Paul McCann named new Ergo Chief Executive Officer – John Purdy becomes Chairman
Dublin — 13th May 2021: Today, John Purdy named Paul McCann as his successor, the next CEO of Ergo, who will take over the running of Ireland’s leading Cloud and Managed Services company from September. Paul will join Ergo from Grant Thornton where he is Senior Partner in the firm’s Financial Services Advisory Department and where he served as Managing Partner from 2012 to 2017. During his tenure, he navigated the firm through an accelerated growth period, expanding the firm from 417 to 1144 people, and growing revenues from €41m to €115.7m.
John Purdy will become Ergo Chairman, switching roles with McCann who became Ergo Chair in 2015, having advised the board on acquisitions that helped the company expand its capabilities and more than double its growth in the last decade, achieving annual revenues in excess of €95m . With Ireland’s IT services sector going through a period of rapid consolidation, Ergo is refocusing on a growth-through-acquisition strategy that Paul McCann will now lead.
John Purdy, Ergo co-founder and current CEO, commented, “It became clear to me some time ago that Paul would be a natural to succeed me if he was available. 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.”
Paul McCann, incoming CEO, said, “The opportunity to become Ergo CEO dovetailed perfectly with my own aspirations to lead a company at the cutting edge of business-critical technologies. 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.”
Until September, Paul will continue to provide strategic advice to Grant Thornton in respect to historic assignments and will remain in his role as interim CFO with Permanent TSB until September 2021, to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.
Earlier this year, Ergo announced plans to create 60 jobs as part of a multimillion euro investment in the business. The company currently employs more than 450 people and expects to surpass the €100 million milestone in fiscal 2021.
About John Purdy
John Purdy and Tim Sheehy launched Ergo as a two-man firm selling toner cartridges for printers in 1993. By1998 John had pivoted the business into an IT Managed Services company, reflecting John’s focus on market innovation. The next two decades would see Ergo move into software development and become a pioneer in cloud services. Fast growth followed as John oversaw a series of acquisitions and launched two spin-off businesses – Fenergo and FlowForma. Fenergo recently achieved ‘unicorn’ status after surpassing a $1bn valuation. In 2014 John was named EY Industry Entrepreneur of the Year.
About Paul McCann
A qualified accountant, Paul McCann was admitted to the Grant Thornton Partnership in 2001. He was Head of Advisory for nine years and appointed Managing Partner from 2012 to 2017. Since 2018, he has been a senior Partner in the Firm’s Financial Services Advisory department, providing advisory services to banks, financial institutions and asset management companies on risk, regulatory, consulting and advisory engagements. In addition to internal directorships, he has held non-executive roles with Ergo and Abbey Group Limited. He always looks to create boardroom environments that value constructive debate and avoid ‘group think’.
