Call centre opening creates 170 jobs for Shannon Free Zone

Contact Partners Limited, a leading sales and customer care solutions provider to the UK and Irish financial services markets, have opened a sophisticated customer services centre at Shannon Free Zone.

Opening the centre, Mary Harney, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, announced plans for Contact Partners to grow employment at their new facility to 170 jobs.

The Tánaiste said: "The arrival of Contact Partners is a great boost for the economy of County Clare. Acquiring the Shannon contact centre will enable Contact Partners to expand its financial services division, and build up its presence in Shannon over the next two years to meet the growing needs of its financial services customers for proven effectiveness, compliance, brand replication, quality control and responsiveness. I congratulate Shannon Development on securing this important project for the Shannon Free Zone".

The Chief Executive of Contact Partners Limited, David Hancock, said: "Contact Partners is pleased to have acquired this state-of-the-art facility from Cable and Wireless which will enable us deliver services of the highest quality to our important customers. These large financial services companies provide investment, insurance and credit products and services to retail consumers and require high levels of service in a strongly controlled environment. We believe it is advantageous for our customers to deliver these services within the reach of the relevant regulators and therefore from within the European Union. We are grateful to Shannon Development for helping facilitate this exciting growth opportunity."

Mr Hancock said that the main clients for the centre's outsourced customer service solutions that will be serviced from Shannon would be major financial institutions in the Republic of Ireland and the UK. A specialist facility will also provide services to investment banks and brokers in the Corporate Finance sector in Ireland.

Shannon Development Chief Executive Kevin Thompstone added: "We are delighted that we have secured a company of the international calibre of Contact Partners for the Shannon Free Zone."

The Shannon contact centre was established in 1998 by Cable & Wireless to service its European customer base.

Following a refocusing of its European business, Cable & Wireless no longer had a requirement for the contact centre's facilities.

Cable & Wireless will provide communications services to Contact Partners.

Contact Partners is a privately owned company, majority owned by Netdecisions Group, a leading high-end technology solutions provider, also a privately owned company and based in Hammersmith, London.

(SP)