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At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build a long and successful career with us. As part of this programme, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with Fintua's Chief Financial Officer Edward Furlong who has been a part of the team for the last 15 years.

What is your favourite thing about working in CluneTech / Fintua?

The people. In Fintua, we have a core of really good people that have been here a long time.

What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech / Fintua?

My appointment as Chief Financial Officer.

Who or what has inspired you the most during your time here?

The dedication of our staff, in particular the Bulgarian based employees. The level of effort and automation they have brought into work practices over the past number of years has been remarkable.

What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

The automation across lots of processes during my time here at Fintua.

I have also witnessed the growth in many of our businesses from the foundations of being mainly an income tax refunds business  which was very manual to being a key player in the Fintech space.

What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

Covid completely changed the focus of our business. The majority of what we did prior to that was based around travel. This presented huge challenges from a budgeting and cashflow perspective.

In the same period Comply was also being developed.

What has been your favourite project to work on?

The rebrand project led by the marketing team was interesting to be involved in.

There are lots of elements of automation that we are working through at the moment so hard to choose a favourite.

If you had to swap roles with someone in the company for a week, who would it be and why?

Anywhere within the Sales function. I get lots of Sales phone calls so would be nice to be on the other side of the fence, for just a week!

Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / Fintua?

Don’t be afraid of change and embrace new ways of doing things.

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‍Dublin, Ireland, 23 May 2022 – TransferMate, the world’s leading provider of B2B payments infrastructure as-a-service, today announced a $70M funding round bringing the company to a valuation of $1BN and $130M of total funding. Railpen, one of the largest UK pension funds, managing £37 billion, participated in the round.

TransferMate has grown its global licensing infrastructure and banking network to be one of the widest in the industry and has been chosen as the partner of choice to power B2B payments products for some of the largest software platforms, innovative banks and Fintechs in the world. This funding round which consists entirely of primary capital will be used to expand its teams globally and further invest in its technology innovation and product suite.    

"We are delighted to welcome Railpen as a shareholder at this exciting time,” said Terry Clune, TransferMate’s Founder. “By combining our technology & our global licence network, we empower software providers, banks and fintechs to deliver payments dramatically faster & cheaper than the traditional SWIFT system. We will use this investment to continue to recruit senior financial talent who can help broaden our customer base.”

"Since the very beginning we have been on a mission to set new standards in how businesses make and receive international payments. Our commitment to deliver real-time transparency and speed when businesses are conducting cross border payments has resulted in TransferMate becoming the global B2B payments infrastructure of choice for the world’s leading procure-to-pay and spend management platforms” said Sinead Fitzmaurice, CEO of TransferMate. "This investment will allow us to accelerate our mission to drive innovation as businesses seek to digitise their B2B payments within the core software that they use to conduct their day-to-day activities.”   

This new round of investment together with the $1BN valuation further sets TransferMate apart as the world’s most comprehensive independent B2B payments network. It allows businesses and individuals to make cross-border payments in more than 201 countries and 141 currencies, as easily and cost-effectively as if making a domestic funds transfer, and with complete transparency of the transaction through to the point of final reconciliation.

“We are excited to be part of TransferMate’s journey as it seeks to enable companies to cost-effectively digitalise their cross-border payments,” said Julia Diez, Portfolio Manager at Railpen. “This investment continues Railpen’s strategy of investing in high quality, innovative growth companies for the long term, which supports our purpose to secure our members’ future.”

The funding round was managed by Barclays Bank PLC, acting through its investment bank.

If you would like to learn more about TransferMate’s infrastructure as a service, please contact us here.

About TransferMate

TransferMate – a subsidiary of CluneTech — is the world’s leading provider of B2B payments infrastructure as a service, enabling companies to send and receive cross-border payments faster, easier and at lower cost. TransferMate, under the leadership of Clune and CEO Sinead Fitzmaurice, has built one of the largest portfolios of payments licenses worldwide, including 51 US states and territories, to support trading in more than 201 countries and 141 currencies. Leading banks, fintechs and software providers partner with TransferMate to offer an enhanced user experience for their business customers. The company has created bespoke integrations for banks like ING and AIB, who are also investors in the company. The TransferMate API solution allows partners to digitalise the payments flow within their software, enabling all businesses to achieve significant time and financial savings.

Info – https://www.transfermate.com/ 

About Railpen

Railpen one of the UK’s largest and longest established pension funds whose Fintech investments include StarlingBank and Bill.com. Railpen is responsible for the safe keeping and investment of circa £37 billion on behalf of the scheme’s 350,000 members.

About Barclays Bank PLC

Barclays Bank PLC which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting for Transfermate only in connection with this funding round.

For all media enquiries:

Fiona MacCarthy

Group Head of Communications, Clunetech

Tel: +353879314131

Email: fiona.maccarthy@clunetech.com

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In December 2021, we completed our rebrand, with a new name, logo and website redesign. The new name, CluneTech, acknowledges the group’s roots and reflects its evolution to what it is today – a hub for technology innovation, dedicated to making business better.

Taxback was first established in 1996 by entrepreneur Terry Clune, to help university students reclaim their overpaid tax.  Driven by technology, the group has expanded over the past 25 years and today encompasses a suite of software companies with industry-leading solutions, global reach and a common goal – to make business better for customers worldwide.

CluneTech solutions streamline processes such as digital sales, global payroll, tax compliance, global VAT and cross-border payments. Founder and group CEO, Terry Clune, explained: “The decision to rebrand was driven by our need to better represent the companies within the group, and the breadth and depth of technology-based solutions we offer.”

As parent company to some of Ireland’s most successful and ground-breaking Fintech brands, CluneTech supports its constituent companies with shared services and a common dedication to make customers’ lives easier, driven by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit.

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With a footprint across four continents and over 1,500 employees globally, CluneTech comprises the following companies:

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TransferMate, a global payments technology firm, powering international B2B payments and receivables transactions for the world’s biggest brands.
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Immedis, the global leader in consolidated global payroll solutions. Processing payroll in over 150 countries, the Immedis Platform provides a unified view of global payroll operations, real-time data analytics, and advanced reporting capability, while ensuring legislative compliance and data security.
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Taxback International, recognised as a world leader in technical innovation, assisting clients around the world with their VAT challenges.
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Benamic, a leading global provider of end-to-end promotional management and fulfilment solutions
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Taxback.com, a multinational corporation providing specialist tax return services to private and corporate clients.
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Sprintax, providing multi-jurisdiction tax compliance technology which simplifies tax withholding and tax return filing for non-residents and their employers.
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Visa First, specialising in arranging business travel visas and work permits for companies and organisations.
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Gradguide, a career guidance, mentorship and graduate recruitment platform that bridges the employment gap between college and company.
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“CluneTech is focused on supporting entrepreneurial leaders and fantastic new businesses,” Terry Clune continued. “We are very proud of our success to date, which is based on putting our customers first and always asking: how can we help; what can we do better? Our new brand reflects our evolution and reinforces our mission to support our brilliant brands to make business better.”

CluneTech has been consistently recognised as one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces™ and has won multiple awards and recognition for excellence in innovation, technology and customer care, including Deloitte Best Managed Companies (Platinum Status), EY Entrepreneur of the Year and HSBC European Business Awards.

See our overview video here.

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For further information, please contact: Fiona MacCarthy, Head of Communications, CluneTech

fiona.maccarthy@clunetech.com

+353 86 8250027

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About CluneTech

CluneTech is a suite of software technology companies providing cutting-edge solutions that simplify global business. Our technology streamlines business processes such as digital sales, global payroll, tax compliance, global VAT & cross-border payments, making business better for our customers worldwide.

