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Thank you
This year marks my 20 year anniversary with First Derivative, a journey that began in 2005 with what I fully expected to be nothing more than interview practice, and one that has taken me further, both professionally and personally, than I could have ever imagined when I first walked through the door.
At the time, I was living and working in Belfast as an IT support analyst for a housing association. I had graduated from Queen’s University with a Computer Science degree the year before and was keeping an eye out for opportunities. I had heard of First Derivative while at Queen’s and knew it had a strong reputation, but that was about as far as it went – moving to a Newry-based company was never part of the plan.
My interview with FD took place in its old office on the Warrenpoint Road (for those who remember the early days!). It went well, better than I expected, and the very next day I got a call from another long-timer still with us today, Victoria Shanks, asking if I could start on client site in London the following week. A few slightly surreal days later, I handed in my notice, packed a bag and joined a company of around 50 people.
It was an intense start. My first role was helping to establish a new risk support team for a large financial institution. We were initially based near Bishopsgate, and despite some understandable hesitation given the timing, it quickly became clear that this was an opportunity worth embracing. What followed were eight years working with this client, leading different teams and eventually running a 15-person support function for a Wall Street application.
Those early years defined my career. The pace was demanding, expectations were high, and the learning curve was steep, but the culture made it work. There were many long hours, night shifts and more than a few memorable moments, including turning up to my first FD Christmas party on a solid 2 hours sleep! There was a genuine sense of community, and a strong “work hard, play hard” mentality that brought people together.
FD also placed real trust in its people, which is something that hasn’t changed. One of the highlights from this time was being sent to Singapore to help establish a regional support capability, an experience that reinforced both the global nature of our work and the confidence the firm placed in its teams. Finishing a working day with a swim in the apartment complex pool wasn’t too bad either!
As client engagements evolved, so did my role. Next, I moved on to lead major testing and support initiatives for other global financial programmes, overseeing team growth, delivery pressure, and critical system upgrades. Those periods were intense, with long weeks and high stakes, but also incredibly rewarding, particularly seeing the tangible impact of our work.
Nine years ago, I stepped into my current role as Service Delivery Lead for a large global managed service. Over time, that service grew to over 100 people globally, supporting critical production systems for a Tier 1 bank. It’s been challenging, rewarding and a brilliant environment for developing junior consultants, many of whom got their first exposure to large-scale, mission-critical systems through that programme. One of the highlights for me during this time was travelling to meet our teams in Asia, visiting colleagues in Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney. Putting faces to names, hearing first-hand about local challenges and celebrating what the teams were delivering, made a real difference and reinforced the importance of strong relationships in global delivery.
Looking back over 20 years, I’ve only worked with four clients which may not sound like a lot, but I’ve never spent a day on the bench which is something that speaks to the breadth of opportunity within FD and its long-term client partnerships. Ultimately, First Derivative has changed a lot over that time, as you’d expect, but the core values around commitment, delivery and supporting each other have remained.
On a personal note, I owe a great deal of debt to our late CEO and Founder, Brian Conlon, whose leadership, drive and example shaped the company for so many years. His influence is still felt today in the values that underpin First Derivative and the standards we continue to set for ourselves. FD has supported me through some of life’s biggest milestones, from getting married to raising three sons. I am genuinely grateful to the many managers, mentors, and colleagues who have played a role in my journey.
As the company moves forward as part of EPAM, I feel positive about where we’re heading. Twenty years on, I’m proud of what we have built and excited about what is to come next.
