, a base for European growth and a center of innovation for U.S. companies.”

About IDA Ireland

Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, IDA Ireland, is a non-commercial, semi-state body promoting Foreign Direct Investment into Ireland. Follow @IDAIRELAND on Twitter or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ida-ireland/

Contacts

Aoife Kimber

akimber@kimberpr.com
+1 650 773 7288