Established in 1996 by entrepreneur Terry Clune, CluneTech is headquartered in Ireland with a footprint across four continents, and does business in more than 100 countries on a daily basis. The group has offices in 20 countries, and over 1,500 employees globally, including a workforce of more than 900 people in Bulgaria.

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The 2022 edition of the Employee Wellbeing Summit is fast approaching!

Taking place on 5 April 2022, the event's panel will be debating the evolution and future of workplace wellbeing, and sharing practical advice on how companies can enhance the emotional, financial, and workplace wellbeing for their employees.

This virtual event is free to attend and is an ideal opportunity for HR professionals and business leaders to proactively engage, network and offer guidance on the topic of workplace and financial wellbeing.

Places at the summit are limited so if you are interested in attending, be sure to save your spot here.

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Now let's meet the lineup!

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Fania Stoney

CEO and Co-Founder of Healthy Place to Work® Ireland

Partnering with businesses across Ireland, Healthy Place to Work support organisations to build and sustain healthy and high performing work environments.

As co-founder, Fania has enabled multiple organisations to achieve and sustain the status of Healthy Place to Work. She has been instrumental in taking the Healthy Place to Work model and methodology and operationalising it in an organisational setting.

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Eoin McGee

Financial Planner, Radio and TV Broadcaster, and Author

Eoin McGee is a Certified Financial Planner CFP and qualified financial advisor QFA. Eoin has been working with clients and businesses for 20 years.

McGee presents RTÉ One show 'How to be Good with Money' where each week he helps a household to better manager their money and achieve their financial goals.

McGee's book of the same name is a No. 1 bestseller and is in the top three bestselling Personal Finance books of all time. This year, Eoin released his second book 'How to Make Your Money Work'.

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Claire Hellen

HR Strategy Specialist, IBEC

Claire Hellen is the HR Strategy Specialist in IBEC. She is responsible for the provision of guidance on HR best practice and HR strategy to IBEC member companies.

Claire previously worked in Employee Relations for IBEC, during which time she represented employers from a broad range of sectors, before the employment law third parties.

Claire has worked with IBEC for 16 years. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBS in Human Resource Management from the Smurfit Business School.

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Julie Galbraith

Partner, Eversheds Sutherland

Julie Galbraith is a Partner in the Employment Law department of Eversheds Sutherland. Julie advises clients on all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment to termination. She works with public and private sector clients on contentious and non-contentious employment issues to deliver on the business needs of her clients.

Julie advises HR, legal and business teams on a multitude of strategic issues such as disciplinary, grievance, performance management, equality, data protection, TUPE and termination of employment matters.

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Joanna Murphy

CEO, Taxback.com

As the CEO of Taxback.com, Joanna Murphy is responsible for running all facets of the business.

Joanna has a demonstrated history of working as a talented CEO and Company Director. With her transition to CEO of Taxback.com, it is Joanna's responsibility to ensure that Taxback.com's service far exceeds client expectations.

When she's not busy overseeing the day-to-day operations of Taxback.com or keeping up with three teenagers, Joanna always tries to get a run in when she can, which is almost every day!

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Rachael O'Shea

Head of Employee Experience, CluneTech

CluneTech is a suite of companies providing industry-leading solutions that simplify global business.

With experience in events, communications and marketing, Rachael originally began her career working in radio.

Since joining CluneTech in 2018, Rachael's role has centred around promoting and sustaining the company's #OneTeam culture and ensuring that CluneTech's people are offered a first in class employee experience.

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Barry Cahill

Director of Financial Wellbeing Services, Taxback.com

Barry manages the Go-to-Market strategy of the Taxback.com employee Financial Wellbeing service. The service focuses on the B2B market - from SME's through to corporate clients and multinationals, including strategic partnerships.

Barry recently completed an MBA from DCU Business School and is a GAA All Star and All Ireland winner with the Dublin Senior football team.

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Triona Desmond

Group Wellbeing Partner, AIB

Triona is a Senior HR Professional with 20 years extensive experience managing Human Resource functions.

She has worked at a senior level on organisational development, succession planning and the building of organisational capability.

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The Employee Wellbeing Summit takes place at 2pm on 5 April 2022.

Register Today!

The last few months haven’t been easy by any means. We have been, and continue to be, faced with unprecedented and ever-changing challenges due to Covid-19. At CluneTech, we’re extremely lucky to have amazing leaders and a workforce that has continued to collaborate, innovate and deliver, while adapting to the new situation very quickly.

But what’s the secret behind our success? Terry Clune, Founder and CEO of CluneTech, met exclusively (and virtually) with Economy.bg to share some valuable insights about how CluneTech has adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic and his inspiring story of building a sustainable business from scratch.

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Mr. Clune, has how the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in Bulgaria and did you have to cancel any projects?

Terry: Coronavirus did not have any direct impact on our business. The services we provide are global, we’re not specific to one region or one industry and we provide a range of different financial services, mainly to global companies so our global business has not really stopped to any major extent.

We’ve been very successful at continuing to trade during the pandemic because of our tremendous team of people in Varna and across the world who are very committed, very experienced and very capable. We appreciate the work that all of our team have done across the world in getting through this difficult time.

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What were the main challenges for CluneTech in Bulgaria to adapt to the new situation?

Terry: Coronavirus has been challenging for every business across the world and it would have been more challenging for us but we adapted what we do very quickly, we were able to move our team to remote working very quickly. All of our teams are now working successfully from home and I expect that will continue to some extent into the future. Regarding working from home there were some expectations.

I expected that working from home would have an impact on our team’s productivity but I’m very thankful that our team really got focused and straight back into their work and from what we’ve seen most people have been even more productive in working from home. They’ve really gotten behind the business during the coronavirus pandemic and we’ve managed to get through it successfully thanks to everyone playing their part.

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Are your staff still working from home? is remote working something you plan to continue in the future?

Terry: For us it’s not really about whether we work from home or work in the office. Simply, it’s important for us that people are able to do their job wherever they are, be they at home or at work, it doesn’t really matter. I think into the future, I imagine many of our people will probably work half the time from home and half the time from the office. Remote working will definitely be an option, yes.

It won’t suit everybody but for those who wish to have that facility and are able to continue to perform it will definitely be a key option. I think it will be good for people and their lifestyles. Not having to commute or commuting less will mean more time at home with family for people. These are all valuable benefits for people and it’s definitely something that we’re keen to support into the future.

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What type of roles does CluneTech offer in Bulgaria?

Terry: Over the nineteen years now that we’ve been in Varna the work that we do has changed. It used to be very administrative and many of the people at the beginning of our business were involved in administrative roles. Now many of those roles have changed. They have become more expertise orientated, expertise in payroll, expertise in payments, expertise in taxes etc.

We also have a much larger technology team now than ever before. We currently work with nearly 150 people in technology across Bulgaria. Ultimately, the work here has changed from administrative to using technology to provide the services and with that roles and jobs are changing too. Many of the administrative people have now learned new skills and have developed into much higher technology/ higher skilled positions in our business. So right across our business the work has changed and now more than ever we need highly skilled people. I’m delighted that so many of our team leaders today have grown within the business and have learned and adopted the latest skills.

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Do you think that western companies will move away from South East Asia and move to Eastern Europe because of the Covid-19 pandemic? And could Bulgaria benefit from such a trend?

Terry: I think Bulgaria has done an extraordinary job of keeping the impact of the coronavirus very low in the country. One of the lowest contagion rates in Europe and is clearly a very safe place now and will be into the future to be doing business. The government have absolutely taken this issue very seriously and all the people too have taken it very seriously. Considering this, I think that Bulgaria can be a potential location for any company that is planning to relocate their business from Asia to Eastern Europe.

