CluneTech is proud to announce its 14th-place ranking in the "Top 100 Best Employers in Bulgaria" for 2025, as recognized by the annual Career Show Index in Bulgaria.
Fintua Tax Academy is a comprehensive training programme designed to equip colleagues with deep knowledge of EU VAT, practical skills, and the confidence to tackle complex challenges in their daily work.
At CluneTech, continuous learning is at the heart of our culture. In 2025, CluneTech’s subsidiary Fintua launched the Fintua Tax Academy, a comprehensive training programme designed to equip colleagues with deep knowledge of EU VAT, practical skills, and the confidence to tackle complex challenges in their daily work.
The goal of Fintua was to create an internal training series that goes beyond theory. While external courses exist, developing an in-house programme allows the content to be tailored to real-life scenarios and business-specific challenges, ensuring every session is directly relevant, practical, and immediately applicable.
“Our aim was to show that behind the Excel tables and daily routines, there is so much more to understand and appreciate. Participating in this type of training reshapes the way colleagues think about their work, the value they create, and how they collaborate across teams,” explains Péter Árpás, the main driver of the programme.
From April to October 2025, the Academy hosted seven sessions - two in-person and five online, covering the EU VAT system, legal background and EU Court decisions, and practical examples from advisory experience. The series concluded with a final exam in late November, consisting of more than 60 questions. Out of 70 participants from Bulgaria, Ireland, and Hungary, 40 successfully participated in and passed an exam, with 21 achieving results above 80%.
A graduation ceremony in Varna this February marked the successful completion of the exam, with top performers recognized for their exceptional achievement.
Building on the success of the first year, Fintua is already preparing its 2026 programme. The next edition will be even more practical, featuring new lecturers and an open invitation for anyone who wants to participate, regardless of previous involvement.
Beyond its global reach and automated, highly integrated platform offering a full suite of indirect tax solutions, Fintua’s VAT Academy adds one more key advantage: the deep VAT expertise of its long-term professionals, handling complex VAT cases for clients such as Nestlé, Google, IBM, Mondelez, and many others.
The Fintua Tax Academy demonstrates CluneTech’s commitment to investing in our people. Beyond providing essential knowledge, it fosters professional curiosity, strengthens collaboration across teams, and empowers colleagues to step into advanced roles.
At CluneTech, growth is a team effort, and initiatives like the Fintua Tax Academy ensure that every colleague has the tools and confidence to progress their development.
Fintua are currently hiring in various roles across our global teams in Tech and Finance. See their current vacancies at https://fintua.com/careers/.
February 26, 2026
Read MOREFriday, February 6th 2026. CluneTech was proud to celebrate the achievements of Kilkenny’s emerging young talent as it hosted the Kilkenny GAA and Camogie Academy Awards at its Kilkenny HQ on January 27th and 28th. Held over two evenings, the awards recognised the dedication and commitment of theU16 Kilkenny GAA hurling and football squads, alongside the U15 Kilkenny Camogie Academy and Development squads.
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Over both evenings, a small number of players from hurling, football and camogie were also selected for the Driver of Excellence Awards, recognising individuals who demonstrated outstanding commitment, leadership and determination throughout the season, both on and off the pitch. Players were joined by their families, coaches and mentors to mark an important milestone in their development journey.
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Special guest speakers across the two nights included CluneTech’s Derek Lyng for hurling, Christy Walsh for football and Aoife Prendergast for camogie. Each shared valuable insights and encouragement with the young athletes as they continue their progression within the academy pathways.
CluneTech has been the main sponsor of both the Kilkenny GAA Academy (Na Cait Óga) and the Kilkenny Camogie Academy since 2024, under a three-year partnership supporting more than 500 players across both pathways. The sponsorship helps fund essential operational and player-welfare costs, including transport, equipment, nutrition and medical supports, ensuring a high-performance environment can be sustained for young athletes across the county.
Terry Clune, Founder and CEO of CluneTech, said:
“We were delighted to host the Kilkenny GAA and Camogie Academy Awards at our Kilkenny HQ and to celebrate the hard work and commitment shown by these young players throughout their academy journey. CluneTech is proud to support both academies and to play a role in developing the next generation of Kilkenny athletes. We would like to thank the coaches, mentors, parents and all involved for the dedication they continue to show year after year.”
This sponsorship forms part of CluneTech’s award-winning CSR programme, CluneTech Cares. Established in 2007 and created by its people, for its people, the programme supports charities and causes worldwide while having a strong local impact in Kilkenny and in the communities where CluneTech operates.
Speaking at the event, Sean Kelly, Kilkenny GAA Performance Lead, said:
“The Academy Awards are an important point in the development pathway, giving us an opportunity to recognise the work and commitment shown by our players throughout the year. For our U16 hurlers and footballers, this marks a key stage as they continue to progress within the Kilkenny system, building strong habits around preparation, discipline and performance.
Nights like this reflect the high standards being set across the academy and the collective effort of players, coaches and families in supporting long-term development both on and off the pitch.”
Tommy Farrell, Kilkenny Camogie Development Officer, added:
“This was a really special evening for Kilkenny Camogie, bringing players, families and coaches together to celebrate the progress made by our U15 academy and development squads. It’s important to take time to acknowledge the enjoyment, confidence and personal growth that comes from being part of the academy journey.
The awards night captured the positive atmosphere around the programme and highlighted the strong sense of community that supports our young players as they continue to develop and enjoy the game.”
PJ Kenny, Chairman of Kilkenny GAA, said:
“The Academy Awards are an important occasion in the underage calendar, giving young players the opportunity to be recognised for their commitment and effort throughout the year. It is a proud moment for players, families and coaches, and a reminder of the standards being developed within the Kilkenny academy pathway.”
Theresa Aylward, Kilkenny Camogie Chairperson, added:
“Kilkenny Camogie is delighted with our partnership with CluneTech, as we share many common values, standards and a strong sense of identity. Their support allows us to continue developing and supporting our young camogie players, and occasions like the Academy Awards are an important opportunity to recognise their progress and encourage them as they work to reach their potential within Kilkenny’s high-performance environment.”
The two awards evenings reflected the strength of the partnership between CluneTech, Kilkenny GAA and Kilkenny Camogie, and a shared commitment to providing young players with a supportive and high-quality development environment. As the academy programmes continue to grow, the focus remains on nurturing talent, building character and ensuring that young athletes across the county are given every opportunity to reach their potential both on and off the pitch.
For more information, please contact:
Lauren Cleere, CluneTech, lauren.cleere@clunetech.com
Mary Morgan, Kilkenny GAA PRO, pro.kilkenny@gaa.ie
Aoife Lanigan, Kilkenny Camogie PRO, pro.kilkenny@camogie.ie
February 6, 2026
Read MOREAt 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.
