Fitbit, a vendor in the connected health and fitness category, announced opening of its Africa, Middle East, Europe headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and appointed a new Managing Director, Des Power. Ireland’s reputation for being a centre of innovation and providing top technology talent were important factors for Fitbit and will enable the company to further expand in the region as part of its global growth strategy.
The new Dublin office will serve as Fitbit’s EMEA headquarters and will house the strategic business functions for the region, including senior management roles, sales, marketing, operations, finance and customer support staff, which will provide targeted support to the millions of Fitbit users across the region. The company hopes to grow to approximately 50 people by the end of the year and has room for up to 100 by the end of 2017.
With 150% year-over-year revenue growth in the European region in Q2 2016 compared to Q2 2015 and the ability to support five European languages across the Fitbit platform, the company’s new Dublin office comes at an ideal time to support Fitbit’s rapid growth and expansion while taking advantage of the highly skilled labour market in Dublin.
Speaking at the opening of Fitbit’s new EMEA headquarters location on Baggot Street in Dublin, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, said: “Today’s announcement is a further recognition of Ireland’s appeal as an international hub for successful companies such as Fitbit. Fitbit is one of the world’s most popular and fastest growing health and wellness companies, and I am delighted that they have selected Ireland as the location for their EMEA headquarters as it will provide exciting employment opportunities for our skilled workers. I wish Des Power and his team the utmost success in the coming years.”
“We have seen Dublin become a strategic hub for the technology industry as a centre for innovation and sourcing top talent in the region, and we look forward to building a strong team here to complement our offices around the world,” said Fitbit CEO and Co-Founder, James Park. “I am excited to welcome Des to the team and back to his native Ireland. I have great confidence in our ability to further expand our business and help people across EMEA lead healthier, more active lives.”
As part of his new responsibilities, Des Power is tasked with expanding the company’s presence across the region. Des brings over 30 years of experience of leading teams and driving strong regional and global performance across Europe, the Americas and China. Previously, Des held various leadership roles at Philips and Harman International, and spent much of his career driving regional and global strategies across a range of popular consumer products from flat screen televisions to consumer audio products.
Fitbit pioneered the connected health and fitness market starting in 2007, and since then, has grown into a leading global health and fitness brand, shipping over 48.7 million devices globally as of Q2 16. As part of the Fitbit platform, consisting of devices, apps, social and motivational features, advice and personalised coaching, the company’s products help people lead healthier, more active lives by making behavioural changes such as exercising more, eating smarter, tracking their sleep and managing their weight.
