NEXT GENERATION LEADERS
Roadmap to Leadership In the latest in this Next Gen Leaders series, Deloitte Partner, Kevin Butler, speaks with Ian McDermott, CFO of Genesis Automation. From defining leadership to reflecting on career pivots, Ian charts a roadmap for aspiring leaders to navigate challenges and embrace growth. Building a Start-up Culture “It’s like a drug, it’s just infectious,” Ian tells Kevin Butler as he reflects on his current role as CFO of Genesis Automation, a Cork-based healthcare software company. Prior to Genesis, Ian worked on the corporate development team of a FTSE 100 company as well as with Deloitte across both assurance and corporate finance practices. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai, that which you enjoy, you are good at and is valuable, Ian explains to Kevin that exposure to various environments and challenges moulded his thinking and shaped the foundation for a fulfilling career.
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“The biggest thing for me was getting my professional exams. Through that process it allowed me to understand what I am good at and what I am interested in and if you can align those two things it will get you on a pathway towards what your goals are. I found my way through Deloitte in audit, moved into corporate finance and really liked that forward looking kind of style, and then I moved into big corporate and got experience there. I have gone into the startup environment now and there are challenges involved, but for me the biggest thing is you really get to test your skillset because you are stretched in so many ways,” he explained.
“The switch into the private equity backed startup, the culture you are creating as you go is what is infectious because every little thing makes a huge difference.”
The Leadership Journey Although each step in Ian’s career was a conscious choice driven by a desire for personal and professional alignment it wasn’t all plain sailing, and to become the leader he is now he had to take learnings along the way. “For me leadership is about ownership, accountability, and execution. It’s about leading from the front and that’s not just grabbing the
