What is a Shadow Board?

The Shadow Board is a forum in Version 1 made up of a diverse group of younger members of the Version 1 team, and all under the age of 30. The group is sponsored by the CEO, Tom O’Connor, and its primary directive is to provide insights, feedback, and ideas to senior decision-makers in the business, representing their generation’s perspective, as well as to hear about the company strategy and decisions so they can share with their peers.

Traditionally younger people with less experience would rarely be offered an opportunity to air their thoughts, suggestions, and feedback to their more senior peers. Version 1 wanted to change this. As a result of this, Version 1 established its first Shadow Board in 2020, and has run 2 very successful cohorts since then.

In 2023, our third Shadow Board takes the reigns. We look forward to the impact they will create for our organisation and our customers’. The Shadow Board members will work closely with the senior executive team which consists of our CEO Tom O’Connor, CFO Andrew Langford, and, Director of Strategy, Planning and Communications, Louise Lahiff.

Our  Shadow Board for 2023 is made up of 14 members under the age of 30 from across Version 1 and a variety of our locations including Malaga, Dublin, Bangalore, Newcastle and Belfast.

Meet our 2023 Shadow Board Members

Jonathan Gillespie

I’m Johnny, I’m 27 years old and I’ve been a part of Version 1 through acquisition for over a year and a half now. I’m currently working as a Senior Software Engineer in our Capital Markets sector with a Chicago-based financial tech provider. I’m really looking forward to being a part of the Shadow Board for 2023 and am most excited to get to envision and shape some of what Version 1 will look like for this year and beyond, with my fellow Shadow Board members.Catherine Geddis

My name is Catherine, I am based in the Belfast office and I joined Version 1 through the graduate programme in 2016. I am currently working as a Business Analyst on a project with the Department for Communities and have previously worked on several projects as a .NET developer. I am most looking forward to working with the other Shadow Board members to share our ideas and perspective with the management team.Adrian Parra
My name is Adrian Parra and I joined Version 1 in June 2021. I have been working on several projects with one of our biggest insurance clients. I finished my degree as a Software Engineer at the University of Malaga, and I have worked in several tech companies since then. During this time, I was promoted to Senior Software Engineer and I have been involved, along with the rest of my colleagues, in the growth of the Malaga office and being part of the Buzz Committee. I am delighted to be part of the Shadow Board 2023 and hopeful to make a positive impact on the company.Damien Cooke

My name is Damien Cooke, and I am a principal test engineer with 8 years of experience in developing and delivering government services. I joined Version 1 in 2021 as part of the Evoco acquisition. I started my career as an apprentice developer as part of the civil service fast track. I am really looking forward to seeing how an executive board functions as well as implementing projects which help Version 1 employees.

 Ryan Nesbitt

My name is Ryan Nesbitt and I have been working at Version 1 since October 2021. I am an Associate Consultant currently working on the HMCTS account within the Immigration & Asylum Tribunal team which focuses mainly on Java development. Being a public sector project, my work contributes to giving citizens access to digital services to help them with their current circumstances. My background before moving into IT was as a Maths Teacher and so I have enjoyed getting involved in the Education Collaboration aspect of Version 1 as well. I joined the Shadow Board because I want to help across other areas of the company, particularly with respect to Early Careers. Outside of work I enjoy traveling, cycling, and reading

 Jashwanth Jegadeesan Vijayalakshmi

Hi, my name is Jashwanthand I joined Version 1 in February 2021 after completing my MSc in Computer Science at UCD. It has been a positive and demanding journey so far in Version 1 and Version 1 as an organisation, has grown tremendously over the past two years. I am an AWS DevOps Engineer who is into novel technologies surrounding the Cloud and DevOps domain. Ireland is my home away from home, and I am grateful for the opportunities it has provided me. Outside of Version 1, I am passionate about football, travel, and music. I am really excited to be a part of the Shadow Board 2023 and am looking forward to making an immense impact during my tenure.

 Muskan Dhingra

Hi, I am Muskan Dhingra and I work as an Oracle HCM Cloud Consultant. I joined Version1 in June 2022 and I am a proud member of the Shadow Board 2023. This opportunity is exciting for me as I will be able to closely observe and feel the magic of mentoring by working closely with the top management of Version 1. It is an amazing platform wherein the youth can make an organization-wide impact through our decisions. I see the role as a way of developing my career to become forward-thinking as a decision-maker and confronting business-related challenges and learning the art of strategizing end-to-end management processes.

 Raghavendra Bagalur Nagesha

Hi, I’m Raghavendra BN based out of Bengaluru, India. I joined Version 1 in May 2021 and am currently working as a DevOps Engineer within the Foundations Team, (part of the Innovation Labs) looking after Accelerators and mainly involved in infrastructure provisioning using terraform and also application deployment using Azure DevOps for CICD.

I’m very excited to be part of Shadow Board this year and make use of this opportunity to grow my network and learn new skills and ways to work apart from my actual role.

 Matthew McNally

Hello, my name is Matthew. I am a software developer and technical consultant with experience in working with Microsoft and Oracle technologies and databases, supporting the NI Courts Service systems. I am excited to be part of this year’s Shadow Board. I see it as a way to learn more about how the business works, develop my own skills and work with others to drive meaningful change. I am looking forward to learning from the experiences and building professional relationships with my fellow Shadow Board members and the Executive Board while contributing my own ideas to help drive the organization forward.