Aidan Mc Nulty
Founding Partner, RiskMetrics Group,
New York |
How long have you been in your current position?
Since the company’s inception, September 1998
What exactly does your job involve? Briefly describe a typical day. Are there substantial differences between the range and scale of your work now and before? I see my primary role as sales and the development of strategic accounts for our company. A typical day would normally start at 5.30 am. I extricate myself un-noticed by any number of my four children from an American king sized bed. After two large Starbucks, my day is mostly made up of visiting clients and potential clients in the financial services sector. Our company’s revenue model is annual licence fees for risk measurement analytics, software and data, so client retention is as important as new business. I also spend time with risk management systems vendors and consultants. The biggest change in my job is the amount of time I spend with clients - 80 per cent of my time is spent away from the office. When I worked for JP Morgan I had very little client contact.
How much of your time do you spend outside Ireland? I now live in the US so all my time is spent outside Ireland. I left Ireland in 1985 and since that time I have lived in Bahrain, UK and the US. We try to visit Ireland as a family once a year and I make it back for some sporting events. I have stayed in close contact with all my old friends from Trinity College who have now managed to get themselves into positions where corporate hospitality at Landsdowne Road and Mount Juliet are occasionally available to their friends. I do my best to reciprocate when they come Stateside.
What was your initial reaction when you were offered this position abroad? How has your opinion changed since you have taken the job? I grew up a semi-expat brat, so the urge to travel came naturally. I looked for an overseas position very early in my career and though I had always intended to return to Ireland it has not turned out that way.
How does your operation fit strategically within the overall group’s business? Our company has opened offices in London, Tokyo and Brazil in the past year, but the HQ remains in the US. However we generate 50per cent of our revenues from outside the US and have plans to open in Singapore and Frankfurt this year. We have a globally recognised brand and we will continue to invest in our overseas presence in support of that brand.
What’s the best thing about being located outside Ireland? Looking back, how close is Ireland to the cutting edge of financial services?
The weather. I am too long gone out of Ireland to say for sure, but when I see the number of incredibly successful Irish people on Wall Street, in the City, Hong Kong, Tokyo and numerous other financial centres, Ireland must have exposed these people to the skills required to succeed. I also hear more and more about the success of the IFSC from our clients around the world.
What’s the worst thing about being abroad? Distance from friends and family, slagging my mates incessantly during a four-ball without anyone getting upset and not getting to play in the Castle GC father and son as often as I would like. I am also sad that neither of my sons will experience playing schools rugby in Ireland. |
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| Article appeared in the June 2000 issue.
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