September 30, 2025
Read MOREOn February 17th, CluneTech, a fintech group with over 1,200 employees worldwide, received the "Employer Supporting Parents with Children" award by the Bulgarian Parents' Academy.
The Academy is one of the country’s largest communities, uniting specialists and organizations that support families. The inaugural edition of the awards seeks to highlight best practices in creating work environments that support parents with children.
With over 300 parents among its employees in Bulgaria alone, CluneTech was recognized in two categories: "Employers Offering the Most Flexibility" and "Employers with Innovative Ideas for Future Parenting Policies."
What sets CluneTech apart from other employers in the country is its high level of flexibility. In Bulgaria, 40% of employees work fully remotely, 45% follow a hybrid model, and only 15% work exclusively from the office.
Some of the benefits CluneTech offers its employees to support work-life balance and childcare include extra annual leave days, flex hours, which allow employees to complete their weekly hours over 4.5 days, and Lifework Days —a half-day each quarter employees can use to take care of personal matters.
“Besides the long list of traditional employee benefits such as additional health insurance, sports cards, and food vouchers, we are deeply committed to providing social and emotional support for our employees. Naturally, this support extends to parents as well. In addition to the fun celebrations and initiatives we organize for the children and families of our employees, we also support our colleagues during life's difficult moments. This includes miscarriage leave, extended leave for the loss of a loved one, and an Employee Assistance Program, providing free 24-hour psychological support for employees and their family members," shared Ekaterina Hristova, HR Manager at CluneTech in Bulgaria.
This is CluneTech’s second accolade in Bulgaria in 2025, after climbing to number 14 in the prestigious Top 100 Best Employers Ranking by Career Show Index.
February 18, 2025
Read MORECluneTech is proud to announce its 14th-place ranking in the "Top 100 Best Employers in Bulgaria" for 2025, as recognized by the annual Career Show Index in Bulgaria.
This achievement marks a significant advancement from our 46th position in 2023, reflecting our dedication to continuous improvement. Our success is attributed to several accolades received over the past few years, including Best Employer in Fintech, Work-Life Balance Strategy, and Employee Benefits Strategy.
The Career Show Index honours employers who demonstrate consistent efforts in providing excellent working conditions and enhancing the workplace atmosphere. CluneTech's recognition highlights our successful adaptation to the evolving expectations of the employees.
"We congratulate CluneTech on their success in the 2025 Top 100 Best Employers in Bulgaria ranking! It is an honour for us to highlight employers who have demonstrated successful practices and strategies for employee development and care. We are pleased that through the Bulgarian awards for best employer, we can present innovative, creative, and effective employee care and working conditions improvement projects that would otherwise be unseen by the public. Participation in awards and making it to prestigious rankings is an excellent opportunity to give voice to good examples in the work of a company," shared the organisers.
The "Top 100 Best Employers in Bulgaria" ranking is part of Career Show's annual initiative, which includes the largest career expo in the country and the Career Show Awards, the leading awards for best employer and employer brand. The ranking is based on the awards CluneTech received in this esteemed competition.
The full list of the top 100 employers can be found on the Career Show website.
February 6, 2025
Read MOREMonday, 19th February 2024. Kilkenny-headquartered software technology group, CluneTech, has been recognised at the 2024 b2b Media Employer Branding Awards at a Gala Awards ceremony held in the Astoria Garden Hotel, Sofia last Friday.
Now in its seventh year, the b2b Media Employer Branding Awards celebrate the achievements of the HR and Communications departments of companies that are focusing on creating a positive employee experience and driving talent development. The awards are vital for promoting best practice in HR and employer branding, as they enable Bulgaria’s leading employers to showcase the unique and innovative ways in which they are creating industry leading cultures for their people.
This is CluneTech’s sixth year participating in these awards. At a captivating ceremony in Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, Kristina Ilieva and Niya Boncheva from CluneTech’s Marketing & Communications Team accepted two awards on behalf of the company.
CluneTech were thrilled to be recognised in two categories:
Our Management of New Employees award goes for the company’s enhanced onboarding process, which features a Workvivo New Hires Space, a series of step-by-step guidance emails for candidates and new starters, and the implementation of a brand-new e-signature solution for all employee-related documents which has reduced the paper usage by 30,000 sheets annually in Bulgaria alone.
CluneTech were also awarded in the category Employer Branding Idea for their CSR Spotlight Charity of the Month initiative which resulted in a significant amount of donations for a wide range of charitable causes in the past year. CluneTech’s Spotlight Charity of the month is fully driven by their employees across the globe, who actively participated by sharing photos of their physical activities on their internal communications platform, Workvivo, over the past year. For every employee who participated in the initiative, CluneTech donated between €5 and €50 to selected charities and causes each month. The initiative is part of the company’s global CSR Programme, CluneTech Cares, which sees the company support the charities and causes their employees hold dearest to their hearts.
Following the recognition, Ekaterina Hristova, HR Manager for CluneTech in Bulgaria, said:
“We are truly over the moon to have won the Management of New Employees Award and we are proud that the progress we made in improving our onboarding process in the last year has not gone unnoticed. This recognition is a huge team effort by both our HR and Communications teams, and represents our commitment to creating a top-notch experience throughout the whole employee journey with CluneTech.”
Kristina Ilieva, Marketing and Communications Specialist at CluneTech’s Team added:
“Our people are the driving force behind all the amazing changes in our workplace. It is their feedback and participation that continues to shape our CSR and Great Place to Work programmes, and our overall #OneTeam culture. There is no doubt that each one of us plays a fundamental role in making CluneTech a great place to work and recognitions like this prove we are on the right track.”
Learn more about CluneTech’s career opportunities and our amazing #OneTeam culture here.
February 20, 2024
Read MOREAt CluneTech, continuous learning is at the heart of our culture. In 2025, CluneTech’s subsidiary Fintua launched the Fintua Tax Academy, a comprehensive training programme designed to equip colleagues with deep knowledge of EU VAT, practical skills, and the confidence to tackle complex challenges in their daily work.
The goal of Fintua was to create an internal training series that goes beyond theory. While external courses exist, developing an in-house programme allows the content to be tailored to real-life scenarios and business-specific challenges, ensuring every session is directly relevant, practical, and immediately applicable.
“Our aim was to show that behind the Excel tables and daily routines, there is so much more to understand and appreciate. Participating in this type of training reshapes the way colleagues think about their work, the value they create, and how they collaborate across teams,” explains Péter Árpás, the main driver of the programme.
From April to October 2025, the Academy hosted seven sessions - two in-person and five online, covering the EU VAT system, legal background and EU Court decisions, and practical examples from advisory experience. The series concluded with a final exam in late November, consisting of more than 60 questions. Out of 70 participants from Bulgaria, Ireland, and Hungary, 40 successfully participated in and passed an exam, with 21 achieving results above 80%.
