Come to Ireland and Grow: Ignacio’s Experience Moving from Madrid to Ireland

Friendly people. It’s one of the things Ireland is known for, but is that stereotype really true if you’re living and working here? Well, according to Ignacio, who moved from Madrid to Ireland two years ago – it is. He explains: “Culturally speaking Ireland is a very open society and the people are friendly. So, in a way, it’s similar to Spain and that makes it attractive. There are a lot of opportunities here.”

Making the Move

Ignacio made the move from his native Spain when he was offered a role in Software AG, who have their European headquarters at The Digital Hub in Dublin. He explains: “I’m commercialising our products and solutions. We have a digital platform that enables companies to develop their digital vision and I’m developing business in Spain and Portugal. It’s exciting for me because I’m helping organisations to stay on top of the competition, and that’s meaningful to me.”

Bouncing Ideas and Making Connections

Ignacio works with a team of about 19 people in Software AG’s Dublin office and loves their location at The Digital Hub. He notes: “The Digital Hub is fantastic because it’s a campus with small start-ups and very interesting people who are growing and nurturing their ideas. It’s full of young people with potential. The location makes it easy to bounce ideas off people and make business connections.”

Moving Advice

Ignacio loves that Dublin is a multicultural city. He notes: “You can meet people from all backgrounds here.” And for any fellow Spaniards considering moving over, there’s a thriving Spanish community too. “There are many Spaniards in Ireland. They have their own restaurants with tapas bars, so you can always find Spanish people everywhere!”

He initially came to Ireland on his own which can be difficult. He recalls: “I didn’t know many people and sometimes it’s challenging making new friends – but not impossible.” For other people considering moving over on their own Ignacio advises: “Networking events are great chance to find friends and there are a lot of activities you can do here like the gym or dance classes. Get involved in groups and activities you might like and that way you’ll meet similar-minded people.”

Keeping His Skills Sharp

Keeping his skills sharp and learning new things is important to Ignacio and he tries to attend as many conferences and tech events as he can. He notes: “The other day I attended a meetup called TechBrew and it was very interesting. There are lots of conferences too. I go to those to learn and grow my knowledge. For example, I attended an artificial intelligence conference given by Amazon.”

Plus, there’s always some sort of event happening at The Digital Hub: “They hold events like beer and pizza day or breakfast day,” he explains, “and they organise courses where external people come to talk about different topics like GDPR, technology, and marketing. So, it’s a great place to learn new things and develop professionally.”

Work/Life Balance

It’s not all work and no play though, Ignacio likes to spend his downtime exploring the outdoors: “I like nature a lot,” he says. “I go hiking and to the mountains. I also like going running and the Phoenix Park is a great place to go jogging.