Jobs boost for Westport

Jobs boost for Westport


International financial group to open new centre

Neill O’Neill

WESTPORT is in line for a welcome jobs boost this week, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny set to announce on Friday that The Lafferty Group is to locate a new base in the town.
While the number of jobs to be created by the financial services company has not been released, The Mayo News believes that initially, around a dozen people will be employed, largely in graduate-level positions. If the Westport office develops according to expectations, this figure will significantly increase within a number of years.
Based in London, and with offices in various locations around the world, The Lafferty Group is a major provider of advanced knowledge services for the global financial industry, with particular specialisations in the fields of retail banking, cards and payments and central banking. Its founder, chairman and CEO is Ballaghaderreen native Michael Lafferty, a former Financial Times journalist. He started the company in 1981.
A number of senior executives of The Lafferty Group visited Westport on a number of occasions in recent months and scouted potential office locations across the town. Mayo County Council, the Western Development Commission (WDC) and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) were also involved in the search and in the deal to bring The Lafferty Group to Westport. However, none was in a position to comment further on the matter ahead of the investment being officially unveiled.
The Mayo News understands that The Lafferty Group took advice from a national and well-known professor of economics on possible locations for the planned project. It also met with a number of community and industrial leaders in Westport before deciding on a location.
The Mayo News also understands that the company wanted to be sure that the location chosen for its new base would be attractive to potential employees as a place to live. The cosmopolitan nature of Westport appealed to representatives of the company, who were brought on a tour of the town, stopping off at such locations as Westport Golf Club, Westport House, Croagh Patrick and other well-known areas and amenities.
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will make the announcement about The Lafferty Group’s new Westport base this Friday in Knockranny House Hotel.