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How would you compare Bulgaria to other countries that you are operating in and do you see any challenges or other opportunities here?

We’ve always said that Bulgaria is a great place to do business. For example, most recently I’ve seen that wherever I go around Varna the internet connections are so fast. I read recently that Bulgaria have one of the top three internet speeds in the world. So they’re clearly very forward-thinking in terms of technology and in terms of things that really matter to people and to businesses.

I think over the last nineteen years I’ve seen dramatic improvements and in terms of the confidence of people there’s been a dramatic increase and also huge positive improvements in the way things are managed here. I’m sure not everything is perfect here, just like any country, but I’ve seen huge improvements in the local economy and local area and hopefully, that can continue forward into the future.

In terms of the Bulgarian people that we’ve been able to recruit and lead our teams here, they boast a wide range of skills from engineering to customer care and languages. There are very smart people here. It’s enabled our business to really grow technology wise and customer care wise across the world. Yes, there’s a lot of competition in Bulgaria and Varna to hire the best people.

We recognise that we want the best people to be working for our business and we’re very fortunate to have a fantastic team here and that’s what has enabled our business to be so successful. We also have a very strong and growing relationship relationships with local universities in Varna and in Veliko Tarnovo that has enabled us to identify people.

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Recent surveys of EY and Brookings Institution showed that employers in many countries are speeding up plans to automate their businesses as workers are forced to stay at home during the pandemic. Do you think automation in business will reduce the need for staff in CluneTech?

I think that this is not something that smart people should be concerned about. In our business, nineteen years ago, it was very non-automated and since then we’ve brought more and more automation to our business but our business has also grown more and more in terms of the number of people. The work that we do is no longer administrative, it’s more technology-enabled which leads to, for many people, more interesting work, more skilled work and more higher value added work.

For people who are willing to learn the more modern and updated skills, automation should not be a worry. Increased automation is definitely happening and our business would be a prime example of the impact of automation on services. I need and want our team to be learning the new skills and to be able to do the technology-enabled jobs.

Again, in our business, we’re not just focusing on one customer or one region. Our services are global, we’ve got customers in virtually every country in the world so it’s really about using the technologies available to provide the best service possible and having the best people driving that forward.

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How will this crisis transform the software/fin-tech industry in the long-run?

Fintech and financial business is very much changing to using more technology enabled services and we’re very much at the forefront of that. For example, in the payments space with TransferMate we’re building really cutting edge technology to help companies to manage their global payments. Our business in Varna is a combination of technology-enabled services and services which have a high degree of expertise in areas such as global payroll.

For example, we manage the global payroll for Uber and for Harvard from Varna. We manage global VAT tax for IBM and Google from Varna and we provide global services for hundreds of thousands of students who for example, study in North America. We provide tax return expertise to all their universities, so we are doing very significant and important work.

Also, Benamic our sales-promotion service will provide technology marketing services to very large companies like Canon. All of these services need technology but at the same time they need a very high degree of customer care and being able to do both of those things, technology and customer care together is why we continue to be very successful.

Really all of our services are driven by technology and we’ve got very strong technology people in our business in Bulgaria, a couple of which have strong expertise in customer care.

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You have gone a long way from your student years, returning from a summer in Germany and establishing a company in the kitchen of the family home. What’s the secret to building a sustainable business? What lessons have you learned along the way?

There’s a couple of important things people should think about in terms of that. I’m from a farm in rural Ireland, my parents encouraged me to start business when I was young. The first business I started was when I was eight years old. I used to collect fertiliser bags, plastic bags from farmers and I would fold them neatly and sell them to wood merchants who used them to sell firewood in. This was a great business for me as an eight year old as I was able to purchase my first bike, a yellow BMX bike. However, the biggest business lesson I learned was when I was nine years old.

My business went bust when another farmer’s son saw what I was doing and ended up getting a better bag than mine to sell, a see through bag so people could see how much firewood was inside. He ended up taking all my customers as he was able to sell them this better bag and he put me out of business. This was a really, really valuable lesson for me. As I was busy with my yellow BMX bike cycling around every Saturday and Sunday to all my farmers collecting the bags, I would also spend my money on chocolate.

Breakfast on a Saturday morning would consist of Snickers bars and I really felt like a cool dude. But I had gotten lazy and a bit complacent, while the kid competing with me asked the customers what he could do better and ended up sourcing a better bag. I lost all my customers then and as a result my business stopped.

There’s always opportunities to see how things can be done better. That was a very important lesson for me. You also need to surround yourself with positive people. People who are progressive rather than people who will hold you back or be critical or negative. In Varna, we’ve been very fortunate to hire an extraordinary team of people. Having fantastic people around you is a key to success for any business.

The number one of course is to be hiring the best people, be that in Ireland or in Bulgaria. We expanded our business to this extent by asking the customers ‘what can we do for you?’, ‘how else can we help?’, ‘what can we do differently or what can we do better?’ and as a result of those questions we now have many different businesses within the Group. If something changes for one business or the market changes, we are not just reliant on one company. Having a series of different businesses takes away an immediate risk.

The lesson here is that what any business must do, no matter if they’re Bulgarian or Irish, is to continue to find out from your customer what they want and stay on the pulse and keep you’re your eyes open for new opportunities because business changes all the time and the second you stop looking at how you could do better you’re going to be finished. The secret of a successful business is constantly wondering ‘how can we do this better?'.

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Do you think ambition or talent matters more for success?

I think success is like Einstein says, 99% hard work and 1% talent. I think talent comes from hard work. Some people are naturally talented but for most people by working at something you can become talented at it. That’s what I tell my kids, I have five children, three boys and two girls and what I would be saying to them would be by working hard at something you can become talented at it.

Be it learning to play chess or play a sport, yes some people are naturally talented at those things but by working hard, putting the effort in and continuing to try you can become talented and it’s the same in business. Lots of people have talent but don’t use it so it goes to waste. It’s the people that are moderately talented but put the effort in that become hugely successful. It’s all about making the effort.

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Private school or state school?

All of my schooling was in public schools. I think in Europe, for most countries the public school system is very good. I’m not sure what it’s like here in Varna but the EU would be very supportive of Ireland, ensuring that we don’t need to have huge fees for private education.

The university sector in Ireland too is ultimately, not crazy expensive compared to places like America. I think Ireland and Bulgaria have much in common in the education sector. The public system in both countries is what most people use and in general, it’s a good system.

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Should young people go to university or go straight into work, what do you think provides a better experience?

I’ve met many people who were successful in business without going to university but I know a lot of them would feel at a disadvantage having not gone to university. University gives you, if anything, confidence. Confidence from getting through it. Many of the people I’ve met in business that have been successful but didn’t go to university would usually say that if they had one regret it would be not going to or not finishing university because of the confidence that it can bring you.

In Ireland now and in Bulgaria, there are very high rates of people going to university which is hugely valuable for the economy into the future. I would be encouraging everyone if possible to try and finish your 3rd level education even though it’s not always easy to do, it brings you such confidence in the long term.

Welcome to our CluneTech Social Spotlight Series – a fortnightly roundup of the best social media activity from across our group of global companies. Want to stay in the loop with everything happening in CluneTech? Here’s the place to do it! Click the title of each entry to view the original post.

..And don’t forget to like and share the wonderful content being produced across the Group!

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TransferMate and Haas F1 Team Announce Global Partnership - TransferMate

Everyone here at CluneTech is incredibly excited by the global partnership between Haas F1 Team and TransferMate which was announced last week. Read the full press release here.

