CEO Outlook: The rise of a digital giant in Ireland with Jason Ward, Dell Technologies

In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook podcast, Jason Ward, MD of Dell Technologies Ireland, tells host Richard Curran about his personal and professional journey to the top of one of Ireland’s most significant companies, his priorities for the role, and how Dell is leading digital, IT, security, and workplace transformation. 

.......................

The story of Dell in Ireland is a fascinating one. Founded by Michael Dell in 1984, the company opened its Irish operations six years later, and quickly became one of the country’s most significant employers and exporters. The economic recession saw Dell cut 1900 jobs in Limerick in 2009, but in the intervening years Ireland has grown to become one of Dell’s key strategic hubs, providing high value client solutions and a world class lab.  

Jason Ward has been a key player in this transformation and evolution of Dell. Having held several leadership positions in the company, Ward was appointed Vice President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland in 2020. He now leads a workforce of 5000 people across three locations in Ireland, and is part of a global leadership team driving forward the next chapter in Dell’s continuous evolution.  

They also discuss: 

• How Michael Dell’s drive for growth and transformation has created a dynamic company culture of continuous change, agility, and progression.  
• The sophistication of modern day cyber criminals, and how most companies don’t understand how to recover from cyberattacks (attacks which happen every eleven seconds). 
• The rise of the ‘co-bots – robots that work in partnership with people and that help free humans up to do higher value, more meaningful tasks. 
• Ward’s admiration for Elon Musk – when people say it can’t be done, Musk finds a way to do it. 
• Data as the new oil, and how to protect mission-critical information.