CEO appointment and Board changes

RNS Number : 8070Z

First Derivatives PLC

15 January 2020

 

15 January 2020

First Derivatives plc

("FD" or the "Group")

CEO Appointment and Board changes

FD (AIM: FDP.L, Euronext Growth: FDP.I) announces the appointment of Seamus Keating as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect, succeeding the Group's founder, Brian Conlon, who passed away in July 2019. FD also announces that Non-Executive Director Donna Troy has been appointed Chairman of the Group.

Seamus has extensive leadership expertise in the global technology sector, including executive roles in both finance and operations in multi-national technology companies. A qualified accountant, Seamus held a number of senior roles at Logica plc until its acquisition in 2012 by CGI Group, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, President of the Benelux region and chair of its worldwide Financial Services practice. Since 2012 he has worked with a number of growing technology businesses in the private and public markets as chairman and non-executive director. He was appointed a Non-Executive Director of FD in December 2012 and Chairman in July 2013.

Donna has a depth of experience in both senior executive and non-executive roles within multi-national technology companies. She has held CEO, division general management and sales leadership roles in organisations including IBM, Partnerware, McAfee, SAP, Dell and Epicor, delivering revenue and margin growth and implementing global go-to-market strategies. She currently holds non-executive roles at Pivot3, TIBCO, Aptean and Curvature and was appointed a Non-Executive Director of FD in January 2018.

Following his appointment as CEO, Seamus Keating has stepped down from the Board committees of which he was a member. The Nomination Committee will now be chaired by Virginia Gambale and a search has been initiated for additional Non-Executive Directors with the skills and experience to support the Group's growth strategy.

Donna Troy, Chairman, commented: "We are delighted that Seamus has agreed to lead FD on the next stage of its journey. He was appointed Executive Chairman under the most difficult of circumstances and has demonstrated his ability to lead the team effectively while we undertook a search for a new CEO. There was considerable interest in the role from well-qualified candidates. However, as we refined the requirements it was apparent that we already had an outstanding candidate in Seamus. When he signalled his desire to take on the role the Board was thrilled and I look forward to working with him to execute our strategy to realise the enormous potential within the Group."

Seamus Keating, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Since my appointment as Executive Chairman my priority has been to ensure the Group maintains its drive to deliver growth. During this time I have met stakeholders across the business, including employees, customers, partners and investors across all the regions in which the Group operates. I have been struck by the high regard in which FD and our corporate culture is held, which provides an excellent platform on which to execute the Group's strategy. I am grateful to FD's employees who have shown immense dedication during this difficult period and to the Board for its support as I take on this new role, leading FD to achieve its long-term objectives."

Enquiries

For further information please contact:

First Derivatives plc Seamus Keating, Chief Executive Officer Graham Ferguson, Chief Financial Officer Ian Mitchell, Head of Investor Relations	[phone] www.firstderivatives.com
Investec Bank plc (Nominated Adviser and Broker) Andrew Pinder Carlton Nelson Sebastian Lawrence	[phone]
Goodbody (Euronext Growth Adviser and Broker) David Kearney Don Harrington Finbarr Griffin	[phone]
FTI Consulting Matt Dixon Dwight Burden Darius Alexander	[phone]

About FD

FD is a global technology provider with more than 20 years of experience working with some of the world's largest finance, technology, automotive, utility, manufacturing and energy institutions. The Group's Kx technology, incorporating the kdb+ time-series database, is a leader in high-performance, in-memory computing, streaming analytics and operational intelligence. Kx delivers the best possible performance and flexibility for high-volume, data-intensive analytics and applications across multiple industries. FD operates from 15 offices across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, including its headquarters in Newry, and employs more than 2,400 people worldwide.

For further information, please visit www.firstderivatives.com and www.kx.com

 

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