Diligent Corporation, a leading modern governance company used by nearly 700,000 board directors and leaders worldwide, has announced Galway’s Bonham Quay as the location for its new European Hub. The company announced late last year that it was creating 200 local jobs in Galway as part of its long-term business strategy to drive international growth.
Headquartered in New York and operating in more than 90 countries, Diligent empowers leaders to turn governance into a competitive advantage through unparalleled insight and highly secure, integrated SaaS applications. Its technologies are trusted by some of the largest global corporations and most influential brands.
With sustainability at the heart of Bonham Quay, the campus which spans 370,000 square foot in total, will be the first in Ireland to adhere to the One Planet Living framework and its ten principles of social, environmental and economical sustainability. Bonham Quay is being developed by Edward Capital and is managed and leased by Cushman and Wakefield. It is seen as an ideal location for Diligent’s growing Irish work-force and offers a variety of amenities – with an emphasis on wellbeing – including a wellness center, gym, green spaces, breakout terraces and a unique roofscape with excellent views across the city.
“Our operations in Galway are scaling rapidly with over 100 employees hired in the past few months and plans to grow to more than 200 in 2021,” said Michael Stanton, Diligent’s Chief Financial Officer. “There is limitless opportunity in Galway to attract great talent from all over Ireland and in selecting Bonham Quay, we are able to offer a modern location for our new employees to work and play.”
Diligent staff are expected to move into the 38,000 square foot Bonham Quay building in early 2022. Diligent is currently hiring new employees who will work across several business functions including customer support, customer success, finance, product development, human resources and marketing.
“We decided to build our European hub in Galway because of the excellent pool of talent available lo- cally, and its reputation as Ireland’s most multicultural city,” said Ruairí Conroy, Diligent’s Galway Site Leader. “As a new entrant to Galway’s growing tech ecosystem, we want to create a work environment that encourages collaboration, inspires creation and brings in all of the natural elements that make this city so attractive.”
The Bonham Quay campus currently entails approximately 349,000 square foot of office accommodation, 21,000 square foot of retail/ restaurant space and 91,435 square foot of new landscaped space, providing opportunities for both the public and the 3,000 team members in office spaces. It consists of four office buildings that will be delivered across two phases. A total of 71% of the office space being developed in Phase 1 is now leased by U.S. technology companies.
“Our ambition with Bonham Quay is to attract world class companies to create employment in the heart of Galway City,” said Paddy Mc Donald, Director of Edward Capital. “We are delighted to welcome Diligent Corporation into one of our four buildings. We look forward to working with Diligent and welcoming their new team, as they grow their talent base in the city.”
The new workplace campus will reflect the unique culture that Galway City has to offer and provide the city with a unique place to connect, work, shop and eat. It sets the standard for future office developments as significant consideration has been given to employee wellbeing, the surrounding community and the environment in the campus design.
The Bonham Quay campus will be the first development in Ireland to adhere to the One Planet Living framework and its ten principles of social, environmental and economical sustainability. It leads in con- temporary workspace thinking as it follows both this and the WELL Building Standard where employee wellbeing is looked after with the provision of facilities for exercise, meditation and mindfulness through a wellness center, gym, green spaces and gardening amenities with deep consideration given to the qual- ity of air, water, nourishment, light, fitness and comfort. The buildings are targeting LEED Gold and Wired Score Platinum certification.
