FILIPE FIEL (35), Citrix's technical relationship manager for service delivery in southern Europe, is originally from Portugal. Citrix is his third employer in Ireland.
Fiel came to Ireland in 1998 and was recruited because of his technical skills and the fact he could speak Portuguese.
He subsequently started working for a multinational company in Dublin on the Portuguese support team.
"I had a good experience in my first job in a multinational work environment. In the beginning I was included on a team to support the Portuguese market and I found that, in a way, it limited my experience with the Irish people and style of living because you end up sticking together with people you know," said Fiel.
According to Fiel, his cultural expectations of Ireland were informed by others as he had not met any Irish people prior to his arrival here. "My expectations were quite high based on the fact the Irish enjoy a good reputation as a friendly and reputable people."
While Fiel's English was not a problem it was the Irish language that often, and amusingly, proved to be a stumbling block for him.
"I had such difficulties trying to describe to a cab driver on my first day that I had to meet someone called Siobhán in Dún Laoghaire! Eventually I had to write it down and use a lot of sign language."