A graduation ceremony in Varna this February marked the successful completion of the exam, with top performers recognized for their exceptional achievement.
Building on the success of the first year, Fintua is already preparing its 2026 programme. The next edition will be even more practical, featuring new lecturers and an open invitation for anyone who wants to participate, regardless of previous involvement.
Beyond its global reach and automated, highly integrated platform offering a full suite of indirect tax solutions, Fintua’s VAT Academy adds one more key advantage: the deep VAT expertise of its long-term professionals, handling complex VAT cases for clients such as Nestlé, Google, IBM, Mondelez, and many others.
The Fintua Tax Academy demonstrates CluneTech’s commitment to investing in our people. Beyond providing essential knowledge, it fosters professional curiosity, strengthens collaboration across teams, and empowers colleagues to step into advanced roles.
At CluneTech, growth is a team effort, and initiatives like the Fintua Tax Academy ensure that every colleague has the tools and confidence to progress their development.
Fintua are currently hiring in various roles across our global teams in Tech and Finance. See their current vacancies at https://fintua.com/careers/.
February 26, 2026
Read MOREAt 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 Viktoria Kurteva, Front End Developer at Sprintax. She has been on our team for the last 5 years.
My favorite thing about working in CluneTech is the team I work with. We’ve built a strong and open way of communicating, with a lot of mutual understanding and trust. Everyone is approachable, open to questions, and always willing to help when needed. Beyond the professional environment, I’ve also had the chance to build meaningful connections and friendships that extend outside of work, which makes the experience even more valuable.
Having been with CluneTech for five years, my biggest achievement has been my professional growth within the company. I joined shortly after graduating, and through continuous learning and commitment, I was able to demonstrate my potential and take on increasing responsibility. This journey eventually led to the opportunity to step into a Team Lead role, which I see as both a personal milestone and a reflection of the trust and support I’ve received along the way.
The biggest change I’ve witnessed is the growth and evolution of the team I’m part of. When I joined, the team consisted of just three people, and today it has grown to twelve. Along with this growth came new dynamics, stronger collaboration, and a more structured way of working together. It’s been interesting to see how the team has evolved while maintaining open communication and a supportive environment.
One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced has been growing both professionally and personally. From the very beginning, it required stepping outside my comfort zone to communicate with more experienced colleagues, ask questions, and actively learn.
Over time, I needed to take on more responsibility and make decisions on my own, which was initially intimidating. Today, many of the things that once felt challenging are now part of my everyday work.
I’ve really enjoyed projects where I could both contribute technically and support the team’s growth. Working on challenging front-end tasks while also helping colleagues solve problems, share knowledge, and improve collaboration has been very rewarding. I particularly value opportunities where I can learn new approaches and see how our work positively impacts the product and the team.
My advice would be not to be afraid to reach out to your colleagues and communicate openly in the workflow. Ask questions whenever you have them, seek feedback, and don’t hesitate to share your ideas or suggestions. Make the most of your time, stay curious, and take every opportunity to learn as much as you can from those around you.
December 18, 2025
Read MOREAt 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 CluneTech's Head of Design, Elena Stefanova who has been on our team for the last 15 years.
What is your favorite thing about working in CluneTech?
The opportunity to work in an international environment and meet people from different cultures.
What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech?
One life-changing achievement was the opportunity to upskill from a graphic designer to a motion designer, using After Effects. It had been a childhood dream of mine to create motion graphics and animations. However, my biggest overall achievement within the company has been progressing through every career stage—from junior designer to Head of Design.
What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?
Relocating the office from Tsar Simeon to Bacho Kiro and changing the company name to CluneTech.
What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?
Without a doubt, it was the renovation of the new Lounge and Meeting Space in the basement (formerly the Martini Bar)—from the interior design concept to full realization. It required countless hours of research into commercial space requirements, including layout planning, lighting, safety, and dimension regulations, along with completing a six-month Interior Design course at SoftUni. It was a huge commitment for everyone involved, sometimes exceeding 10 hours of work per day, seven days a week.
What has been your favorite project to work on?
Creating videos with Zory for company parties— the videos on the Brick Port walls in recent years and the CluneTech event videos from previous years.
Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech?
The company offers great opportunities for career growth and job security—be wise and make the most of them.
August 26, 2025
Read MOREAt 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 Financial Crime Subject Matter Expert, Nelda Montalvo who has been on our team for the last 2 years.
What is your favorite thing about working in CluneTech / TransferMate?
I love that every day is different. I get to work on interesting cases and learn something new all the time. Plus, the teamwork here is great! Everyone is so willing to help out.
What has been your biggest achievement or highlight since joining CluneTech / TransferMate?
Moving into the Financial Crime Subject Matter Expert role has been a big highlight for me. It’s been really rewarding to grow in this area and work on some challenging investigations.
Who or what has inspired you the most during your time here?
Definitely the people I work with. There’s so much experience and knowledge in the team, and everyone is so open to sharing what they know.
What is the biggest change that you have witnessed in your time here?
I’d say the way our processes and systems have evolved. It’s great to see how we’re improving all the time, especially in how we handle financial crime risks.
What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in your time here and how did you overcome it?
Some of the complex cases I’ve worked on were definitely challenging, especially when quick decisions were needed. I just focused on staying calm, asking the right questions, and working closely with the team.
What has been your favorite project to work on?
I’ve enjoyed the investigations where I could really dig into unusual activity and spot patterns. It’s challenging work, but it’s really satisfying.
Do you have advice for someone who is just starting their career in CluneTech / TransferMate?
Be curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions and take every chance to learn from the people around you.
August 8, 2025
Read MOREAt 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 Kristina Ilieva, Marketing & Communications Specialist at CluneTech, who has been on our team for the last 10 years.
Time flies when you're having fun and surrounded by great people. I feel really lucky to have spent these ten years working alongside incredibly smart, down-to-earth, and supportive colleagues. This sense of camaraderie is truly one of the best things about the group, and it remains unmatched by any other team I’ve encountered in my career so far.
It’s definitely not the awards, no, no!
At the end of the day, my highlight is helping to create and foster a workplace where we support each other and gravitate toward the same values: respect, innovation, and passion for what we do. And let’s not forget all the great moments and parties we’ve shared, too.
As an introverted person, my role as a Communications Specialist has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. It’s taught me that being in the spotlight isn’t an act of selfishness, especially when you have something meaningful to say. The same goes for my amazing colleagues, whose knowledge, successes, and inspiring stories we’ve shared with the wider audience over the years. Highlighting these great examples, inspiring others, and keeping people’s spirits high is a success I’m proud of.
