Europ Assistance to create 42 new jobs in expansion at Navan

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin T.D. today (Thursday 18^th November 2004) announced that Europ Assistance Holdings Ltd, one of theleading suppliers of assistance and related insurance services,is to expand its Customer Contact Centre in Navan, Co. Meath, with the support of IDA Ireland.

The expansion, which coincides with the company’s celebration of six years in operation in Navan, will create 42 new jobs within twelve months. This will result in the growth of total employment to 246 people by the end of 2005.

The Centre is an out-sourcing customer assistance and call centre operation. It was established at the Navan Business Park in 1998 through the UK subsidiary. It had planned to employ 60 people, however, following two IDA-supported expansions it currently employs 175 of the 204 people due for recruitment under these expansions. It provides tailored travel arrangements, motor breakdown services, emergency domestic property services, claims handling and insurance services for the UK market for clients, who are corporate companies. It is to the customers of its client companies that Europ Assistance directly responds.

Minister Martin, welcoming the announcement, said “I congratulate the management and workforce on their celebration of six years of success. The impressive growth and high quality of performance of the Centre, which were instrumental in the winning of this investment, are a tribute to the local people of Navan and surrounding areas as they account for 75% of the staff.”

Paul Monks, Executive Vice President for Europ Assistance in the UK and Ireland, said “Without doubt the calibre of the people we have recruited locally and the reliability of the systems we installed were major factors in the Navan operation winning this expansion.

In addition, our Irish staff’s professionalism and commitment in taken to our ethos and our practice of providing help ‘now’, which is the most important thing for our customers, has been a major contributor to the success of this Centre and a significant influence on our Group’s decision to implement this expansion in Navan.”

Europ Assistance Group was formed in France in 1963. It employs 3,500 people, operates through a network of agents in over 200 countries and provides assistance to over 100 million people. It is wholly-owned by the Generali Group of France. Automotive assistance and medical travel insurance account for 75% of sales, which were over €573 million in 2003.

ENDS

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