Niall Duffy

What motivated your decision to relocate, and how did the opportunity come about?

The option to travel and work abroad was always something I wanted to have. It was something I asked about in the interview when I first joined Tate Europe in 2022, were I expressed interest in travelling, mainly Australia.

After completing the Kingspan Graduate Program, I decided it was time for change, so I reached out to my former line manager, who had transferred to the Tate APAC site in Sydney a few months prior, about the possibility of having a job for me. Once I confirmed there was a job for me, I decided to take it. It was a big step but Tate APAC and EMEA were very supportive in helping me relocate the opposite side of the world.

In what ways has relocating helped you grow professionally, even though your role remained the same? 

Having worked In the Operations team in Europe, I took on a new role as Product Manager in the engineering team in APAC where I got exposure to a completely different part of the business. I got to collaborate with multiple different teams within the business and lead the development and implementation of new products onto the APAC market.

 While my focus was on the APAC market, I had regular meetings with the EMEA and AMER teams, on different time zones, to align on different product trends and developments globally.

What’s been the most surprising or rewarding part of relocating while staying in the same job?

The most awarding part was being able to progress my career with a Kingspan while also getting the chance to travel and relocate to a country that I have always wanted to visit. A key benefit was building my network and getting the opportunity to work with new colleagues, dealers and suppliers throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The key challenges I faced was moving into a new role in the engineering team in a very fast-moving industry, but satisfactory when you see your products being implemented and used in the market.

What would you say to a colleague who’s thinking about relocating with the company?

I would advise them to just go for it. If you don’t like it, you can move home. The company are very supportive in making the move easy and stress free as possible. I personally found it easy to meet and make friends with other Irish in Sydney through the GAA and other social events. It’s something I will look back and reflect on later in my life and be happy that I made the move.