Well done to Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher from the Haas F1 Team who both performed brilliantly at last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Exciting start to this global partnership and we are all looking forward to the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May.

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Showcase Standout Awards - Immedis

Immedis are delighted to be a finalist in all four categories for the Showcase Standout Awards.

"The Showcase Standout Awards recognize outstanding payroll solutions providers and their presentations of premier products for the payroll industry." - Dan Maddux, Executive Director of the American Payroll Association and President of the Global Payroll Management Institute.

Immedis are in the running for:

• Overall PSS Best Demo
• Cutting-Edge Technology
• Data Analytics and Reporting
• Workforce Management

Learn more here.

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The Evolution of Digital VAT Returns - Taxback International

In 2005, the OECD developed SAF-T to bring a standard to global tax data. In 2022, are we any closer to a standardized, digital tax model?

Our VAT experts over at Taxback International examine the above question and more in their latest e-book. Download your copy today!

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Top 5 Financial Wellness Takeaways from the Employee Wellbeing Summit 2022 - Taxback.com

This year's Employee Wellbeing Summit was a huge success! Watch it back here.

Employee financial wellbeing has become a key consideration for organisations over recent months. Check out Taxback.com's Top 5 Financial Wellness Takeaways from the Employee Wellbeing Summit 2022.

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Flexible Working at CluneTech Explained - CluneTech

We all have a unique challenge in integrating our work and personal lives and in acknowledging that, we want to encourage flexibility to ensure that our employees can achieve an optimum work-life balance.

Read about how CluneTech supports Flexible Working.

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And that’s this week’s SocialSpotlight roundup… Head over to www.clunetech.com to learn more about CluneTech and our amazing group of global companies. And check back in two weeks’ time for the next CluneTech Social Spotlight!

At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build along and successful career with us. As part of this programme, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with Rory Lynskey, Senior Content Creator at Sprintax, who has been on our team for the last 5 years.

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What is your favorite thing about working in CluneTech / Sprintax?

It’s difficult to name just one thing, but if I had to pick then my favorite thing about working here has to be the people and the culture (that’s one, right? 😅).

Everyone here is so supportive, talented, and passionate about what they do. It’s great to be part of a team where innovation and teamwork go hand in hand.

What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech / Sprintax?

The Taxback blog restoration project was a big highlight, reversing the decline in page views on the blog site, and the Content and SEO teams deserve a lot of praise for finding a way to do that and putting the hours into make it happen.

Personally, being promoted to Senior Content Creator was also a great moment.

Who or what has inspired you the most during your time here?

It’d be hard to pick just one person! Working with such a talented and supportive team makes every challenge easier! There’s always someone willing to lend a hand or share some expert knowledge to help with any situation.

What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

I have seen big changes at all the brands I have worked on since I joined. Overall, I’d say each brand is now a lot more polished than when I joined, and they look better than ever.

The improvements in design, messaging, and overall presentation really make them stand out to me.
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What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

I’d probably have to say COVID. I was only in the door of the company, getting used to the 9-5 lifestyle after fours years of college and all of a sudden I was working from home for the first time. Almost everyone else was in the same boat, however, so it made it a lot easier trying to navigate the WFH world!

What has been your favourite project to work on?

I really enjoy my work with Sprintax, there’s always so much going on and particularly at this time of year, with it being US tax season. The Dividends project as a whole is very exciting and challenging to work on so I’ll go with that.

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Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / Sprintax?

My biggest piece of advice for someone starting their career at CluneTech is to be proactive.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions - everyone here is really supportive and always willing to help. Take the time to learn about what you are working on, embrace new challenges, and get involved in different projects!

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At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build along and successful career with us. As part of this programme, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with Taxback International's Joe Healy, Chief Growth Officer, who has been on our team for the last 15 years.

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What is your favourite thing about working in CluneTech / Taxback International?

There are numerous reasons, but foremost among them is our status as an Irish Company operating globally. I've always taken pride in wearing the Green Jersey of Ireland while abroad with the Irish Cycling Team, and now I have the opportunity to do so while representing CluneTech.

Additionally, I relish the chance to be at the forefront of addressing challenges for our global enterprise clients through our innovative financial technology platforms. It's the very essence of why we're passionate about what we do!

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What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech/ Taxback International?

My biggest highlight since joining has been building relationships and best in class solutions with partners such as SAP Concur and more recently, WTS Global. Our partner channel is awesome, and nothing beats collaborating with like-minded individuals.

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What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

The transition from solely a service-oriented company to a fintech powerhouse has been the biggest change. Our agility in adapting to the ever-changing landscape has enabled us to develop solutions which will secure our success into the future.

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What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

Undoubtedly, the most formidable obstacle we have faced was the global pandemic. Travel bans hit our business hard, raising concerns about the recovery of business travel.

However, our unified team spirit saw us through. Collaborating with forward-thinking teammates who strive to innovate new solutions has made us even stronger in the post-pandemic era.

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What has been your favourite task or project to work on?

Establishing our partnership with SAP Concur 15 years ago was a pivotal moment that set us on the path to dominating the VAT reclaim industry, so it holds a special significance for me.

At that time, we needed to win over the US-based tax team to advance our partnership. After numerous meetings, I succeeded in securing Concur for VAT reclaim and compliance, demonstrating the value and excellence of our service firsthand. This elevated our partnership to the next level.

Our sales team forged strong relationships with the Concur sales team, which generated a phenomenal number of leads year after year. As Concur’s growth trajectory propelled them to become the world's leading Expense Management System provider, our growth mirrored theirs, making us the top VAT reclaim provider globally.

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Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / Taxback International?

Don’t be confined by any preconceived notions, the opportunities at CluneTech are limitless.

Allow yourself to cultivate ideas and solutions fearlessly, addressing the challenges of business today. Cultivate meaningful relationships with your colleagues, clients, and partners because ultimately, business is about people connecting with people!

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At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build along and successful career with us. As part of this programme, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with Encho Yordanov, Sprintax's Manager, who has been on our team for 20 years.

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What is your favorite thing about working in CluneTech / Sprintax?

One of the best things about working at CluneTech is the opportunity to achieve your goals. The company fosters open communication at all levels, from our peers to our CEO's. If you have a good idea, you can easily share it and receive the necessary tools and support to bring it to life. This culture of approachable colleagues is rare and something we should value.

What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech / Sprintax?

It's difficult to pinpoint a single achievement, just as it's hard to choose a favorite book if you're a book enthusiast. Every small accomplishment is a part of an ongoing journey that has spanned 20 years now, and I hope it continues.

What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

The most significant change for me, and likely for everyone, was the shift to remote work due to COVID-19. Personally, I'm not a fan of working from home; I prefer coming to the office, interacting with colleagues, and keeping home as a place to unwind.

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What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

Like achievements, each challenge is important. As a team, we approach every challenge with the necessary attention, focus, and respect, enabling us to overcome them and turn them into opportunities.

What has been your favourite project to work on?

To date, my favorite project has been working on Sprintax. Despite challenges like tax law changes that reduced refunds and the decrease in students traveling to the U.S. during the COVID years, we managed to achieve better results by automating the process and making it scalable, with a strong focus on technology.

Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / Sprintax?

Absolutely. My advice is: “Make the most of your time!” CluneTech is full of opportunities; you just need to seek them out and seize them. To succeed, it's essential to have the right attitude. If you're spending 8 hours of your day at work, ensure that you're investing in yourself. If you treat your job as "just a job," there's a high chance you'll be seen as "just an employee." Make those 8 hours count—strive to achieve more every day, and you will find it rewarding.

