For new graduates today the opportunity to live and work in a rural area that they grew up in may be unrealistic, to say the least. For the majority, the job opportunities simply are not there. However, there are exceptions.
Cora Systems, a global tech company based in Carrick-on-Shannon, is one such business. Developed by Philip Martin and Pat Henry in 1999, Cora has evolved and grown into a major world player in its niche market. Cora provides project management software. Its flagship product, ProjectVision, provides control, insight and governance for large global enterprises. But what does that mean?
“I will explain this very simply,” Phillip Martin tells me as we sit down in the Gibson Hotel, next to the docks in Dublin. “Let’s say you are a CEO of one of these large companies and I ask you to take €10m out of your pocket. I take a coin out and toss it. If it lands on heads, you can keep your €10m and I will give you €300m more. If it lands on tails, you lose your €10m. Our clients, who run large transformation programmes, must take a bet each day that has lesser odds than that coin toss,” Martin explains.
Cora has developed software that reduces the risk involved for companies who face this situation through project management and resource management. The transformation programmes can be for example M&A activity, new product development, changes in business models and cost-improvement programmes (CIPs). It then sells this product to companies in over 50 countries worldwide.
“When was the last time you saw a blackberry phone? When was the last time you saw a Kodak camera? These are companies that did not transform and disappeared,” Martin explains.
And he’s is right. Around 70% of companies who undergo transformative change fail. The risk is huge and companies have now realised the importance of Cora’s product.
background
Martin cut his teeth in rural Ireland. Originally from a 50-acre dairy and beef farm on the Roscommon side of Carrick-on-Shannon, he studied engineering in Sligo and Belfast. He travelled to Denmark to study as part of that course, and began his working life in Telecoms – where his software brain developed.
Along with Swinford-native Pat Henry, the birth of Cora Systems came in 1999, originally as a consultancy firm writing one-off software for companies. Eighteen years later, it competes with multi-billion dollar companies such as Microsoft, PlanView and PlanisWare. Its expansion into the US market last year has catapulted the company to new heights. Today, 40% of its business is located there. It has offices in Bedford in the UK, Boston and Washington DC, and has employees from South Africa, Poland and Ethiopia working at its offices.
So what does this mean? Moreover, what does it prove? It proves that a software company based in an unlikely tech stronghold such as Leitrim can be a global player and compete with the best of global competition.
Fighting for jobs
While Cora has become a flagbearer of sorts for tech industries based in the northwest, Phillip is determined to continue the fight for jobs in the region. The numerous initiatives that Phillip has become involved in, attempt to drive home a cold, hard truth. That the economic environment is simply not right for sustained and significant employment in the northwest.
The numerous initiatives attempting to counteract this, that Phillip is involved in, include:
• USEFE – this is a group made up of a broad scope of entities from counties Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford and Cavan. The group was split up into a number of sectors, eg forestry and tourism, and currently has more than 100 stakeholders, with a primary focus on job creation in the four counties. • Leitrim High Level Advisory Group – this group focuses on job creation and is made up of CEOs of large organisations in Leitrim, as well as ex-heads of large government bodies.• Other local groups include – Leadership 4 Growth Cohort Group, Carrick-On-Shannon Enterprising Towns Committee and Roscommon GAA, which are driving the idea of job creation in the region. For these initiatives, Government support for local businesses and attracting foreign investment is a balance not yet correctly struck.
Extending the M4 motorway from Westmeath to Sligo is something that must be done sooner rather than later. Outsourcing jobs to the northwest from Dublin will not just create jobs in the region, but free up property space in Dublin.
The perks and the culture
“One of the perks of working in the northwest is the work-life balance that is not as easily achieved in the likes of Dublin – something that has attracted talent to our company over the years. Not to mention the cost of living compared with Dublin,” says Philip.
The culture created by the Roscommon native and his team has given Cora a foothold on a global stage. It has proven that the so-called impoverished areas of Ireland can play host to global companies not associated with this location. Take note. CL
>> Fact box
• Started in: 1999• Based in: Carrick-on-Shannon• CEO: Phillip Martin• Employs: 57 • Industry: Technology• Operations: in 55 countries worldwide. Began as a consultancy firm.
