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WP Engine’s move to Limerick is further proof that many multinationals are looking beyond the nation’s capital when setting up operations. As the Irish hub celebrates its first anniversary, Colin White speaks with WP Engine CEO and Chairwoman Heather Brunner and Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Tina Dobie.
W
e live and work in an age of digital disruption. Whether you’re a start-up
on the path to disrupting an industry, or a Fortune 500 company working to maintain your relevancy with the digital consumer, it all begins and ends online. All brands have to put their humanity, what they stand for, and their purpose online. WP Engine
is a digital experiences
platform that serves over 70,000 customers in 130 countries throughout the world from its headquarters in Austin, Texas as well as its offices in Limerick, San Antonio, San Francisco, London and Brisbane. WP Engine
powers websites built WordPress, an open-source
management system which allows people to build amazing web properties and websites with incredible speed and agility. The company’s mission is to help its
customers win online. From humble beginnings in 2010, the company now serves over 500,000 web properties, helping customers and businesses of all sizes power their digital experiences. CEO and Chairwoman Heather Brunner
has worked in the technology industry for 27 years striving to build high performing, global teams. “Our mission at WP Engine is
Customer Experience at the company, has 25 years of experience
Tina Dobie, Senior Vice President of in management
consulting and customer value realisation. “We have built out a whole suite of products that allow people to not only create websites through flexible workflows and collaboration tools, but the ability to then manage them, test
them, and also get analytics and
intelligence from their sites,” she explains. “So at the end of the day we want to give our customers – both developers and marketers – the confidence to build great experiences for their brand on WordPress.”
with content
DIGITAL DILEMMAS A key component in WP Engine’s success is the
exponential growth of digital
marketing. According to WP Engine, marketers now face a completely different landscape, one which has created a significant set of challenges for marketing, technology and management teams alike. Data is now the game changer for companies to hone
their business and
marketing strategies. In today’s business environment where the new storefront is a company’s website, marketers are increasingly being tasked with managing
and businesses of all sizes power their digital experiences.”
to help our customers win online. We strive everyday to make our technology platform the best place for our customers to build and constantly improve their websites. We do this by providing robust development tools, intelligence on their website performance and insights on how their website content is resonating with their customers. Our award -winning team of WordPress experts provides our customers access to expertise whenever they need it 24/7.”
these
expectations of online interactions continue
physical locations. WP
digital transformations. As to grow, marketers need
technologies that empower them to launch campaigns faster, delivering seamless experiences across channels, devices and even
Engine
believes this perfect storm provides an incredible
opportunity for WordPress
specifically and open source technologies in general.
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“From humble beginnings in 2010, the company now serves over 500,000 web properties, helping customers
“It was immediately evident that the
people we met with in Limerick were invested in our success. ”
we met with in Limerick were invested in our success and were eager to have our investment support the local community. We haven’t been disappointed. Limerick is indeed a very welcoming and amazing city for
finding corporate
talent, culture
complementing our and embracing
international business.”
SEARCH FOR TALENT From a recruiting perspective, the company has been searching for individuals with a strong software background for its Limerick operation. Dobie
says, “We are looking for a
combination of technical aptitude and a passion to serve. We are a technical support organisation, and we have a very strong training programme. For us it was about finding the right personalities and making sure that those individuals were looking for a place where they could grow in their career.” “We’re making changes to our core
technology and platform every week,” adds Dobie, “but when we do that it has to work for half a million websites at scale, instantaneously. So for us, the bar quality is extremely high.”
for
INTO THE WEST The company has advanced rapidly since its incubation in Austin, and European growth has brought the firm to Limerick – a globally diverse city with four colleges within a 40-mile radius offering a wealth of seasoned talent and new graduates. With an international airport less than 30 minutes from the
centre, many other
Fortune 500 companies have chosen to locate operations here. Brunner explains Limerick’s appeal.
“We needed to find a location in Europe to support our growing European business and that would represent our culture and values around excellent
customer
experience, as well as innovation, so we looked at a number of different countries. It was immediately evident that the people
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