John Purdy and Paul McCann. Image: Maura Hickey
Ergo chair Paul McCann will take up the reins as CEO from September.
Ergo CEO John Purdy has named Paul McCann as his successor. McCann will take over the running of Ergo, a cloud and managed services company based in Dublin, from September.
Co-founder Purdy will take up a new position as company chair, the role currently occupied by McCann.
“It became clear to me some time ago that Paul would be a natural to succeed me if he was available,” said Purdy.
“He has a deep understanding of our business and values, combined with a growth mindset and focus on customers that has always been the engine of Ergo’s success.”
‘I look forward to helping to write the next chapter in a great Irish success story’
– PAUL MCCANN
McCann was appointed chair of Ergo in 2015. He will join the company as CEO from Grant Thornton, where he is a senior partner in the firm’s financial services advisory department.
As Ergo chair, McCann advised the board on acquisitions that have seen the company more than double its growth, achieving annual revenues above €95m.
From September, he will lead Ergo on a strategy focused on growth through acquisition. Up to then, he will continue to provide strategic advice to Grant Thornton in respect to historic assignments. He will also continue in his role as interim CFO with Permanent TSB until September.
“The opportunity to become Ergo CEO dovetailed perfectly with my own aspirations to lead a company at the cutting edge of business-critical technologies,” said McCann.
“I have always had the utmost respect for Ergo as a highly skilled IT provider and as an employer of talented people who are synonymous with its success. I look forward to helping to write the next chapter in a great Irish success story.”
Ergo began as a two-man operation with Purdy and Tim Sheehy in 1993. Since moving into the software development and cloud services space, the company saw accelerated growth and launched Fenergo and FlowForma as spin-off businesses. Last month, the former achieved unicorn status following a $1bn-plus valuation.
Earlier this year, Ergo announced plans to create 60 jobs as part of a multimillion-euro investment. The company currently employs more than 450 people and expects to surpass €100m in revenue in fiscal 2021.
