The Covid Tracker Ireland app. Image: Luke Maxwell/Siliconrepublic.com
Ciaran Cosgrave will take over as CEO from co-founder Cian Ó Maidín, who is moving to the role of president.
NearForm, the open-source software company behind Ireland’s Covid-tracking app, has appointed Ciaran Cosgrave as its new CEO.
Cosgrave will take over the position from the company’s co-founder Cian Ó Maidín, who is taking up the role of company president.
The Waterford-based company released the Covid Tracker Ireland app last year. Soon after that, its source code was chosen as an open-source contact-tracing project by the Linux Foundation Public Health initiative. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, with its tech rolled out in the US in late 2020.
Speaking at Future Human last October, Ó Maidín discussed the value of using open-source technology for the app.
“As each additional government wanted to take the technology and develop it further, all the enhancements and the new features and things, they went back into that open-source project. So government by government, customer by customer, the core technology platform gets stronger and stronger and stronger. And that’s really the power of it,” he said.
NearForm’s new CEO
As a former managing director for Europe at Accenture, Cosgrave brings more than 20 years’ experience of growth, strategy and leadership to the role.
He has held chief technology officer roles at multiple IT services organisations and he previously served as vice-president for Europe at Cloud Sherpas, the cloud advisory and technology services company acquired by Accenture in 2015.
NearForm is delighted to announce that Ciaran Cosgrave has joined us as CEO & will lead the company in its next phase of growth. NearForm's founder @Cianomaidin will now take the role of President, overseeing customer success.
Welcome Ciaran, it's great to have you on board! pic.twitter.com/xETaFlixfC— NearForm (@NearForm) March 15, 2021
Cosgrave’s appointment comes amid NearForm’s plans to expand its operations across the US and Europe. Last month, US firm Columbia Capital invested an undisclosed amount in the Waterford company.
Outside of Covid tracking, NearForm develops enterprise software for corporate clients using open-source tech. It counts Walmart and IBM among its customers.
“Digital transformation remains high on the agenda for all organisations,” Cosgrave said. “NearForm’s expertise and ability to build and deliver accelerated, cost-effective digital services, paired with our commitment and leadership within the open-source community, make us the right partner to lead enterprises on their transformation journey.”
Ó Maidín added that Cosgrave’s international experience and proven track in digital transformation will make him a great addition to the NearForm team.
“Building NearForm from the ground up has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I’m looking forward to working with Ciaran as we work with some the world’s most influential brands, looking to unlock the true potential of their customers’ digital experience,” he said.