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At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build along and successful career with us. As part of this program, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with Taxback's Nikolay Pavlov, Operations Team Leader, who has been on our team for the last 20 years.

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What is your favourite thing about working in CluneTech / Taxback?

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After so many years here, there are lots of things I love about working at Taxback. If I would have to pick one, it would be the people I work and have worked with over the years.

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What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech/ Taxback?

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I would say observing how the company changed and developed over the years and how I have developed with it. From the morning shifts with 'US Others B team',  to my current position as Operations Team Leader.

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What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

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20 years is quite a long time. The company has changed in almost every way during this period. From the countless paper files and walls filled with cabinets and folders – to desks being completely file free now – The technology changed and the company followed.

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What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

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During the years we had plenty of challenges. I am glad to say that I think we’ve overcome every obstacle. From different legislative changes, to taking part in plenty of audits from different tax countries we deal with.

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What has been your favourite task or project to work on?

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I did plenty of different projects and tasks over the years. My favorite one would be the daily tasks. Working with the people I manage – everyday is a new beginning and we have to do our best. If you don’t do your best everyday – it's better to not do anything at all.

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Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / Taxback?

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Learn from each opportunity you have.  And of course -  when you have a job to do you’ve got to do it well.

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At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build a long and successful career with us. As part of this programme, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with TransferMate's Ciara Walsh, Relationship Manager who has been on our team for the last 15 years.

What is your favourite thing about working in CluneTech / TransferMate?

My favourite thing about TransferMate is the down to earth environment and the comradery we have here. People are always very willing to help one another out.

What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech / TransferMate?

Being part of the Relationship Management and Retention team. We have a really great working team and it never gets old winning those clients back!

What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

Our technology enhancements along with our global footprint in terms of licensing & regulations are some of the biggest changes I’ve seen and of course, employee growth across the world.

What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

When I started in TransferMate all those years ago, I didn’t come from a financial FX background. Learning all of the products and systems especially with FX was very new to me but luckily, I had a good team to train and support me when I started on my journey here!

What has been your favourite task or project to work on?

Integrating Salesforce into our current systems has definitely been one of my favorite projects so far.

Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / TransferMate?

I would have to say don’t be afraid to ask questions (every day is a school day) and if you have some good ideas, don't be afraid voice them!

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At CluneTech, we have an extensive Milestone Recognition Program that rewards employees that choose to build along and successful career with us. As part of this programme, we love celebrating and sharing the stories of those reaching major milestones with the company.

This month we caught up with Taxback's Antonia Nankova, Operations Team Leader, who has been on our team for the last 15 years.

What is your favourite thing about working in CluneTech / Taxback?

I like the dynamics in our work - different clients, a variety of cases, the challenging busy season every year and then a calmer summer. Sometimes it seems that we are doing similar tasks, but no day is the same.

My favorite thing is my colleagues and the team we’ve formed - they are a group of good people with good hearts. Each one with their own personality, along with being positive, funny, intelligent and dedicated to their work. I truly respect all of them.

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What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech/ Taxback?

My biggest achievement has been becoming a Team leader. I started working for CluneTech as a student with measured expectations. But no one knows what the future holds. I feel grateful for this opportunity, besides the knowledge I’ve gained, I’ve learnt a lot from my colleagues. Everyday brings something new. The best is yet to come.

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What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?

The biggest change I’ve witnessed was definitely the remote working during Covid 19 - something that we could hardly imagine before that. I remember wondering what we were going to do and how we things would turn out. But we proved that there is nothing we could not overcome.

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What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?

The greatest challenge from a work perspective is the months at the beginning of each year when we are in peak season - volumes are huge and we are extremely busy. But, that being said, I’m very lucky to work with great people, all hardworking, flexible and dedicated and motivated to get the work done. With this team, I know we are going to make it and succeed.

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What has been your favourite task or project to work on?

I don’t have a favourite task in particular, I like my work and I always give my best to get the job done, no matter what challenges come my way from time to time.

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Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / Taxback?

Be hardworking, be diligent, be honest and loyal. Stay focused and keep moving forward, your work will be rewarded. You never know what opportunity could be around the corner.

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Thursday, 29th of January 2026. Today, CluneTech and Cois Nore announced a sponsorship supporting the development of a dedicated therapy wing at Cois Nore’s new Cancer Support Centre in Kilkenny, marking a significant milestone and an important investment in the future of cancer support services for the people of Kilkenny

CluneTech’s sponsorship will fund the refurbishment and fit-out of the therapy wing within the new Cois Nore House.

Every day in County Kilkenny, two families receive a cancer diagnosis, beginning a journey that affects not only the individual but also their families, friends, and communities. Since 2013, Cois Nore has been a safe haven for those living with cancer, providing free, professional, community-based support.

As demand has outgrown its Walkin Street premises, work is now underway on a new purpose-built centre on the Waterford Road. The new Cancer Support Centre is expected to open in March 2026 and will meet the growing needs of people affected by cancer across Kilkenny.

CluneTech’s sponsorship provides vital funding for a modern, purpose-designed therapy space that will support individuals and families throughout their cancer journey. Alongside community generosity, government support, and contributions from other supporters, this investment is helping to bring the new centre closer to completion and enables Cois Nore to continue delivering free, confidential support and professional and voluntary services to people of all ages.

The new Cois Nore House will include dedicated therapy rooms, safe spaces for children and teenagers, group support facilities, and activity areas designed to nurture recovery and dignity. It will provide a welcoming environment where individuals and families can access guidance, compassion, and community at a time when they need it most.

Terry Clune, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CluneTech, said:

“Kilkenny is home for many of us at CluneTech, and we recognise the importance of standing with our community during difficult times. Cancer touches so many families, and Cois Nore has been a steadfast and compassionate support to the people of Kilkenny for over a decade. We are proud to support the development of the new Cois Nore therapy wing and the vital work that will continue there. We are in it together with Cois Nore and with the people of Kilkenny.”

Bill Cuddihy, Chairperson of Cois Nore, said:

“Cois Nore is very grateful for the support we have received from all sections of the community in Kilkenny. CluneTech’s sponsorship is a powerful statement of solidarity and shows a deep investment in the wellbeing of the community. Together, we are building a centre that protects dignity, nurtures recovery, and empowers hope.”

Mary Dolan, Manager of Cois Nore, said:

“The people of Kilkenny deserve a Cancer Support Centre with the space and resources to deliver a high-quality service. This partnership with CluneTech helps us take an important step towards that vision. Cois Nore has become like a second family for so many, and this new centre will allow us to welcome more people into a space that truly meets their needs.”

This sponsorship forms part of CluneTech Cares, CluneTech’s award-winning corporate social responsibility programme. Founded in 2007, the programme supports charities and causes worldwide and is driven by employee involvement. With a strong local impact in Kilkenny and the communities where CluneTech operates, this sponsorship brings the new centre and expanded cancer support services one step closer to reality.
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About Cois Nore

Founded in 2013, Cois Nore Cancer Support Centre provides free, professional, community-based services to patients, families, and carers in Kilkenny. Affiliated with the National Cancer Control Programme, Cois Nore offers counselling, touch therapies, children’s services, support groups, and wellness activities — all delivered locally with empathy and understanding.

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About CluneTech

CluneTech isa suite of software technology companies providing solutions that simplifyglobal business. Established in 1996, CluneTech is headquartered in Ireland,with more than 1,200 employees globally and operations in over 100 countries.CluneTech has been recognised as one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces for tenconsecutive years by Great Place to Work.