There’s no single task or project I admire above the rest. Everything—from communications and writing to events, charity work, educational programs for students, and even marketing and organizational tasks—serves as an outlet for my personality. I’m deeply curious about human nature and what drives us, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many people from diverse backgrounds, nationalities, and personalities.
Dive deep into your role, and be open to learning from your mentors. Don’t give up easily when you face challenges. Instead, try to be creative, learn, and find your way through!
February 25, 2025
Read MOREAt 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
January 31, 2025
Read MOREOur CSR Programme - CluneTech Cares, is a fantastic representation of what we are - a team of truly caring individuals giving our best to support and add value, not only to our customers, but also to the communities in which we operate. CluneTech Cares is employee-led and has three key pillars: Wellness, Culture & Community, and Sustainability. It has been a busy quarter so make sure to check out some of our latest activities below.
With one of the key pillars of our CSR Programme CluneTech Cares being sustainability, we couldn’t forget all of our recent CSR events under the #CluneTechGoesGreen umbrella which we organized for our staff during the month of April.
Every year, in celebration of World Earth Day, CluneTech Goes Green for the month of April to raise awareness about the environment and learn more about what we can do for our planet across our day to day lives.
During the month of April #CluneTechGoesGreen:
• Shared daily tips and tricks with our colleagues on how we can change aspects of our lifestyles for the better of our planet.
• Donated €5 per employee that participated in a 5k run / walk for the month of April to Leave No Trace, Ireland’s only Outdoor Ethics Education Programme designed to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation.
• Debuted fresh ways to promote sustainability to our people like our virtual cooking demo with The Happy Pear discussing Sustainability, Food Waste and Cooking on a Budget, as well as a webinar teaching us how we can limit our digital use environmental footprint.
Thanks to our team's support and participation throughout the month, CluneTech donated over €100 to our dedicated sustainability charity, Leave No Trace Ireland which will go towards their work sustaining a healthy and vibrant outdoor environment for everyone. Well done to all of our amazing colleagues for their participation this month.
In honour of World MS Day, CluneTech Cares dedicated May's CSR spotlight to a number of incredibly deserving multiple sclerosis support charities. The charities supported included Moga Sam, MS Ireland and MS Society UK.
The MS – Moga sam organization in Bulgaria was founded by Bilyana Savova. At the age of 40, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Bilyana started the organization in 2013 to support people with multiple sclerosis by helping them deal with their diagnosis both mentally and physically, as well as guiding them towards healthy lifestyle changes that can improve a range of MS symptoms.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland (MS Ireland) is the only national organisation providing information, support, and advocacy services to the MS community. Their services include Regional Community Worker programmes for one-to-one support, physiotherapy, symptom management courses, newly diagnosed sessions, and the MS Information Line, one of the first services used in the time leading up to or following a diagnosis.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society is the UK's largest charity for people affected by multiple sclerosis. The organisation funds research, campaigns for social and political change and provides services that help people with multiple sclerosis and their families. It also compiles the only report of its kind on prevalence and living situations for people with MS across the UK
On the 30th of May, a walk / run was organised both remotely and in person for those who wanted to take part with their teammates in aid of this amazing cause. Following our team’s participation throughout the month of May, CluneTech donated €100 to each of our dedicated MS support charities. This donation will go towards the hugely important services made available to people affected by MS and their families. Thank you to everyone who got involved and for the support you’ve shown to our incredible charities during the month of May.
This June, we dedicated our CSR Spotlight to Pride Month in support and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. All donations go towards several incredibly deserving LGBT+ support organisations and charities.
June is Pride Month, when the world’s LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are.
The original organizers chose this month to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising in June 1969 in New York City, which helped spark the modern gay rights movement.
During the month of June, not only did our teams get involved in our monthly walk / run in support of the LGBTQ+ community, but they also took part in a number of fundraising Pride Month activities including CluneTech’s ‘Wear Your Rainbow Day’ and our annual Pride themed photography competition where we asked our teams what pride means to them.
Thanks to our team's participation throughout the month, CluneTech has made a monetary donation in support of our LGBTQ+ organisations and charities. Well done to all of our amazing colleagues for their participation this month.
For the third year in a row, we participated in Bulgaria’s biggest corporate run which took place in the Bulyard shipping factory in Varna, Bulgaria. On June 12th two CluneTech teams took part in Business Run Varna ranking #5 out of 76 teams on the day and #2 in the women's ranking. Not only was the Business Run a really great team building event, but it’s also a great way to give back to charity as 30% of the registration fees from the event was also donated to Karin Dom's new therapeutical center in Varna.
Set in the beautiful city of Varna, Karin Dom's new building opened its doors in September 2022, giving children with special needs from the Northeast of Bulgaria access to vital therapy that will help them to grow in strength and confidence. Well done to both teams on a fantastic result and for your time supporting this great cause.
Following our 2021 gardening therapy project, CluneTech and our Veliko Tarnovo team made another meaningful contribution to the local Daycare Center for children with disabilities. We donated a garden swing, allowing the young people in the center to spend more quality time outdoors which can help them reduce anxiety, increase their attention span, and improve their overall physical and mental wellbeing.
Veliko Tarnovo’s Center 'Rainbow' provides a set of services to promote children’s development, ensure comprehensive care for them during the day, meet their learning needs, provide motor and speech therapy, and provide quality time outdoors with their friends and family.
Following the ongoing support of our team in Bulgaria, CluneTech donated 21kgs of plastic caps for the latest edition of the 'I believe and help' initiative in Varna, which took place on 29th April.
'I believe and help' is a well-known Bulgarian initiative that is run biannually – once in the spring, and once in the autumn. It promotes plastic caps collection and recycling as a way to gather funds for buying vital medical equipment for children’s hospitals while also supporting the planet and recycling tons of plastic each year.
In addition to the plastic caps collection, this year the organizers promoted their first penny fundraiser campaign and a local fundraising bazaar, ending with an amazing record of 31 tons of plastic caps collected, equal to 24 800 BGN.
The latest goal of the 'I believe and help' organization is the collection of 500 000 BGN which will be used for buying:
• The first in Bulgaria mobile blood donation vehicle
• The second in the Southeast of Bulgaria Neonatal ambulance
• Lifesaving medical equipment for the pediatric surgical ward in St. Anna’s Hospital in Varna
Our career counselling program is our way to show how CluneTech cares about the youth and their future career development. For a fifth year in a row, CluneTech’s career counselling program took place in Varna High School of Commerce during the academic year 2022-2023.
In this year’s edition of our career counseling program, managers from various businesses from across our group met the young students training them for real life job interviews and developing specific skills which can help them get the best out of the career exploration, job search and job application processes.
