As Globoforce’s Vice President of Global Marketing & Client Strategy, Derek is a seasoned, internationally minded management professional with over 20 years of experience working across a diverse range of industries. During his career he has lived in many countries including Spain, France, Ireland, Canada, Sweden, UK and the USA. In his role as a thought leader at Globoforce, Derek helps clients set a higher ambition for global strategic employee recognition, leading consultative workshops and strategy setting meetings with such global organizations as Avnet, P&G, Dow Chemical, Intel, Intuit, KPMG and Reuters. An authority on the topics of employee engagement and recognition, he has been a guest speaker at worldwide industry and professional group conferences. Derek also heads up the product development and rewards teams at Globoforce, building an industry leading product with a rewards portfolio that is now the most global and largest rewards selection in the industry today.

While previously working with top-five management consultancy firm PA Consulting Group, he advised clients in corporate strategy, organizational behavior, marketing and corporate communications. Derek has also worked in consumer marketing for many years, working on the world-class brands of Johnson & Johnson and Jameson. Derek holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Master of International Business Studies degree from University College Dublin.

Recognition Philosophy: “Frequently and appropriately recognize your employees’ every day accomplishments and you will be rewarded with a loyal, hard working and over-performing team.”

With two decades of experience in finance management across a broad range of companies, Steve joined Globoforce as Chief Financial Officer in 2005. Steve is responsible for finance, operations, legal and human resources efforts. Most recently, Steve served as Vice President of Finance for Avaki Corporation, overseeing the negotiation and sale of the company to Sybase. Prior to Avaki, he was Senior Director, Corporate Controller of Allaire Corporation, now a part of Adobe, a leader in web application development tools, application servers and content management software. While at Allaire, Steve was instrumental in managing the financial infrastructure to support the company’s growth from a start-up to a public company with revenues approaching $120 million. Steve has also served as Director, Corporate Accounting at Interleaf and has held senior positions at Toyota and KPMG. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Recognition Philosophy: “Employee recognition is not a fluffy HR initiative. Strategic employee recognition increases the bottom line through improved employee engagement and performance.”

Jonathan directs Globoforce’s IT architecture systems and client implementation initiatives and leads our dynamic and innovative technical team in Dublin, Ireland. With more than a decade of international experience in IT management and consulting roles for technology companies such as Versatel (Netherlands) and Esat Telecom, Jonathan brings extensive understanding in Strategic Enterprise Systems Development and leading edge technology to the firm and our clients. Jonathan holds a Masters degree in Electronics, Computers and Telecommunications Engineering and a First Class B.Sc(Eng) in Electronics, Computers and Telecommunications from Trinity College Dublin. He is an Associate Member of the IEE.

Recognition Philosophy: “The opportunity for recognition should never be limited. Sales or IT, HR or Accounting, all contributing employees should have an equal chance to be recognized for their talent and their effort.”

As Globoforce’s VP Sales, North America, Ben is responsible for overseeing North American sales strategy as well as driving new business development. Ben brings to Globoforce more than 20 years of senior management experience in the information technology industry. Most recently, he served as VP Sales and Business Development at Webhire, a Boston-based company that delivered talent management, web-based solutions to HR departments around the globe. Prior to Webhire, Ben was responsible for the Information Technology Practice at Brainshark, Inc., the leader in on-demand, rich media communications. He also held VP of Sales and Business Development positions at Envoy Worldwide and Sitara Networks, Inc. As a sales executive for Desktop Data, Ben was an original member of the sales team that helped that start-up company issue a successful IPO in 1995. Ben earned a B.A. as a double major in Economics and Philosophy from Brandeis University.

Recognition Philosophy: “Catch them doing it right! Then make sure everyone knows of the accomplishments for those deserving of recognition.”

Based in Dublin, Kieran joined Globoforce in 2000 and currently has overall responsibility for all sales and business development activity throughout Europe. He manages a range of employee and consumer recognition programs for Globoforce’s blue chip European clients. Previously with Milton Holdings (New York and Dublin) where he was Executive Vice President of Marketing, Kieran has worked in sales and marketing roles throughout his career with international corporations such as Johnson Matthey PLC (New York) where he was Sales and Marketing Manager. Kieran holds an MBS in Marketing from University College Dublin and Fordham University, New York.

Recognition Philosophy: “The need for recognition and positive reinforcement knows no boundaries. All employees, regardless of cultural background, need to know their efforts are noticed, appreciated and rewarded.”

Rachana leads the Client Services team to deliver on-demand appreciation portals created specifically to the unique branding, image, language and cultural needs of Globoforce’s clients. In addition to helping clients achieve their strategic recognition goals, Rachana is also responsible for ongoing account management and expanding the consultative services offering. Rachana recently joined Globoforce after three years at Softscape, Inc., a human capital management and enterprise case management software and services organization, where she led a professional services team as Practice Director. Prior to joining Softscape, she served in a variety of leadership roles at Workscape, Inc., a leading provider of outsourced benefits, compensation and performance management solutions, since 1999. Rachana has a decade of experience in the human capital industry, before which she worked internationally for firms including Deutsche Bank and British Telecom in the areas of banking, telecoms and aerospace in the UK, Singapore, Germany and India. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from IT-BHU in India.

Recognition Philosophy: “In the effort to create more productive teams, some managers have forgotten the magic words – ‘thank you.’ Sincerely and demonstrably appreciate the efforts of your team, and they will exceed even your highest expectations.”