'Enormous potential for further growth and development' in Cork with right decisions, says McGrath 

Workvivo by Zoom yesterday opened its Irish flagship engagement hub in Cork and announced the creation of 100 jobs in a move described as “another huge boost” for the city.

The new roles, supported by IDA Ireland, will see employees hired over the next two years on a phased basis, depending on growth.

The majority of the new positions will be based at the enterprise’s new offices on Lapp’s Quay, and will be primarily in the area of products and engineering.

The new positions will also include an opportunity to work remotely.

Speaking to The Echo at the launch of the hub yesterday, Michael McGrath, European commissioner-designate for democracy, justice, and the rule of law, described the announcement as “fantastic news” for Cork.

“Workvivo, of course, is a Cork start-up,” he said.

“It’s about seven years old at this stage, and last year was acquired by the major international technology company Zoom.

“It’s a phenomenal success story, and these are really high-quality jobs, so it’s a great news announcement,” he said.

Mr McGrath added that the Workvivo announcement also represents “a real vote of confidence” for Cork city centre.

“We have to continue to invest in our infrastructure, to make sure that our city and county are attractive places to live, with a good quality of life,” Mr McGrath said.

“The budget of course has a role to play in that, particularly through the public capital programme, [with] investment in housing, public transport, education, healthcare, and energy infrastructure right across the board.

“I think Ireland is in a good place, Cork is doing well, and there is enormous potential for further growth and development if we make the right decisions collectively at both a national and European level,” he said.

Rapid growth 

Workvivo, the employee experience platform, has grown rapidly since it was first established in 2017.

It was acquired by Zoom in 2023, and the new engagement hub follows the blueprint of Zoom’s other hubs around the world, marking a shift from traditional office spaces towards a working hub designed for hybrid working.

The head of product and engineering at Workvivo by Zoom, Andrea Graham, said they will be actively hiring for the roles in the coming weeks.

“The plan is over the next two years that we would fill the 100 roles, with a huge percentage of those being based in Cork,” she said.

The co-founder and CEO of Workvivo by Zoom, John Goulding said that he is proud of the once “scrappy” company that he helped to build.

“It was so important to us that our new engagement hub would stay true to our DNA, while also setting us up for the next phase in our scaling journey as part of Zoom.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have hired truly world-class talent over the last few years in Ireland,” he said. “Now, with the incredible support of the IDA, we’re excited to welcome more people into the Workvivo by Zoom team.”

'Another boost for city'

The executive director at IDA Ireland, Mary Buckley, said that Zoom’s decision to establish its first major hub in Cork is terrific news for the South-West region and the whole of Ireland.

“Zoom is attracted by the wealth of skilled and diverse talent across the region to support their research and innovation focus,” she said.

The CEO of Cork Chamber Conor Healy said the announcement “is another huge boost for our city region” with the highly-skilled roles and the growth of Workvivo further expanding the strong tech sector.

“This positive news comes as a result of relentless research and innovation, continuous investment, and a strong belief in Cork as a great place to start and grow a business,” he added.