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For more information:

CluneTech
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Lauren Cleere, Marketing and Communications Manager
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lauren.cleere@clunetech.com

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Cois Nore Cancer Support Centre

Email: info@coisnore.ie

Phone: 056 775 2222
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‍Website:www.coisnore.ie

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CluneTech is committed to supporting activities that enhance and serve the communities in which we live and work. As part of this commitment, we added a Volunteer Day to our existing employee benefits in September, 2021 to empower our employees to support the causes closest to them.

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Why We Introduced a Volunteer Day? 

We are passionate about giving back to our communities all over the world and the aim of our Volunteer Day is to empower our employees, as individuals, to give back within their local communities.

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Our intention is to allow employees to allocate work time to engage in volunteering activities. CluneTech recognises that participating in these sort of activities contributes not only to the development of communities, but also enriches the lives and promotes the well-being of our people.

The addition of our Volunteer Day has already enhanced the reach of our CSR programme, CluneTech Cares, in fact check out this recent example of how TransferMate employees Daniela Tsoneva and Toni Ivanova each used their volunteer day:

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Volunteering with Gavroche Shelter in Varna, Bulgaria

Daniela Tsoneva and Toni Ivanova from our TransferMate team recently used their employee volunteer day to help the young ladies from the Gavroche shelter in Varna, Bulgaria, purchase new clothes using money donated by CluneTech earlier this year. Daniela and Toni were on hand to ensure the young ladies got everything they needed and that they also enjoyed a great day out with their new friends from CluneTech.

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CluneTech Cares

This year’s Group rebrand faced us with another challenge - renaming #TaxbackGiveBack, our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme. Since the launch of the programme in 2007, one thing always stands out – our caring nature. Naturally, this brought us to the new name CluneTech Cares.

CluneTech Cares is a great representation of what we are – a team of truly caring individuals, giving their best to support and add value, not only to our customers and our team-mates, but also to the communities in which we live and operate!

CluneTech Cares is an award winning programme, picking up the award for ‘Best Use of CSR’ at the 2021 HR Management & Leadership Awards. In 2021, we supported 34 different causes across the world.  These included the likes of the Irish Cancer Society, Karin Dom, Race for the Cure, A Very Special Place Inc, MS Ireland, Jack & Jill, E-ducare and many more.

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Want to find out more? Visit the CluneTech Cares section of our website.

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Volunteer Day at CluneTech

CluneTech is committed to supporting activities that enhance and serve the communities in which we live and work. As part of this commitment, we added a Volunteer Day to our existing employee benefits in September, 2021 to empower our employees to support the causes closest to them.

The addition of our Volunteer Day for our employees has enhanced the reach of our CSR programme, CluneTech Cares. Our intention with this addition is to allow employees to allocate work time to engage in volunteering activities. CluneTech recognises that participating in these sort of activities contributes not only to the development of communities, but also enriches the lives and promotes the well-being of our people.

In March, CluneTech employees from all over of world used their volunteer day to support causes close to their hearts such as donation of computers to local high schools (Yordan Keranov), doing arts and crafts with children with disabilities (Emilia Simeonova and Yoana Grigorova), or making donations to refugees following the Russian invasion in Ukraine (Gocho Gochev, Desislava Chervenkova, Artur Balyan, Kaloyan Keranov and others).

Check out this recent examples of how our employees Ralitsa Mladenova and Galina Kirova used their volunteer day.

Volunteering for the Bulgarian Red Cross

On 23rd March, Galina Kirilova and Ralitsa Mladenova from our Veliko Tarnovo team used their Volunteer day to support the regional department of the Bulgarian Red Cross in the city. Both ladies participated in the initiative “Children Help Children” organized by the Ministry of Education together with the Bulgarian Red Cross. This initiative was set up to help collect essential goods that will be sent to Bulgarian Sunday Schools in Ukraine (there are 63 Bulgarian Sunday Schools in Ukraine, attended by over 10,000 children). Ralitsa, Galina, and the Red Cross volunteers accepted the donations from schools in the area, recorded and organised the supplies, and prepared them for shipping to the children in need.

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“It was so fulfilling to be part of this campaign. We all can make a difference and we are lucky our employer supports us in that.” - Ralista Mladenova

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Read more about our CSR programme, CluneTech Cares, and keep an eye out on our social media for more volunteer day stories.

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CluneTech Cares is the new name of our CSR Programme.

This year’s Group rebrand faced us with another challenge - the rename our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme #TaxbackGiveBack. Ever since the launch of the programme in 2007 one thing always stand out – our caring nature. Naturally, this brought us to the new name CluneTech Cares.

CluneTech Cares is a great representation of what we are – a team of truly caring individuals giving their best to support and add value not only to our customers and our team-mates but also to the communities in which we live and operate!

Race for the Cure

In October 2021, CluneTech took part in the Race for the Cure 2021 event. Race of the Cure is Europe’s biggest sporting event for women’s health. It helps to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Research. It was incredibly important to us that we participated in this event as cancer has impacted so many of our lives. It was amazing to see over 50 employees register and take part!

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Golf Tournament for A Very Special Place Inc.

A Very Special Place Inc. provides a comprehensive network of programmes and services for people with intellectual and development disabilities and their families. With the guidance and support offered by AVSP, people of all ages find opportunities to achieve independence and self-fulfillment. We were approached by an Immedis employee who told us all about a golf outing hosted by and raising money for AVSP. Having heard all about the event and the services AVSP provide, we were delighted to sponsor a team of Immedis employees to take part.

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Jack & Jill’s Up The Hill Challenge

We're absolutely delighted to have taken part in Jack & Jill's Up The Hill challenge again this year. By taking part and sharing their “Up The Hill” pictures on Workvivo, our employees not only had the chance to win some amazing surprises but also to represent the hill that the children of Jack & Jill climb each and every day, and to show solidarity with their families. Furthermore, CluneTech covered a €5,000 participation fee for our staff which goes toward providing crucial care to the Jack & Jill Foundation and the children who are relying on home nursing services.

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“Investing in Human Capital to Invest in the Future of Karin Dom” Programme

CluneTech and Karin Dom in Bulgaria have launched a project called “Investing in Human Capital to Invest in the Future of Karin Dom” which aims to support the long-term vision of the center by increasing the focus and investment on the retention and the development of their specialists.  CluneTech supported the first series of professional supervisions for the Karin Dom team, which were organized before the Covid-19 pandemic. Having witnessed the positive impact of these professional supervisions, we had no hesitations about continuing our support of this programme long-term.

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"World Vision Romania" Foundation and Palliative Care Center "Sfantul Nectarie”

This November, our colleagues in Romania supported two local organizations with donations of €1000 each. The first one, World Vision Romania, looks at all the things that prevent children from surviving and thriving in their community, and then works with the community to bring all the pieces of the puzzle together to build a better life for them. The second beneficiary of the donation is the Center for Palliative Care „Sfantul Nectarie” which aims to relieve the suffering and provide the best possible quality of life for patients with serious illness and their families.

For a fourth year in a row CluneTech’s career counselling program is taking place in Varna High School of Commerce during the academic year 2021-2022. The program aims to help young people to acquire and develop specific skills that will help them get the best out of their career exploration, job search and job application processes. With the help of experienced HR professionals and guest lecturers, the students will learn how to create impressive CV and video resumes, how to prepare for job interviews and, how to find the most compelling job offers on the market.

Over the years CluneTech has organized numerous career events with other local high schools and universities, such as Open Door Days in our offices in Varna and Veliko Tarnovo, Manager for a Day, and many more. All participants in our career counselling program are invited to join a designated Facebook group where we post weekly career counselling advice, inspiring guest interviews and regular updates about any internships and entry level roles in our group of companies.

