Working for a software company in Japan and learning Japanese in the mid-1980s allowed Greg Timmons to be ahead of his time. “I studied the language intensively and wrote code. It was certainly progressive,” he says.
Originally from Drimnagh, Timmons studied mechanical engineering in Bolton Street on completing his Leaving Certificate. After graduating in 1985, he moved to Japan on a graduate sponsorship programme.
“It was a really innovative scheme at the time. I was mentored by Jim Cashman who came to Japan in 1964 as a missionary priest and went on to successfully open the IDA offices in Tokyo in the 1970s. He launched the graduate programme, sourced Irish graduates and targeted companies to invest in Ireland.”
Timmons says that under the scheme, which was sponsored by FÁS – the State training and employment agency at the time – he received training as a system engineer. “I was writing code for Nippon Software Company, which was cutting edge. Needless to say, the main computer could fill a room at the time, but it was very exciting.”
After four years in Tokyo, Timmons was recruited by the IDA in Tokyo in 1989. He was responsible for generating interest from pharmaceutical companies to set up a base in Ireland. “It was interesting as many people didn’t know where Ireland was and confused it with Iceland.”
Nonetheless, he moved a number of pharmaceutical companies to Ireland, notably the pharmaceutical company Takeda, which opened in Ireland in 1997.
“By then I had moved my young family back to Ireland too and started working at the Bray site.” The company, which is focused on neurology, oncology and gastroenterology, is headquartered in Chou-ku, Osaka.
“I started building a team, and broadening the company’s Irish presence. We started with one site in Bray and 40 staff, before expanding to a site at Grange Castle in 2004,” Timmons says.
“We went from 40 people to 400 and two sites. In 2011, I became the president of Takeda Ireland. Since then we have four campuses – in Bray, Grange Castle, Citywest and Baggot Street – employing 1,000 people in Ireland.”
Timmons stayed in his role until 2016, when he moved to Zurich to assume the role of vice-president, head of business process redesign. “My children were graduating from third-level institutions around the same time, so it was an appropriate time to take the jump to a more senior role abroad.”
Life in the heart of Europe was predictably easy. “The scenery in Switzerland is stunning. The mountain lifestyle, four seasons and high quality of life make it an ideal place to live,” he says.
“We had family over each summer and we explored the beautiful countryside. My only issue was that I didn’t get to master German and even less so, Swiss German, but I believe it will take a while.”
After two years in Switzerland, Timmons moved back to Japan.
“Takeda is a massive company – one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world – so there are always opportunities. I took the role of head of global manufacturing of the global supply region in Osaka. We have four facilities in Japan and supply Japan and global markets, and I’m directly responsible for over 2,000 employees.
“When we moved back to Japan, the Rugby World Cup was taking place and it was a fantastic time to return after being away for almost 20 years. The atmosphere, fantastic facilities for fans and great fan zones. It was so well organised.”
But the joyous return to Japan was soon to be afflicted by the global pandemic. “We were lucky in many ways. Japan was relatively Covid-19 free for the first two years, with no heavy restrictions or lockdowns. There was light guidance to close hospitality venues early and not serve alcohol in places. But it wasn’t enforceable.
“On the downside, we couldn’t leave or get back into the country, so the toughest part of Covid-19 thus far was not seeing family for over two years.”
Nonetheless, he says, Osaka a fantastic lifestyle. “Public order is amazing here. Safety is second to none. You see people with bags open or wallets hanging out of their pockets and it’s not a cause for concern.
“They have a very strong legal system to maintain order. Obviously they are used to natural disasters and have a capacity to deal with them. Shortly after we returned, there was an earthquake.”
Timmons says a friendly rivalry exists between Osaka and Tokyo – somewhat like Dublin and Cork only bigger in scale. “Osaka is the smaller of the two cities, with a population of just 2.7 million compared to Tokyo’s 14 million.” Once you venture into the metro area, Osaka has a population of 19 million people and Tokyo almost 40 million.
“There was no inflation for almost 20 years, so you can live cheaply in Japan too. A lot of people live in rented accommodation, but things are compact and efficient, just as much as you would expect. The food is amazing and everything works, no matter how many people use daily services.”
There is also a small community of Irish people who were on the same plane as Timmons back in 1985. “You keep in touch with the Irish community here. I also like walking around the city and listening to podcasts from home.”
A return to Ireland is on the cards too, not just for Takeda’s 25th anniversary in Ireland, but also a family wedding. “No matter where people live abroad, they always get married back home. Irish weddings are the best and I’m looking forward to my son’s wedding in the summer.”
