*Padraig Costello.
SHANNON NATIVE, Padraig Costello has been appointed as the new business development manager of Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software.
A graduate of University College Dublin (UCD) and Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Padraig brings with him a wide array of skills garnered over a 20-year business development career in the automotive, banking and general finance sectors.
From Ard na Gréine in Shannon, Padraig now resides in Annacotty. His late father, Pat was a member of the renowned traditional group Shaskeen, he also produced a number of their albums while he was a popular presenter with Clare FM for over two decades. His mother, Rita still resides in Shannon.
Of his new role, Padraig commented, “Lero is one of the top software research centres in the world with a track record of working across a broad spectrum of industry; locally, nationally and internationally. I hope to continue to advance those strong relationships with industry and develop new ones, which will enable our world-class academic researchers to develop the solutions to the pressing issues of today and tomorrow and also to allow those businesses to thrive”.
Hosted by University of Limerick (UL), Lero brings together expert software teams from universities and institutes of technology across Ireland in a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a strong industry focus. Lero’s research spans a wide range of application domains, from driverless cars to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, esports, fintech, govtech, smart communities, agtech and healthtech.
Welcoming the appointment, Lero General Manager Joe Gibbs said: “Padraig brings a broad range of experience to the position garnered in roles with national and international companies. Through his business development knowledge and understanding he will be able to support companies in their research journeys and help Lero to continue its excellent record of industry collaboration”.