At the end of the academic year, all participants had their professional LinkedIn headshot done by our in-house photographer and the best ones received a job recommendation letter from their mentor. Congratulations to all of our participants from Varna High School of Commerce and our Career Counseling Program mentors on this incredible initiative.
CluneTech Cares is led by our employees, for our employees. At the beginning of 2023, we opened our global CSR request form. We received exactly 50 requests from our teams with fundraising requests for charities and causes they hold dearest, in addition to the many amazing initiatives we already support.
This year in Bulgaria, we decided to follow our employee feedback and let our people decide the next initiative supported by CluneTech Cares.
Following our team’s feedback, the 'I Want a Baby' organization was chosen as our next beneficiary. The 'I Want a Baby' organization coordinates reproduction, fertility treatment and psychological support programs for childless couples.
Following her nomination, Iglika Raeva from our Veliko Tarnovo office shared:
“The reason I want to support 'I Want a Baby' is because it is a cause very close to my heart. The volunteers there give their time and endless effort to support the families that are listed in the program. They support them not only financially, but also mentally, and emotionally and become their second family. All the parents of the babies born with the help of the foundation are also volunteers and they give back time and effort invested by others previously for them. I see great value in their cause, to have more babies, increased population, happiness for people that have wanted this for years.”
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Introduced in 2021, our CSR Volunteer Day empowers each employee to give back to the charities and causes closest to them. Since the inception of our Volunteer Day, over 70 CluneTech employees have contributed to causes which they find meaningful, and this number keeps growing.
“A huge thank you from Griffeen parkrun for the very generous donation from CluneTech and the GPTW team. The core team used the donation to purchase a microphone and speaker, which makes the important run and safety briefings audible!”
– Marie Collins, Immedis.
Just a week before Easter, over ten CluneTech volunteers helped with the renovation of the Social Teahouse in Varna. Their immense support came in addition to a small financial donation that CluneTech made to give a push to the organization’s renovation project.
The Social Teahouse is a tea and coffee shop, a venue for many events and a favorite place for the residents and the guests of the city of Varna. Most importantly, it is a social enterprise set up to support young people from difficult backgrounds and help them gain employment by giving them a chance to start their first job in the organization.
In May 2023, Chris Henry from our Veliko Tarnovo office spent his Volunteer Day working on the restoration of one of Bulgaria’s most ancient churches in the Kereka village near Dryanovo, Bulgaria called “Mary’s Holy Annunciation”. A volunteering group led by Hristo Totsev worked on restoring the retaining wall of the nearly 200-year-old building, which was also used as a school for the children of the residents of the village.
July 14, 2025
Read MOREOur CSR Programme - CluneTech Cares, is a fantastic representation of what we are - a team of truly caring individuals giving our best to support and add value, not only to our customers, but also to the communities in which we operate. CluneTech Cares is employee-led and has three key pillars: Wellness, Culture & Community, and Sustainability. It has been a busy quarter so make sure to check out some of our latest activities below.
This year, CluneTech introduced a monthly CSR Spotlight where one charity / cause will be featured for our colleagues to support. Every month, a 5k walk / run is organised and CluneTech Cares donates €5 per person that participates during the given time frame to the spotlighted cause.
Our first CSR Spotlight for Q1 was dedicated to The Dillon Quirke Foundation in aid of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
The Dillon Quirke Foundation has been set up in memory of the late Tipperary hurler, Dillon Quirke who collapsed and died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome on August 5th, 2022. He had been playing for his club Clonoulty-Rossmore against Kilruane McDonagh in the Tipperary Hurling Championship.
The foundation which is run by Dillon's parents, Dan and Hazel, and his sisters Kellie and Shannon, plans to screen GAA players for the syndrome and a GoFundMe page has been created to raise awareness and funds.
Following our team's participation during the month of January, CluneTech made a donation to The Dillon Quirke Foundation which has gone towards their amazing work screening GAA players for the disease.
From everyone here at CluneTech Cares, we want to thank all of our colleagues for the difference you have made this January.
In honour of World Cancer Day, CluneTech Cares dedicated February's CSR spotlight to a number of incredibly deserving cancer support charities. The charities supported included Severn Hospice, Carlow Kilkenny Homecare and The Irish Hospice Foundation.
Severn Hospice supports families through the good days and bad days because they believe that when cure is no longer possible, care is. Since 1989, they have given free care and support to more than 34,000 people and their loved ones during their time of greatest need. They now help more than 2,000 local people every year.
Since 1989, Carlow Kilkenny Homecare has been available, providing a palliative care service for patients with cancer at all stages of their disease. The team is a voluntary organisation supported mainly by local voluntary fundraising by the people of Carlow and Kilkenny. The team provides support and information to help their patients and family cope with the feelings around diagnosis, treatment and much more as they navigate their illness.
The Irish Hospice Foundation believes that every single patient matters and always wants to ensure the best end-of-life and bereavement care, for all. From advocacy and education to their vital services like Nurses for Night Care and their Bereavement Support Line.
On the 9th of February, a walk / run was organised in our Kilkenny, Dublin, Cluj-Napoca and New Jersey offices for those who wanted to take part with their teammates in aid of this amazing cause. Following our team’s participation throughout the month of February, CluneTech donated over €1,500 to our dedicated cancer support charities. This donation will go towards the hugely important services made available to people affected by cancer and their families. Thank you to everyone who got involved and for the support you’ve shown to our incredible charities during the month of February.
This March, we dedicated our CSR Spotlight to World Autism Awareness with all donations from our participating colleagues going towards a number of autism support charities and organisations.
Autism is a neurological difference that many people are born with which affects how they experience the world around them and how they communicate with others. While autism awareness has greatly grown in Ireland and globally in recent years, we are still a long way from having a society which truly understands autism.
Autism support charities help people and families affected by autism in so many ways. These organisations provide services, support groups, activities and much more for those on the autism spectrum to help improve the quality of their everyday life.
During the month of March, not only did our teams get involved in our monthly walk / run in support of autism awareness but our colleagues also took some time during Neurodiversity Week to learn more about and celebrate Neurodiversity through a number of informative online webinars.
Thanks to our team's support and participation throughout the month, CluneTech made a monetary donation in support of autism awareness, benefiting a number of incredible autism support charities and organisations. Well done to all of our amazing colleagues for their participation this month.
Аfter the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, CluneTech Cares made a monetary donation which facilitated the purchase of warm blankets, winter jackets and boots, all of which are essential items needed by those impacted. A special thanks to our colleagues Natalya Dermenji and Yordan Karapeev from our Immedis team who volunteered their time to coordinate the donation in less than a day to the Bulgarian Red Cross, who had organized an initiative to transport donated goods from Bulgaria to the distressed cities. Well done Natalya and Yordan!
