Regeneron bids to keep local talent in Limerick

WITH thousands of talented youngsters coming home for Christmas, one Limerick company is hoping to persuade them to remain in the area.

Biopharmaceutical firm Regeneron, which is ramping up to employ 500 permanent staff at the old Dell factory in Raheen will next Wednesday, December 30, host an open house event targeting people who may have had to find work overseas due to the economic downturn, but now pine for home.

Kicking off at midday in the Castletroy Park Hotel, hundreds of jobs are potentially on offer to the right candidates.

A spokesperson for the firm said rapid expansion has led the firm to seek out Limerick folk from overseas.

“Hiring has already exceeded our initial projections and our rapid expansion in Limerick continues. When complete, our Limerick campus will house the largest scale bulk biologics facility in Ireland. We are proud of the talent we have found in the Limerick community,” they said.

One person who returned home to work for Regeneron is Edel O’Connell, 34, from Adare, who works as a process monitoring manager.

She swapped London for Limerick to be with her now-fiance John, and explained how Regeneron was a perfect fit for her, having worked for another pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithkline. Asked what was the main attraction to join Regeneron, she said: “The role itself. They are a big company, and it is in the area I work in. Not many companies have the same culture [as Regeneron]. I did not want to move to a company which I felt was not going to give me the challenge and excitement I was getting from my current role.

“Since I have been back, it has been a great place to work – it has been challenging. There is nothing worse than being quiet and bored”.

Edel met Murroe man John when she came home to Limerick one Christmas, and they began a long-distance relationship. She said it had reached the stage where they had to make a choice: would John move over to London, or would she move back to Limerick? “I enjoyed living in London, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do forever,” Edel explained.

When she opted to move back to Limerick, Edel said Regeneron’s ‘resettlement team’ was on hand to help smooth her path home. Asked about Regeneron’s initiative, Edel said: “It’s great. There are 22 people in my team in process sciences, and I know we are doubling that next year, and it will continue to grow in 2017, so there are huge opportunities.”

For more information, call 061-782000.