Version 1 boosts leadership team with COO, CFO hires

Louise Lahiff and Partick Cooney to lead Irish MSP into next phase of expansion

MSP Version 1 has announced the appointment of Louise Lahiff as chief operating officer (COO) and Patrick Cooney as chief financial officer (CFO).

The duo are appointed as part of the MSP's growth strategy, following a year of organic expansion and the MSP's recent acquisition of Farsight Consulting.

Lahiff has been with Version 1 for a decade and in this new role she will oversee the outcomes for delivery and technology implementations for all customers, leading the delivery functions across the UK, Ireland, India, and the US.

She has previously been director of strategy, people and planning where she was instrumental in facilitating the necessary structures and support systems for rapid expansion and scale on a global level.

Lahiff was the first woman to join the board of Version 1's softwareentity in July 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 stated.

"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."

Patrick Cooney joins Version 1 as CFO from Kerry Group plc, where he served as Europe CFO for nine years, helping the organisation to navigate several geopolitical challenges including Brexit, cost inflation and the impact of COVID-19.

He will spearhead Version 1's financial growth strategy, driving the business safely during a time of rapid expansion through acquisition and progression into new markets.

He will be tasked with building a financial team to drive the growth of the Irish MSP

Cooney takes over from Andrew Langford who is retiring after almost seven years as Version 1 CFO, having successfully steered the organisation through several acquisitions as well as securing a new partner and majority shareholder deal with Partners Group in 2022.

"It was very important for me to join an organisation that had values which match my own," said Patrick. "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."

The appointments of Louse Lahiff and Patrick Cooney mark key milestones in Version 1's plan to drive significant growth and expansion this year.

The promotions follow on the heels of Version 1 buying out UK-based Farsight Consulting in April, adding €20m in revenue and 133 staff to its business.

Even prior to the acquisition, the firm saw strong organic growth under Partners Group's steerage, boosting revenue by 35.5 per cent to £105.5m.