On the 1st of March, our colleagues in Bulgaria celebrated Baba Marta, a Bulgarian holiday deeply rooted in Bulgarian folklore and culture. Baba Marta, which means "Grandmother March", is a personification of the month of March celebrating the arrival of spring.
On this day, Bulgarians exchange ‘martenitsi’ which are small, red and white braided bracelets made of wool or thread and which symbolises good health to all.
In preparation of Baba Marta, our colleagues in our Varna and Veliko Tarnovo offices joined forces using their CSR volunteer days to hand-craft some martenitsi that were later sold at local charity markets in aid of children with special needs.
Following this initiative, a donation of 716 BGN will go towards therapy for children with special needs who are enrolled in Karin Dom support programs. A further donation of 370 BGN (matched by CluneTech) will be used to buy craft materials for the children in the daily centre for people with disabilities in Veliko Tarnovo. Well done to our teams in Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and everyone involved.
During the month of January, Clunetech Cares donated much needed kitchen equipment to the Vinitsa Childrens Medical Centre which will allow the staff to continue cooking and feeding the children while they are in the centre.
The Vinitsa centre cares for over 300 children a year and is the largest facility of its kind in north east Bulgaria. The centre provides medical care and rehabilitation to premature babies and children with neurological and orthopaedic problems. CluneTech Cares was honoured to support this amazing initiative this January.
During the month of February CluneTech ran a charity campaign to support children from the Izgrev centre - a centre for orphans, located in the city of Varna. It unites two family-type accommodation houses with 21 children between 9-20 years, deprived of parental care.
Throughout the month, CluneTech Cares donated 3 large boxes of sneakers to children in need to the Izgrev Centre. We are incredibly proud and thankful for the kindness and generosity shown by our employees and the positive impact they have made here.
CluneTech Cares was delighted to sponsor the Kilkenny Master’s Basketball Tournament for the second year in a row.
This competition is one of Ireland’s most prestigious Masters tournaments with over 40 basketball teams from Ireland, the UK, Spain and Europe competing together. The event was a huge success with the Kilkenny women's team winning their opening game of the tournament along with the Kilkenny Men's team following suit later that day.
We were honoured to be a part of this event and want to give a special mention to Éanna Brady, Senior VP of Sales at Taxback International, for submitting this CSR request. Well done to everyone involved!
Introduced in 2021, our CSR Volunteer Day empowers each employee to give back to the charities and causes closest to them. Since the inception of our Volunteer Day, 58 CluneTech employees have contributed to causes which they find meaningful, and this number keeps growing.
Desislava Teneva and Srebrina Dimitrova used their volunteering day to support this year's Karim Dom Martenitsi campaign in support of children with special needs.
We want to thank our amazing group of volunteers who spent their Valentine's Day sharing some love with the planet. Our volunteers planted over 1,200 trees in partnership with Self Help Africa.
By taking part in CluneTech's Plant a Tree Day, our team contributed to Self Help Africa's effort to plant 100,000 new native trees in the island of Ireland, and 1,000,000 trees in Africa!
July 14, 2025
Read MOREOur CSR Programme - CluneTech Cares, is a fantastic representation of what we are - a team of truly caring individuals giving our best to support and add value, not only to our customers, but also to the communities in which we operate. CluneTech Cares is employee-led and has three key pillars: Wellness, Culture & Community, and Sustainability. It has been a busy quarter so make sure to check out some of our latest activities below.
FAST Heroes is an award-winning educational initiative supported by the World Stroke Organization that aims to raise awareness of stroke symptoms and the need for speedy action. It leverages children’s amazing enthusiasm for learning and sharing, encouraging the spread of knowledge to the rest of their family, particularly to their grandparents. The campaign offers educational resources to inspire learning in Kindergartens and Primary schools, to facilitate the transfer of that knowledge to families at home.
2022 is the first year CluneTech has taken part in this project by donating over €2,000 which will allow the program’s ambassadors to roll out the FAST Heroes educational campaign for the first time in Varna, Bulgaria.
On World Stroke Day on October 29th FAST Heroes presented to our teams. The presentation further increased awareness and CluneTech employees were also given the opportunity to nominate a school of their choice who would be enrolled in the program. Following a public vote, the “Geo Milev” School, nominated by Iliyana Stefanova from the Irish Accounts Team in Bulgaria, was selected to be the first school in Varna that will take part in the FAST Heroes 112 campaign.
CluneTech recently made a donation to help support the Blacks and Whites GAA club from Skeoughvosteen who successfully won the Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship (1-17 to 0-17) against Windgap in UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday, 23rd October. This was a huge achievement for the rural club and we were extremely proud to have had the opportunity to support them in their victory. Well done to all involved on this amazing win, from everyone here at CluneTech!
A special mention for CluneTech employee Emma Doyle’s nephew, Seanán Doyle who was part of the winning lineup. Some of our team will remember Seanán from his transition year work experience a few years back.
We were absolutely delighted to present Temple Street hospital with a donation towards their Speech and Language Department in November. Having a sick baby is understandably very stressful for families and parents don’t always get the opportunity to have a ‘normal’ parenting experience when their baby is sick. Because of this, Temple Street introduced some time on the ward for a daily ‘Baby Readathon’ where parents are encouraged to read to their baby and have some quality time together, aside from when their child is being treated.
CluneTech’s donation was dedicated towards the purchase of some much needed books for babies in Temple Street’s neonatal wards that will last 3-6 years, for babies diagnosed with Trachea-oesophageal fistula (TOF) and Oesophageal Atresia (OA).
We were so honoured to support such an amazing cause and to highlight the wonderful work Children's Health Foundation and Temple Street do so well.
Giving Tuesday is a day that encourages people to give back in whatever ways they can. For this year's Giving Tuesday, we were honored to support three amazing charities who work incredibly hard to make a positive difference within their communities and beyond. We were delighted to have the opportunity to make a donation to each of these causes to mark this global generosity movement.
Take a look at our three charities below that we chose to celebrate our #GivingTuesday with this year:
Coalition for the Homeless - Through CluneTech Cares, we were honored to make a donation to Coalition for the Homeless in New York City. Enda Kelleher, VP of Sprintax, volunteers in their soup kitchen every week and brings the amazing work that they do to our attention. The Coalition’s Grand Central Food Program (GCFP) was founded in 1985, the day after a homeless woman died of starvation in Grand Central Terminal. Since then, the program has grown to become the largest mobile soup kitchen in America. Each night, their vans deliver between 800 and 1,200 healthy meals of hot stew, bread, fresh fruit, and juice or milk — as well as coats, hats, gloves and blankets in the colder weather — to those struggling to survive rough on the streets at 25 stops around the city.
One To World - Established in 1977, One To World was founded by a group of foreign student advisers committed to building bridges between international students on campus and the broader New York community. This work quickly grew into a set of programs aimed at creating strong international relationships through intercultural awareness and understanding by creating multiple opportunities where people can come together face-to-face and share their perspectives, experiences, and lives.
Cultural Vistas - Founded in 1963, Cultural Vistas has grown into the leading exchange organization of its kind. The organization focuses on providing professional experience – now helping more than 6,000 students, professionals, and emerging world leaders to make the world a better, more peaceful, and collaborative place each year.
Introduced in 2021, our CSR Volunteer Day empowers each employee to give back to the charities and causes closest to them. Since the inception of Volunteer Day 58 CluneTech employees have contributed to causes which they find meaningful, and this number keeps growing. See what some of them shared with us about their experience:
The United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV) coordinates International Volunteer Day on the 5th of December every year. We wanted to give thanks to our team for standing by others and supporting causes they truly care about. This work makes an incredible difference and creates a better future for everyone involved.
In recognition and appreciation of the tireless work of our CluneTech volunteers, we created this short interview with our colleagues who agreed to be involved and asked them to tell us about their volunteering stories and experiences.
“I used my volunteer day yesterday and took part in the workshops that the association 'За Теб' ('For You') is organizing. Every week young people in disadvantaged situations are gathering for creative activities. They welcomed me open-heartedly in their community and we spent the time coloring and decorating cones, making hearts and apples out of wool and chatting about whatever comes to mind. I really appreciate having this opportunity and I would love to join them again next year!!”
Svetla Arsova, Business Intelligence & DA Specialist, Immedis
This October, our very own Georgi Stanchev and Rumyana Hristova brought 43 kg of plastic caps for the initiative ‘I believe and help’ in Varna, Bulgaria. Not only are the plastic caps going to be recycled, but the money collected from the initiative will be used for buying vital medical equipment and ambulances for children.
“I believe and help” is a well-known Bulgarian initiative which is run biannually - once in the spring, and once in the autumn. It promotes plastic caps collection and recycling as a way to gather funds for buying vital medical equipment for children’s hospitals while also supporting the planet and recycling tons of plastic each year. Well Done Georgi and Rumyana!
During October, local volunteers gathered together for a DIY SOS project in aid of the Saplings School in Goresbridge, for some much-needed improvements.
Saplings helps to support parents and their children with disabilities, giving them a space that is safe and compassionate to their needs; however, their biggest problem was that the spaces they had weren't fit for purpose.
Our volunteers Ian Hayes, Brendan Coughlan, Emma Doyle and Gareth McLoughlin gave their time to help with five projects that were undertaken on the day.
Together, they tackled Sapling’s outdoor classroom and their sensory area, which was previously just a parking lot and outdoor storage area respectively. Both of which were totally unsuitable for the children and their care.
Take a look at what Brendan Coughlan, Head of Process Re-engineering at TransferMate had to say about their volunteer day with Saplings:
“A big thank you to CluneTech for the CSR Day that enabled us to give back to our local community. We believe we made a big difference in the lives of the children and their caretakers, who can now let the kids explore and use all the space available to them.
The funds for the whole project were raised by local Paulstown resident, Julia Purcell by getting a team to cycle the Paris to Nice Charity ride for donations, read more here: https://sportforbusiness.com/sigmar-take-to-saddle-for-saplings/”
Well done to Ian Hayes for his work with Saplings and bringing this amazing initiative to all of our attention. Thank you also to Brendan, Emma and Gareth for putting their volunteer day to great use and for the incredible difference they have all made towards these children's lives.
In Q4, Mark Hender from Immedis went on a mission to save the Clogh village in north Kilkenny from becoming another statistic of derelict villages in Ireland.
To support the last remaining pub in the village and to help raise funds and restore the large Christmas tree in the center of the village, Mark organized a pub quiz and raffle. As part of #CluneTechCares, we matched all donations raised by our employees and covered 10 euro cost for employees participating in the quiz.
“Myself and few other members of Clogh Village in north Kilkenny are determined to help Clogh become an active community once again and not be another statistic of derelict villages of Ireland. A precursor to this was the community pulling together to save the last remaining pub which has only thrived under new community ownership and we believe we can do even more as a community by providing more amenities and celebrations in the coming years.
We are onto the next ventures of making Clogh a real place to visit, which is to restore a Christmas theme around the village. We have big ideas but because we are very low on time (and even lower on money), we are aiming to achieve phase 1 of the Christmas project this year which is to restore a large Christmas tree in the center of the village and decorated with lights and remembrance slips of paper of people we would like to remember.”, Mark shared about his project.
Following the incredibly successful event, Mark thanked everyone for their support:
“I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who donated and partook in the fundraiser for my village which I posted. It was an incredibly successful night which will bring some extra Christmas cheer this year. A big thank you to Aislinn Brennan and CluneTech Cares for firstly allowing me advertise but then to also match donations <3. It's amazing to be surrounded by such considerate people!!”
July 14, 2025
Read MORECluneTech Cares is a fantastic representation of what we are - a team of truly caring individuals giving our best to support and add value, not only to our customers, but also to the communities in which we operate. CluneTech Cares is employee-led and has three key pillars: Wellness, Culture & Community, and Sustainability.
It has been a busy quarter and we're delighted to see some in-person fundraisers taking place again! Check out some of our latest activity below.
This quarter, we were delighted to sponsor the purchase of new equipment for the u10 Kilkenny Ladies Football Team. The request came from an employee who volunteers as a coach for the u10 team in their spare time. Despite often being overshadowed by Hurling in Kilkenny, the sport of Gaelic Football is growing in popularity at an underage level and the club is thriving in numbers. However, they do not have a pitch to call their own and rely on fundraising for pitch rental and the purchase of training equipment. We wanted to help the Kilkenny Ladies Football Team keep the momentum going and to be able to continue to provide this important outlet for young local girls.
We were also delighted to support the Kilkenny International Masters Basketball tournament which took place in March. There were 28 teams from Ireland, UK, and Spain participating in Men's and Women's over 40s and over 50s matches. The tournament was a great success, with the Kilkenny Men's over 50s team winning their section, the Kilkenny Women's over 40s team winning the plate, and the Kilkenny Men's over 40s team placing as the runners up in the competition overall.
In 2021, we were honoured to participate in another fantastic fundraiser for the community of Varna, Bulgaria. CluneTech made a significant donation to support Karin Dom's long-standing dream: the construction of a new Therapeutic Centre for children with special needs. At the start of this year, with construction on the new centre finally coming to an end, CluneTech made another vital donation of €4,000 to support Karin Dom. This donation will be used to install air conditioning in the Ergo Therapy and Physio Therapy rooms of the new centre.
Set in the beautiful city of Varna, Karin Dom's new building which is expected to open in September this year, will give children with special needs from the Northeast of Bulgaria access to vital therapy that will help them to grow in strength and confidence.
At the beginning of this year, an employee brought to our attention the work of an incredible charity called Kilimanjaro Direct. Established in 2005 by Sheila Ryan in response to the stark poverty she witnessed while on a trip to the area, Kilimanjaro Direct provides food and education for over 125 children. Additionally, the charity has helped to build 10 houses and a primary school in the area. CluneTech Cares gladly donated €500 to help the charity to continue their amazing work in Kilimanjaro.
Vinitsa Children's Medical Centre is the largest facility of its kind in the Northeast of Bulgaria, providing medical care and rehabilitation to premature babies and children with neurological and orthopedic problems.
A long-time partner of CluneTech Cares, the medical centre recently embarked on some vital renovations, a project that we were more than happy to support. With this year's donation of €5,000, our partners from Vinitsa bought two air conditioning units, a portable oxygen concentrator, a neonatal pulse oximeter, and a patient monitoring system.
Over the past several years CluneTech has donated close to €12,000 to the Vinitsa Medical Centre. These donations, coupled with contributions from our employees, have helped the centre to purchase important equipment such as hospital beds, therapeutic chairs, baby monitoring devices, and more.
For the third year running, CluneTech Cares are delighted to sponsor a space for one teenager to take part in Thriving Teens by Monere Development. This space was opened up to CluneTech employees who were invited to nominate a teenager to take part.
Thriving Teens by Monere Development is a programme that supports teenagers by giving them the ability to navigate their own path. They believe that every teenager has the potential to achieve their ideal life and have created this programme to focus on life, social, and practical skills that will allow them to be at their best.
This year's programme is taking place from July 12-14th and more information can be found at www.thrivingteens.ie
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.
A group of our employees recently used their CluneTech volunteer days to sort donations at the local Ukrainian Centre in Varna, Bulgaria. They also helped buy and deliver food, water, and hygienic supplies on behalf of the company.
Here's what one of our volunteers, Gocho Gochev, an Operations Manager at TransferMate, had to say;
"I have used my volunteer day to help buy provisions (food, hygienic supplies, etc.) for the refugees in Varna, Bulgaria. It was very useful to be able to avail of the volunteer day as it allowed us to fully focus on doing what needs to be done in order to help.
Almost all of the refugees who are escaping the war in Ukraine are mothers with children that need help and support in these tough moments. This is the least that we can do for them. I would help again if needed."
Many more of our people around the world are contributing at a local level too. As the situation in Ukraine continues to worsen following the invasion by Russia, we as a company continue to look for ways to help those affected by the conflict.
CluneTech Cares closed out a busy Q1 by coming together to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society on Daffodil Day. Employees were asked to either take part in a 5K challenge or to host a coffee morning with their team. For each employee that took part in either of these activities, CluneTech donated €5 to the Irish Cancer Society. It was incredible to see so many people take time out of their busy schedules to take part, and to help us raise money and awareness for such a meaningful cause. Together, we raised €300 for the Irish Cancer Society!
We have another busy quarter ahead for our CSR programme. Follow us on social media and never miss a CluneTech Cares Update!
July 14, 2025
Read MORE
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.
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.
“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
Read more about our CSR programme, CluneTech Cares, and keep an eye out on our social media for more volunteer day stories.
July 14, 2025
Read MORECluneTech 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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Want to find out more? Visit the CluneTech Cares section of our website.
July 14, 2025
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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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
June 4, 2025
Read MOREThe 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.
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.”
November 22, 2023
Read MOREAt 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:
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.
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!
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.
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”.
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.
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.
February 15, 2022
Read MOREThe 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?'.
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.
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.
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.
February 15, 2022
Read MOREFor 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!
February 15, 2022
Read MOREAt 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:
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.
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!
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.
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”.
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.
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.
February 15, 2022
Read MOREWe’re delighted to announce that CluneTech have won the Multi-Sport Sneakers Day 2020 competition!
CluneTech’s inspiring video, which features the beautiful seaside of Varna, has received the highest score from Multi-Sport’s Facebook followers. The video aims to remind everyone that an active lifestyle can bring not only health, but also increased productivity, smiles, and last but not least – good vibes! We would like to personally thank Elena Stefanova, Dian Georgiev, and Ivaylo Stankov from the Design Team in Varna for their hard work in creating the video.
In its second consecutive year, the aim of Multi-Sport’s Sneakers Day is to minimize the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle and therefore, aiming to reduce the rates of obesity, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and many other diseases that are directly related to a lack of physical activity. At CluneTech, the health and well-being of our employees is paramount. GroupLife, our Health & Well-being Programme, promotes a healthy mind, body and work-life balance and features a jam-packed calendar of events and initiatives throughout the year. These include: Discounted gym memberships for our employees and their families, various one-off and ongoing sporting events such as our weekly 5 aside matches, tennis, darts and foosball tournaments, our renowned Wacky Sports Day and much more.
We also run monthly events that focus on the three main pillars of GroupLife which are: mind, body and work-life balance, and a Global Health & Wellbeing Week which features everything from on-site massages to motivational speakers.
Given the current circumstances, we have had to adapt a lot of our program to suit our current remote workforce:
A suite of webinars covering a number of different topics such as Mental Well-being, Positive Parenting and Meditation for Beginners.
#CoFit19 – A fitness initiative that encouraged our employees to keep active while remote working.
Zoom-In Leadership Talks – A series of talks on everything from Effective Communication to How to shoot high-quality videos with your phone that were delivered by our employees for our employees in order to promote personal development.
Virtual Workplace Well-being Day.
February 15, 2022
Read MOREFor the past 6 years and counting we have been proudly sponsoring the Pet Therapy Programme in Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin. This programme helps to provide respite to patients during their stay in Temple Street whilst giving them something to look forward to during the week. We decided to take a trip up to Temple Street to get an insight into the work that these two wonder dogs do for the patients.
Our Engagement and Communications Officer, Rachael O’Shea met the two amazing dogs, Buster and Schui and their owner Jeanette Gregg. Jeanette was a part of a group, the Dublin Dog Training’s in Swords, County Dublin doing obedience training with Buster and Schui when she first got the idea to become a pet therapy dog owner. Jeanette met someone who had a dog in a yellow coat and asked them about it. It was here that Jeanette decided to get involved, she first started working in a nursing home and then later moved onto Temple Street Children’s Hospital. Buster and Schui help to take the children’s minds off the sometimes very difficult situations that they face. These two wonder dogs give both the families and patients something to enjoy and smile about when they arrive each Thursday with their owner Jeanette Gregg and Julie Collins who is a play specialist in Temple Street. It was truly inspiring to see the smiles and joy that these two dogs create and we are delighted to able to sponsor this programme for the past 6 years and hope to continue doing so in the future.
February 15, 2022
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