How to stay relevant, transform and succeed from a rural base in a global high tech field. In conversation with Paul McBride, GM & VP of Lionbridge on this business podcast on Intrapreneurship.
Paul begins his talk by explaining how Lionbridge works with global leaders in aerospace, technology and heavy industry to help them access over 100 markets. Paul explains that Lionbridge is all about relevancy. Lionbridge is particularly strong in consumer electronics. The company has perfected the deployment of pre-release devices and software for testing around the world. The company ensures that products including search engine results, maps and news feeds accessed via devices are accurate and relevant for users.
“We were essentially the only technology company of its kind in Ballina. So that gave us a great opportunity to attract much smarter and much better people than we would have been able to do in Dublin.”
This requires a physical presence totaling more than 15,000 people in over 4,700 towns and cities across the globe. Each checking web browser performance, executing tasks and validating the reliability of online shopping and payment tools. The company aggregates and analyses data for technical purposes, which includes information on functionality, download speeds, currencies, costs and compatibility with local network providers. Thus Lionbridge can tell customers what their users’ experience will look like upon roll out. Paul notes that increasingly Lionbridge seeks to inform customers about the qualitative experience of users in line with their determination to remain relevant into the future.
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Paul explains the history of Lionbridge, its evolution and several transformations. He explains the attraction to Ballina in Ireland, the ease of finding a skilled workforce and the reasons why the company has stayed.
Paul tells us that Ballina allows Lionbridge to continue to grow, succeed, focus on innovation and manage setbacks. Paul argues that location is irrelevant; aside from the cultural benefits of being based in Ballina, his location is not relevant in the eyes of his global customer base.
Paul talks about his own career and his own experiences in transforming a business, moving from a technical to a business role, selecting the right strategies and managing scale in both business and revenue. Finally Paul discusses the need to inculcate entrepreneurial mindsets at an early age, how to put the experience of failure to best use and he gives us his defining characteristic of a successful entrepreneur or manager.
