Sync NI sits down with Upwind's People Lead for Belfast and EMEA, Jane Donnelly to discuss the company's rapid growth, its investment in Northern Ireland, the culture driving its success and why Belfast is becoming a key hub for one of the world's most exciting cyber security scale-ups.
Upwind has built a significant presence in Belfast over the last three years. Why was Northern Ireland the right place for Upwind to invest, and what has the journey looked like so far?
A: When people think about high-growth cyber security companies, they often think of Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv or London. What many don't realise is that Belfast has quietly become one of the most impressive technology hubs anywhere in the world.
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When Upwind established its Belfast presence three years ago, we saw an opportunity that was impossible to ignore. Northern Ireland consistently produces exceptional engineering, cloud, cyber security and technology talent. The universities are producing world-class graduates, the ecosystem is mature, and there is a strong culture of innovation and collaboration.
What has impressed us most is the quality and ambition of the people we've attracted. We didn't come here to build a satellite office. We came here to build a strategic hub that would contribute directly to the company's global success.
For the past six months in particular, we've been in what I would describe as a "stealth growth" phase. We've focused on building strong foundations, attracting exceptional talent and creating an environment where people can do the best work of their careers.
Today, we have around 40 people in Belfast and we're planning significant growth, with ambitions to increase our headcount towards 90 over the coming period.
That growth isn't simply about numbers. Every role we create contributes directly to building a category-defining cyber security company.
When I look across the Northern Ireland technology landscape today, there are very few organisations offering the combination of scale, technical complexity, global impact and career opportunity that Upwind provides.
We’re on track to be the most exciting scale-up stories in Northern Ireland.
Upwind operates in one of the fastest-growing areas of cyber security. What makes the company stand out in such a competitive market?
A: The cloud security market is evolving at an incredible pace.
Others have helped define and accelerate the category, but what excites me about Upwind is that we're helping shape the next phase of that evolution.
We're operating at the forefront of cloud runtime security, helping organisations gain real-time visibility and contextual understanding of risks across increasingly complex cloud environments.
The scale of the challenges our customers face means our teams are solving genuinely difficult problems every day.
This isn't about incremental improvements.
This is about helping redefine how organisations secure modern cloud infrastructure.
As a company, we're on an incredible journey. Every technology business dreams of becoming a unicorn. Very few achieve it, and even fewer manage to maintain their agility, culture and innovation while doing so.
At Upwind, there is a real sense that we're building something special.
There is energy across the organisation because people know they are helping create a business that is shaping up to be one of the defining cyber security success stories of this generation.
That's an incredibly powerful thing to be part of.
Many people spend their careers hoping to experience a genuine scale-up journey. At Upwind, our teams are living it every day.
You've spoken about the quality of talent within Upwind Belfast. What makes the team and culture so special?
A: Without question, the people.
Every organisation talks about talent. What makes Upwind different is that the talent genuinely lives up to the reputation.
We've assembled an exceptional team of engineers, cyber security experts, product specialists and business leaders who are among the best I've worked with throughout my career.
But what truly makes this place special isn't just capability.
It's character.
There is a genuine desire across the organisation to see each other succeed.
People support one another.
Knowledge is shared freely.
Success is celebrated collectively.
Challenges are tackled together.
In many organisations, culture becomes a slogan or a set of values on a wall. At Upwind, it's something you experience every day.
The environment is ambitious, fast-paced and high-performing, but it's also supportive, collaborative and deeply respectful.
That's a rare combination.
As we continue scaling, protecting that culture remains one of our biggest priorities because it is one of the key reasons people choose to join us and stay with us.
The reality is that exceptional people want to work with other exceptional people.
We've created an environment where that happens naturally.
Leadership is often the difference between companies that scale successfully and those that struggle. What role have local leaders played in Upwind Belfast's success?
A: Leadership has been absolutely critical to our success.
One individual who deserves enormous recognition is our AVP, Peter McConnell.
Pete is one of the most respected people across the entire Upwind organisation and someone whose influence extends far beyond Belfast.
What makes Pete exceptional is not just his technical expertise or strategic leadership.
It's how he leads.
He leads by example every single day.
Despite the scale of responsibility he carries, he remains incredibly hands-on, approachable and connected to the team. He's present. He's engaged. He understands what people are working on and takes a genuine interest in helping them succeed.
One of the qualities I admire most is his ability to absorb pressure rather than pass it on.
Every high-growth company faces challenges. There are ambitious targets, rapid change and constant demands. Great leaders create stability in those environments.
Peter does exactly that.
He manages stress upwards rather than allowing it to impact the people around him. He provides clarity, context and confidence when others may feel uncertainty.
That ability to create calm while driving performance is one of the reasons he is so respected throughout the business.
What makes his leadership style even more powerful is his humility.
Quite simply, Peter is one of the most humble leaders I have ever worked with.
There is no ego.
Success is always attributed to the team.
Recognition is shared.
People are empowered to grow and succeed.
The culture he has helped create has become one of the defining characteristics of our Belfast operation.
Alongside Pete, we're fortunate to have outstanding leaders such as Simon Hewitt, Mike Eller and Derek Gilmore, all of whom have made significant contributions to building both the business and the culture that exists today.
Collectively, they have helped create an environment where talented people can thrive and do the best work of their careers.
Looking ahead, what does the future hold for Upwind Belfast and why should people be paying attention?
A: The next chapter is incredibly exciting.
We're continuing to invest heavily in Belfast.
We're growing our teams.
We're creating opportunities across engineering, cyber security, product and operational functions.
Most importantly, we're doing so at a time when cyber security has never been more important.
What excites me most is that we're still relatively early in our journey.
We have already built an exceptional team.
We have already established Belfast as a strategically important location within the company.
But I genuinely believe the biggest opportunities are still ahead of us.
For Northern Ireland, Upwind represents more than another technology employer.
We are building a globally recognised cyber security success story from Belfast.
A company competing at the highest levels of the industry.
A company helping define the future of cloud security.
A company creating meaningful careers for some of the best talent in Europe.
Three years ago, we started building quietly.
Today, momentum is building rapidly.
As we continue our growth journey, I believe Upwind will establish itself not only as one of the world's leading cloud security companies, but as one of Northern Ireland's most exciting and successful scale-up stories.
And for those fortunate enough to be part of that journey, there has never been a more exciting time to get involved.
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