For new graduates today the opportunity to live and work in a rural area that they grew up in may be unrealistic, to say the least. For the majority, the job opportunities simply are not there. However, there are exceptions.
Cora Systems, a global tech company based in Carrick-on-Shannon, is one such business. Developed by Philip Martin and Pat Henry in 1999, Cora has evolved and grown into a major world player in its niche market. Cora provides project management software. Its flagship product, ProjectVision, provides control, insight and governance for large global enterprises. But what does that mean?
“I will explain this very simply,” Phillip Martin tells me as we sit down in the Gibson Hotel, next to the docks in Dublin. “Let’s say you are a CEO of one of these large companies and I ask you to take €10m out of your pocket. I take a coin out and toss it. If it lands on heads, you can keep your €10m and I will give you €300m more. If it lands on tails, you lose your €10m. Our clients, who run large transformation programmes, must take a bet each day that has lesser odds than that coin toss,” Martin explains.
Cora has developed software that reduces the risk involved for companies who face this situation through project management and resource management. The transformation programmes can be for example M&A activity, new product development, changes in business models and cost-improvement programmes (CIPs). It then sells this product to companies in over 50 countries worldwide.
“When was the last time you saw a blackberry phone? When was the last time you saw a Kodak camera? These are companies that did not transform and disappeared,” Martin explains.
And he’s is right. Around 70% of companies who undergo transformative change fail. The risk is huge and companies have now realised the importance of Cora’s product.
background
Martin cut his teeth in rural Ireland. Originally from a 50-acre dairy and beef farm on the Roscommon side of Carrick-on-Shannon, he studied engineering in Sligo and Belfast. He travelled to Denmark to study as part of that course, and began his working life in Telecoms – where his software brain developed.
Along with Swinford-native Pat Henry, the birth of Cora Systems came in 1999, originally as a consultancy firm writing one-off software for companies. Eighteen years later, it competes with multi-billion dollar companies such as Microsoft, PlanView and PlanisWare. Its expansion into the US market last year has catapulted the company to new heights. Today, 40% of its business is located there. It has offices in Bedford in the UK, Boston and Washington DC, and has employees from South Africa, Poland and Ethiopia working at its offices.
So what does this mean? Moreover, what does it prove? It proves that a software company based in an unlikely tech stronghold such as Leitrim can be a global player and compete with the best of global competition.
Fighting for jobs
While Cora has become a flagbearer of sorts for tech industries based in the northwest, Phillip is determined to continue the fight for jobs in the region. The numerous initiatives that Phillip has become involved in, attempt to drive home a cold, hard truth. That the economic environment is simply not right for sustained and significant employment in the northwest.
The numerous initiatives attempting to counteract this, that Phillip is involved in, include:
• USEFE – this is a group made up of a broad scope of entities from counties Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford and Cavan. The group was split up into a number of sectors, eg forestry and tourism, and currently has more than 100 stakeholders, with a primary focus on job creation in the four counties. • Leitrim High Level Advisory Group – this group focuses on job creation and is made up of CEOs of large organisations in Leitrim, as well as ex-heads of large government bodies.• Other local groups include – Leadership 4 Growth Cohort Group, Carrick-On-Shannon Enterprising Towns Committee and Roscommon GAA, which are driving the idea of job creation in the region. For these initiatives, Government support for local businesses and attracting foreign investment is a balance not yet correctly struck.
Extending the M4 motorway from Westmeath to Sligo is something that must be done sooner rather than later. Outsourcing jobs to the northwest from Dublin will not just create jobs in the region, but free up property space in Dublin.
The perks and the culture
“One of the perks of working in the northwest is the work-life balance that is not as easily achieved in the likes of Dublin – something that has attracted talent to our company over the years. Not to mention the cost of living compared with Dublin,” says Philip.
The culture created by the Roscommon native and his team has given Cora a foothold on a global stage. It has proven that the so-called impoverished areas of Ireland can play host to global companies not associated with this location. Take note. CL
>> Fact box
• Started in: 1999• Based in: Carrick-on-Shannon• CEO: Phillip Martin• Employs: 57 • Industry: Technology• Operations: in 55 countries worldwide. Began as a consultancy firm. 
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: