From left: Tom O’Connor, Patrick Cooney and Louise Lahiff. Image: Version 1
Louise Lahiff takes over as chief operating officer while Patrick Cooney, formerly of Kerry Group, joins the company as chief financial officer.
Irish IT and digital transformation provider Version 1 has made some big appointments to its management to drive the company’s ongoing financial and operational growth.
In an announcement yesterday (9 May), the Dublin-headquartered company said that Louise Lahiff will take on the role of chief operating officer while Patrick Cooney joins the company as chief financial officer.
Lahiff, who has been with Version 1 for 10 years, will oversee delivery functions across Ireland, the UK, India and the US. She has previously held executive positions including director of strategy, people and planning, where she oversaw rapid international expansion. Notably, Lahiff was also the first woman to join the board of Version 1’s software entity in 2022.
“This is a very exciting time for Version 1 and I’m extremely pleased and grateful to continue my journey as the new COO,” she said.
“We have ambitious plans in the pipeline for our growth and development and I am looking forward to working with my teams to continuously evolve our value proposition to our customers, setting the bar high in transformation that in turn benefits their own customers and users.”
Meanwhile, Cooney joins Version 1 from Kerry Group, where he was the European chief financial officer for nine years – overseeing the organisation during several major challenges including Brexit and Covid-19.
Version 1 said Cooney, who takes over from former CFO Andrew Langford, will now spearhead its financial growth strategy as the business goes through rapid expansion through acquisitions and expansions into new markets.
“It was very important for me to join an organisation that had values which match my own,” said Cooney. “Each of the Version 1 core values resonates with me and I’m confident that I can thrive and be happy in this environment while delivering what’s needed for the business. It has an impressive track record of growth to date and ambitious plans for the future. I am truly excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this.”
In 2022, Version 1 announced plans to open a new tech hub in Newcastle upon Tyne. And last year, it announced plans for a new technology hub in Birmingham city centre.
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