Dun & Bradstreet to create 75 jobs

Business information company Dun & Bradstreet is to add 75 jobs to its Irish operation, bringing its total number of employees in Ireland to 225.

The new positions include researchers, software developers, analysts and support staff and will be based at D&B's base in Sandyford, Dublin.

The 170-year-old US company, which performs credit risk and other types of analysis on more than 200 million businesses across the globe, first started recruiting in Ireland last year.

D&B chief executive Sara Mathew said she was "extremely pleased" with the success of the Irish operation in its first year.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who met Ms Mathew this morning, said in a statement that the company's decision to ramp up its recruitment was "a strong endorsement" of Ireland's reputation as a location for the business information sector.

D&B's Dublin centre has a mix of technology development and operations functions. The company has in-sourced a number of operations roles that were previously out-sourced in locations such as India.

The development of its software DNBi Pro, described by Ms Mathew as an "entry-level" credit risk product for small businesses, has also been moved to Ireland from San Mateo in California.

IDA Ireland chief executive Barry O'Leary said Ireland was steadily building a business services cluster in the analytics area and that D&B's decision to increase its headcount over and above what was previously planned was "very welcome indeed".

D&B dates back to 1841, when it set up shop as the Mercantile Agency in New York. Four US presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, worked as "credit reporters" for the company.