Work begins on Generali’s new Navan office building

The recently commenced construction work on the new office building for Generali was last week visited by Transport Minister and Meath West TD, Noel Dempsey, along with a number of senior delegates from the global insurer, and the managing director of Walls Construction, Eugene O’Shea. The new office will act as a headquarters for Generali PanEurope and also as Generali International’s Irish base. Both companies are part of the Generali Group, the Italy-based insurer who is ranked the 19th largest company in the world in terms of revenue income. Generali International and Generali PanEurope have had a presence in Navan since 1999 and currently employ over 120 people in their current location in Navan. Last April the company announced 30 new jobs for Navan including actuaries, technical product specialists and various other skilled roles. In attendance at last week’s visit were Head of Generali International Ireland Operations Dick Brennan, Head of Generali International Debbie Le Noury, CEO of Generali PanEurope, Paul Gillett, CFO of Generali PanEurope, John Martin, Eugene O’Shea, and a number of Generali employees. Minister Dempsey commented: “This is a fantastic development for Navan and the surrounding areas. It is evident that County Meath remains a great place to do business and demonstrates the positive experience that multinational companies like Generali have had here. I am delighted to be present today to mark the occasion.” The new two storey 2,352m2 building is being built by Walls Construction and is located on a site adjacent to Athlumney House in Navan Business Park. The building is U-shaped enclosing a landscaped west-facing courtyard, and a glazed atrium feature entrance. It is designed to target passive energy and lower life cycle costs and is fully compliant with statutory, environmental and energy requirements. It is expected that the building will be complete by August 2011. CEO of Generali PanEurope Paul Gillett said: “Generali PanEurope has experienced significant growth in recent times, and over the coming years, it is our hope that we will continue to move forward and remain a top provider in the markets that we serve. We see the completion of our new office Headquarters as a fundamental platform for this continued growth and success.” Commenting on their decision to build a new state of the art office building in Navan, Dick Brennan, Head of Generali International Ireland Operations said: “We’re very pleased that having outgrown our current building, we were able to remain in Navan and are looking forward to continuing to grow our business from here. The high calibre of staff in the locality is a fundamental factor in our decision to remain here, and being an international company, Navan’s close proximity to Dublin and the airport is also very important”.