In 2019 our Career Counselling Program captured the “Innovation in Talent Education” Award at the second B2B Media Employer Branding Awards which celebrate the companies in Bulgaria with the most innovative HR strategies.

We could not be any happier with the results of our program so far. Each and every student that took part excelled and many eventually ended up becoming a part of the CluneTech team.

Our career counselling program, as well as our internship and graduate programs are designed to offer new, young talent the opportunity to learn and grow in an innovative and collaborative environment. With this in mind, we would like to remind you that CluneTech is open to candidates with no experience. As long as you’re driven and willing to learn, we’ll train and support you to become an important member of our team and achieve your full potential.

If you are willing to bring your ideas to the table and are always looking to develop your skills and contribute to making business better, explore our career opportunities as we would love to hear from you!

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Friday 19 April, 2024 Kilkenny. Kilkenny-based software technology group, CluneTech, has been announced as the main sponsor of Kilkenny Tennis Club’s new Padel Tennis Court, which was completed in March 2024. The official opening event, which is due to take place this Saturday, April 20, will incorporate a Charity Tennis Tournament and social event, with all funds generated being donated to the Carlow Kilkenny Homecare Team.

Founded in 1879, Kilkenny Tennis Club is a not-for-profit club with all funds generated being reinvested in their tennis facilities and the development of the game. With over 1,200members, split into 700 seniors and 500 juniors, it is one of the largest and best regional tennis clubs in Ireland. It is a very active club with high grade facilities and always welcomes new members and visitors.

“Our club is very proud of our many achievements with our members winning numerous regional and national titles, our representative teams winning many Provincial Cups and a number of members having represented Ireland at international level.” Brian Doyle, President, Kilkenny Tennis Club

This sponsorship is part of CluneTech’s award-winning CSR Programme, CluneTech Cares. Established in 2007, CluneTech Cares is created by their people, for their people, and while the programme supports deserving charities and causes all over the world, it is driven by employee requests and has a momentous impact locally, both in Kilkenny, and in the various other communities where the company operates. This significant investment will enable Kilkenny Tennis Club to be the first in the region to offer Padel Tennis, the world’s fastest-growing racket sport, to its members.

“We are delighted to sponsor Kilkenny Tennis Club’s new Padel court,” said Terry Clune, CEO and Founder of CluneTech. “As an organisation, we are passionate about giving back and we are proud to support a number of fantastic local clubs in Kilkenny where our HQ is located. I’d like to give a special mention and thanks to our own team members, Eoin Dunphy, Éanna Brady, James Murphy, Patrick Dalton and Patrick O’Neill, who are all dedicated members of Kilkenny Tennis Club. Without them, this sponsorship wouldn’t have been possible. Padel tennis is a new and innovate sport, and we are really excited to play a part in ensuring it has a home right here in Kilkenny.”

Padel Tennis is played on an enclosed court, one third the size of a traditional tennis court. Its format is doubles and it uses traditional tennis scoring, combining action with fun and social interaction. It’s a fantastic sport for players of all ages and skills, as it is both quick and easy to pick up, with most players understanding the basics within the first half hour of play.  

Edwin Walsh, Captain, Kilkenny Tennis Club, said: “Kilkenny Tennis Club was founded in 1879 at its current location in Archersfield, Kilkenny. As one of the largest tennis clubs in the country with 1,300 members, ranging in age from 2 to over 82, Kilkenny Tennis Club is constantly reinvesting in its facilities to enhance its members’ experience. On behalf of the Committee and members of Kilkenny Tennis Club, I would like to thank Terry and all the team at CluneTech for the incredibly generous sponsorship of our new Padel Court which is part of a wider redevelopment of playing surfaces and other facilities. We are immensely proud to be associated with such a progressive and innovative team and look forward to developing our partnership over the coming years.”

Jimmy Morrow, Development Chairman, Kilkenny Tennis Club, said: "We are delighted to have CluneTech join us as Sponsor of our new Padel Tennis Court and we very much value their significant investment in our club which enables us to greatly enhance our Sporting facilities with this innovative addition.”

In addition to the innovation this sport embodies, Kilkenny Tennis Club have also launched a green energy project, which to date has seen the installation of energy saving LED tennis flood lighting, reducing electricity consumption by over 44%; the installation of 36 Solar PV panels which allows the club to generate its own power, supplying any excess to the National Grid; air to water source heat pump which uses electricity generated from the club’s Solar PV system. The club’s commitment to reducing their environmental impact is just one of the reasons that CluneTech made the decision to support the club.

“At CluneTech, we always aim to support clubs, charities and causes whose values reflect our own,” said Rachael Quinlan, Head of Employee Experience, CluneTech. “Sustainability is one of the key pillars of our CSR Programme and we are super impressed at the club’s efforts to date. In addition, we recognise the importance of work-life balance and knowing that a number of our own team are also club members, made the decision to sponsor their new Padel Club a no brainer.”

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At CluneTech, collaboration and recognition aren’t just buzzwords, they are the foundation of our culture. Nowhere is this more evident than in our OneTeam Awards, a signature recognition program that honours the spirit of unity, innovation, and excellence that drives our success.

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A Legacy of Recognition: From Employee of the Quarter to OneTeam Awards

Over 12 years ago, CluneTech launched an initiative to spotlight outstanding individual contributions through what was then known as Employee of the Quarter. As our company evolved, so too did our approach to recognition. In 2019, inspired by employee feedback, the program was reimagined and relaunched as the OneTeam Awards.

This transformation reflected more than just a name change — it marked a deeper commitment to recognising the collective effort that fuels our business.

Today, the OneTeam Awards take place twice a year, giving employees across the globe the opportunity to nominate a colleague whose contributions reflect one of our core values: Innovation, OneTeam, Passion, and Respect. These nominations reinforce our ongoing commitment to living these values in our everyday work.

The OneTeam Awards celebrate not only individual achievements but also the teamwork, creativity, camaraderie, and mutual respect that are essential to our culture and continued growth.

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Creating Moments That Matter

From lively in-office celebrations to heartfelt doorstep award deliveries during remote work, the OneTeam Awards have become a meaningful tradition filled with unforgettable moments. These celebrations strengthen the bonds between colleagues, highlighting the impact of each individual’s work, and reinforcing the values that make CluneTech a unique and inspiring place to be.

As our HR Manager in Bulgaria, Ekaterina Hristova, puts it:

“The OneTeam Awards represent more than just recognition, they show our people that what they do truly matters. These awards are a part of our company’s DNA. They celebrate our shared success and remind us that together, we are stronger.”

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Recognition Beyond the OneTeam Awards

While the OneTeam Awards are a standout celebration of collaboration and excellence, they’re just one part of CluneTech’s broader commitment to recognising our people. We offer a wide range of recognition initiatives that celebrate contributions both big and small, across all levels of the organisation:

• Milestone Recognition Programme – Honouring the dedication of our long-serving team members.

• Global Employee of the Year Awards – Celebrating individuals whose impact and performance have stood out over the year.

• Workvivo Shout-Outs – Enabling real-time, peer-to-peer recognition for everyday efforts and achievements, both within and across teams.

• Celebrating Personal and Professional Highlights – From birthday cards and new baby gifts to congratulatory hampers for passing exams, we take pride in acknowledging life’s special moments and supporting our employees in all their successes.

