Nostra, one of Ireland’s leading Managed IT Service Providers, founded by Laois man Kevin O’Loughlin and with an office in Mountmellick, have announced they will create 120 new jobs over the next two years.
The announcement was made at Government buildings this morning with the news welcomed by Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
Nostra, which was set up in 2006 and are headquartered in Lucan in Dublin, have a satellite office in Mountmellick. They also have a Dublin city centre office in Smithfield as well as another office in Athenry in Galway.
The jobs being created are highly skilled positions are in Engineering, IT Support, Cybersecurity and Sales and Marketing and will bring Nostra’s total employee number to 270.
Nostra provides end-to-end managed IT solutions to a number of world-leading brands and multinationals across multiple industries including manufacturing, pharma, education, healthcare and fintech.
They’ve clients in the manufacturing industries, aircraft leasing and numerous Credit Unions around the country. The Dawn Farm Food group, Boyle Sports and Image Magazine are among some of their clients.
It’s quite the success story for Kevin who set up the company with Senan Finucane, Gary Byrne and his brother Barry.
Nostra is looking for Systems and Professional Services Engineers, Cybersecurity Specialists, Tech Sales Executives, Marketing Executives and Customer Relationship Managers.
Some of the new hires will be remote roles while others will be offered the option of hybrid working where they can combine working from home with working from one of the Nostra offices in Dublin, Laois or Galway.
Due to new contract wins, a growing international client base and recent competitor acquisitions, Nostra has experienced rapid growth in recent years and reported a turnover of €18 million in 2020 (up from €11 million in 2019). They are forecasting a €25 million turnover by 2026.
Last year they bought Brandon Global and are say they are currently looking to acquire further Managed Service Providers.
O’Loughlin, who grew up in Rosenallis before the family moved to Carlow, is the company’s CEO while his brother Barry is Managing Director. The two are past students of Rosenallis and Knockbeg College and their late father Tom was well known in business and farming circles. He was also heavily involved in Laois GAA at county board level.
Kevin was a finalist in the 2017 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Plans are currently in place to expand the existing office accommodation in order to facilitate the increased workforce. The company is also undergoing a complete rebrand and digital makeover and will invest over €500,000 in both the new premises and branding project.
“I am delighted that Nostra, an Irish owned and based company with offices around the country, has today announced the creation of 120 new jobs over the next two years,” said An Taoiseach Michael Martin.
“Nostra’s continued success speaks to the innovation and dynamism of Irish companies. Today’s announcement is a strong vote of confidence in our talented and skilled workforce and is a welcome boost as we look to get people back to work in sustainable and high-quality jobs and rebuild our economy.”
“Our business is performing extremely well, and we have experienced exponential growth across all services and sectors,” said Kevin.
“This is due to our attention to detail, technical expertise, and innovative approach to Managed IT Services.
“Technology changes rapidly and a company must have the ability to pivot, especially now in uncertain times.
“Our customers are predominantly business owners who are focused on ensuring their day-to-day operations perform as they should.
“IT networks, systems and cybersecurity are generally not something they have time to consider and that is where we step in. We manage all of the IT requirements so that people don’t have to worry about whether their systems are protected and operating as they should.”
“Nostra is an innovation-focused company with ambitious plans for scaling and growing its business in international markets,” said Kevin Sherry, Executive Director, Global Business Development of Enterprise Ireland.
“The company’s story demonstrates resilience and the importance of ambition and expertise in responding to challenges and evolving market demands. We look forward to continuing to work with Nostra and wish the team well in their future endeavours.”
The news was also warmly welcomed by Laois TD, Minister Sean Fleming, and heralded as “a tremendous opportunity for Mountmellick”.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Mountmellick where the company already operates from the Webmill Digital Hub,” said Minister Fleming.
“Hopefully many of the people who apply for a job with NOSTRA will be interested in a working in Mountmellick as the opportunity is now there for people to work in a leading IT company with their employment based in Laois.
“This company is now well placed to provide a full range of services for their clients both internationally and in Ireland.
“Enterprise Ireland has been very supportive of this innovation focused company with ambitious plans for scaling and growing its business in international markets.
“Finally, I want to congratulate Kevin O’Loughlin and his team for their outstanding success to date. I wish them every success into the future.”
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