Irish engineering firm Kirby sets up shop in Cape Town

Source: Supplied

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland Micheál Martin, visiting the office at the Newlands Cricket Ground, wished the company well: “Establishing a presence in South Africa offers many benefits to a company such as Kirby, and I’d like to wish you every success as you build further on a great Irish business story. Ireland’s business and trade links with South Africa are strong and growing, and Kirby is very much at the forefront of that growth.”

The firm expects to employ 30 people, including engineers, quantity surveyors, talent acquisition specialists and others, at its Cape Town office by the end of this year, with further growth expected in 2024.

Kirby's management team selected South Africa as its new base for several reasons, including the talented workforce - which has already seen many South African people join the Kirby team across Europe, the high standard of education within the graduate community, the lack of a language barrier, and the fact that South Africa has a similar time zone to Ireland.

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“This move has been 12 months in the planning and execution, and we've enjoyed a very warm welcome from the South African government and business community. I’d like to thank Enterprise Ireland and Invest South Africa for all their help so far and I look forward to building on Kirby’s relationships here long into the future,” said the firm's group executive chairman Jimmy Kirby.