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A Culture Built on Recognition and Unity

At CluneTech, recognition is more than a program — it’s a reflection of who we are. The OneTeam Awards, along with our wider recognition initiatives, demonstrate our commitment to valuing every individual and celebrating the spirit of teamwork that drives our success. As we continue to grow and evolve, we remain dedicated to fostering a culture where people feel seen, appreciated, and inspired — because when we celebrate each other, we thrive together.

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At CluneTech we are extremely passionate about the development of our people and understand the significance of the role a manager has to play in an employee’s development. With that in mind, we wanted to put together a useful guide that would empower and help our managerial staff to be the best manager that they can be. And who better to help us put together such a guide than our employees?

We asked our staff to nominate their manager and state three qualities that make them an Amazing Manager. The response was fantastic with 20 different managerial qualities being suggested. We then took the 6 most suggested qualities and expanded on them to create the ‘CluneTech Guide to Being an Amazing Manager’ which you can read below:

6 of the Most Important Managerial Qualities

1) Supportive

The managerial quality that our people value most is being ‘Supportive’. A manager can be supportive in many ways, whether it is ensuring that their team are aware that they can come to them should they need help, or by displaying encouragement, helping them to realise their potential, and showing appreciation for a job well done. Emotional Intelligence is a vital characteristic of a supportive manager. Having the awareness to recognize when something is troubling a member of your team or if they are in danger of becoming burnt out or disengaged is vital. The likes of LinkedIn Learning and Udemy offer some great courses on Emotional Intelligence should you wish to learn more about this important soft skill.

2) Approachable

Our staff feel that being “Approachable” is the next most important characteristic for a manager. Approachability is imperative to forging a strong bond with your team. Having an approachable manager relaxes staff, allowing them to work to the best of their ability. Additionally, it increases their willingness to share new ideas as they know their manager is open to suggestions. Lacking in approachability will make it difficult to know what is going on with your team. Being approachable and building a good rapport with your team will encourage them to come to you with issues, updates, and information, more frequently, ensuring that you stay in the loop. This article by Forbes includes a great section on “How to Show Approachability”.

Our employees appreciate that open door policy!

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3) Leading by Example

As a manager, your team are looking to you for guidance. By leading by example you are able to create a picture of what’s possible. Here are some ways you can effectively lead by example;

Take Responsibility –Show that you are not above taking responsibility for when something doesn’t go to plan. Be proactive and get to work on correcting and bettering the situation.

Resolve Conflict Quickly – Conflict resolution is one of the most important skills a manager can have. Demonstrate that skill and put out any fires within your team quickly so that they don’t get out of control. By doing this you will set a good example and encourage your team to be proactive and quickly settle disputes between themselves.

Be Persistent – Another trait of strong leadership is the ability to remain steadfast in the face of adversity. Set an example for your team by dealing with issues in a proactive and constructive manner.

For more information on the benefit of Leading by Example and how to do it, check out this article by Indeed – 8 Ways to Lead by Example in the Workplace.

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4) Reliable

Our employees also identified being “Reliable” as an important characteristic for a manager to possess. A manager in charge of a team must be dependable. This involves being accessible to your staff, completing tasks as promised, and assisting your team as needed. Reliability is essential for building trust as it affords your team greater peace of mind, ultimately allowing for stronger relationships to be built and greater results to be delivered. Check out this blog post by Great Place to Work on “The Crucial Role of Reliable and Trustworthy Managers During a Crisis”.

5) Motivating

There are a multitude of reasons as to why being a good motivator is essential when managing a team of people. Some of the advantages of a motivated team include; Increased Efficiency, Better Communication, Reduced Absenteeism and Turnover, Development of Leaders, and much more.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to suddenly become a Ted Talk caliber motivational speaker... Here are “9 Super Effective Ways to Motivate your Team” by Inc. to get your started.

6) Clear Communication

The last valuable managerial characteristic, as identified by CluneTech employees, that we’ll discuss here in detail is “Clear Communication”. Building effective communication skills as a manager provides significant short and long-term benefits for your company and team. For example, a good communicator may inspire your team to accomplish more with better results and fewer misunderstandings. Take a look at this piece by Professional Development covering “Communication Skills for Managers”.

The importance of being a good listener also must not be understated when it comes to communication. By being a good listener a manager can not only secure new insights, ideas, and perspectives that will help their team to grow, but also maintain harmony and motivation among team members and ensure that they are a great people manager.

So there you have it, six of the most important managerial qualities as suggested by our employees. CluneTech is all about brilliant people and innovative technology, with the dynamic between our management and non-management staff being crucial to our success.

Do you have the qualities necessary to lead a team of CluneTech employees? Or do you want to work under an amazing management team that will help you to realise your potential. Whatever stage of your career you’re at, CluneTech may have the role for you. Visit www.clunetech.com/careers and explore our amazing opportunities today.

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The Kilkenny-headquartered company today announced improvements across a range of leaves to support their people

Wednesday, 22 November 2023. Kilkenny-based software technology group, CluneTech, has today announced improvements across a range of leave types to support their people during the more difficult times they may face in life.

The changes announced today cover three key areas: compassionate leave, miscarriage and pregnancy loss leave, and IVF and pregnancy support leave. The announcement marks another significant step in CluneTech’s commitment to caring for, and supporting their people, and the additional leaves are available to all of the company’s 1,200 employees globally.

Compassionate leave, which is available from day one of employment, has been significantly increased, with the company now offering 4 weeks paid leave for the loss of a spouse or child. Employees can also avail of 5 days and 3 days paid leave for the loss of an immediate or non-immediate family member respectively.

For the first time in the company’s history, they are also recognising the important role that pets play in their employees’ lives, particularly as many people avail of CluneTech’s flexible working offering and choose to work from home. With this in mind, a dedicated Pet Compassionate Leave has been introduced where employees can avail of up to 2days paid leave for the loss of a beloved pet.

The new policy also includes extended paid leave of five days for those impacted by pregnancy loss when this occurs prior to 24weeks, as after this the company’s paid maternity leave applies. In addition, where an employee’s partner has experienced pregnancy loss, they are now covered in the policy and can avail of the full five days paid leave.

Access to, and support during fertility treatment is a key focus of CluneTech, who earlier this year announced their support of The I Want a Baby Foundation in Bulgaria. Employees based in Ireland can already avail of best-in-class fertility care as part of the company’s health cover with Laya Healthcare. Previously, employees could avail of up to 3 days paid leave for IVF and pregnancy support. This has now been increased to 5 days paid leave and extended to the partner of a person undergoing IVF / pregnancy support.

The improvements announced today are part of an already extensive benefits package which includes Lifework Days ̶ an additional half day’s leave per quarter where employees can get their life jobs done without having to use their hard-earned annual leave, flexible working ̶ including remote and hybrid working, an award-winning Milestone Recognition Programme which rewards those who choose to grow their career with CluneTech, and much more. Last month, CluneTech were awarded Overall Excellence in HR at the 2023 HR Leadership &Management Awards for their innovative approach to flexibility.

Speaking about the leave enhancements, Terry Clune, CEO, CluneTech said: “CluneTech Cares about our people and their wellbeing and today’s announcement further strengthens our commitment to supporting them through the more difficult times they may face in life. Our people are at the heart of everything we do and as their employer, it’s our goal to ensure they feel supported and cared for, so that they can reach their full potential.”

Rachael Quinlan, Head of Employee Experience, CluneTech said: “We are really honoured to share these remarkable improvements with our global team. While these leave types tend to be the ones that we hope our people will never have to avail of, we hope that they take some comfort in knowing that our aim is to minimise their worries during challenging times. As always, these changes have been introduced as a direct result of employee feedback and we will continue to use their voice to drive change and to ensure that we truly are a great place to work.”

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