Michael Foley

Being from Northern Ireland (County Down in particular) it would be hard not to be familiar with the success story that is First Derivative. Working in the Financial Services sector, I’d seen first hand the reasons behind the success. Any First Derivative employees I worked with were brilliant professionals who were trusted by the client and delivered. When I was approached by a former colleague to join the company I was flattered and couldn’t say no.

A day in my role in Banking Ops is a Balancing Act. Balancing the client’s needs and project deliverables with the daily needs of my own team while also making time to contribute to the development of the practice and First Derivative as a whole.

Watching the grads flourish. On my first project with First Derivative, I led a group of 20 plus new recruits to the CMTP. Like me, they were just in the door and eager to impress. It’s been a privilege watching them develop as professionals - from graduating from CMTP, reviewing client / PTL feedback to seeing their applications for promotion and my colleagues in the SLT recognising their efforts and rewarding them with that deserved promotion.

For me, working for First Derivative still has a real local feel to it. It’s sometimes easy to forget the global footprint First Derivative has. I think that’s unique in this industry and is one factor which sets us apart from our competitors. Another factor, which many have already mentioned, is our people. The quality of our recruitment is second to none. The intelligence and ability to work smart from a large part of the people I have worked with is amazing.