Alejandro is Co-Founder of Defactor and CEO of Defactor Labs – who this week are launching Europe’s first institutional grade DeFi product. A well known figure in Blockchain and Web3 in Ireland (and Globally), we speak about all things from moving from engineering, to supply chain to Web3 via Sydney to Dublin. Alejandro shares insights on what the market wants and where the ecosystem is going as well as advice on getting into Web3.   0:30 – Intros and Alejandro’s background 2:50 – Getting into blockchain for the first time 4:20 – What difference does blockchain make in the supply chain process? 5:50 – Further down the blockchain rabbit hole with the Happy Pear 7:20 – Co-Founding Consol Freight 9:30 – Pilot with Maker DAO 10:50 – The concept of Defactor – spotting a market gap 11:40 – What do Defactor do? 14:00 – Growth strategy 15:20 – What has the Defactor journey been like so far? 16:50 – Regulation & compliance being a commercial advantage 17:40 – Being regulated doesn’t equal safe 18:20 – FTX and it’s impact on DeFi and the opportunity it creates for real world assets 20:00 – Where next for Defactor? 20:30 – Alejandro’s view on Web3 in Ireland 22:50 – Interest in blockchain and opportunities from the TechWreck 24:50 – The next evolution of Web3 26:40 – The range within Web3 and how to look at Web3 projects 24:30 – New skills in demand in Web3 28:35 – Advice for someone thinking of getting into Web3   Defactor: https://defactor.com/ Alejandro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-gutierrez-98979b43/ Hackathon: https://www.ethdublin.io/    

Delighted to have Andrew Quinn back on the show for a second time. Andrew talks about how he went from bringing down Lehman Brothers 😉, before skipping off to the Bahamas, to education. Andrew has been a long time friend of Top Tier Recruitment and a real pleasure to hear his back story and his passion for what he does today supporting the Compliance & Risk industry in Ireland.   1:00 – Andrew’s background and how he went from trading to academia! 4:00 – Making a positive contribution to society 5:50 – What do you do now with PAT Business School 10:00 – Compliance by Design and how technology is changing things – including ChatGPT 11:00 – Embracing technology 11:45 – What is going to be important to know if you are in compliance and risk over the next few years? 14:20 – Will technology make compliance more strategic? 15:30 – Ireland & the EUs high standards in risk & compliance 16:30 – What has changed from 2007 to today when hiring in Risk & Compliance – is Compliance becoming more commercial? 19:30 – Speed to market & compliance 20:00 – From FinTech to Blockchain 23:15 – New avenues for Compliance & Risk professionals? 26:00 – Compliance in Crypto 27:50 – Find out more   Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewquinn3/ PAT FinTech - https://pat.edu.eu/fintech/

Sara Jane, at 18 years of age, is probably one of the best known people in and around the Web3 space in Ireland… and beyond. For anyone who want’s to get into Web3 (or any industry for that matter), this podcast is for you. Sara Jane has had her own start up, worked with Mel Ventures, Sors, Algorand, Unbanx and invests in Crypto and Web3 projects – we chat about everything from crypto to taking risks to get what you want.     1:00 – Tell us about your background and how you got into Web3 & Blockchain 7:00 – You don’t need to be from a tech background to get into Web3 9:00 – Attempted career recap! 10:20 – How to get into Web3 & Blockchain 12:45 – Networking in Web3 in Ireland 13:45 – Always upskill! 15:00 – Non technology roles in Web3 & Blockchain 16:45 – Advice for getting into Web3 & Blockchain 18:30 – Is Web3 more about the person than the skills?   Don’t forget to connect with Sara Jane!   LinkedIn: Sara Jane Kenny Twitter: https://twitter.com/ganainmtech

Back in 2023 with our focus on Web3 & Blockchain. First up, Owen O Driscoll, Founder of Impact Investing platform - Plandail. Paul & Owen get into all things Plandail, the world of Web3 and how to break into it and advice for someone thinking of going out on their own. 0:38 Seconds - Intro 1:35 – Owen & Plandail – the back story and blockchain 8:10 – The Maltese Accelerator 9:00 – The fundamentals of a business are sector and technology agnostic 10:00 – a good idea is not necessarily a commercial idea and raising money through VC 11:30 – What exactly Plandail do 14:20 – Why blockchain technology was important for Plandail 17:10 – Web3 – where is it going in Ireland and globally in 2023 and beyond 22:20 – Advice for budding entrepreneurs – talk to people and validate 25:50 – Stepping away from a ‘steady’ pay check 30 – Is redundancy the right time to start your own business? 28:50 – Getting into the blockchain / Web3 world 30:15 – Web3 & Blockchain community in Ireland Links: Plandail.com Owen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenodriscoll/

Gavin Pitcher is Head of Corporate Finance and Technology Advisory for CKS Finance. In this episode, Gavin speaks about all things CKS and how they are on a track to become the premier Corporate Finance advisory in Ireland. 

In this episode, Paul and Laura cover various aspects to consider when drafting and editing your cv. Did you know you should adapt your cv to each and every role you apply to?

As we look back on 2020, Paul and Laura discuss how this year will differ from previous ones. Tune in for plenty of tips!

Recruitment always gets slower coming up to Christmas. Companies are focused on their end of year results and hiring Managers take time off to spend with their families, so it always takes a back seat. It is the perfect time to brush up on your cv, interview skills and job search strategies.

We are now in our second lockdown, however, this time does feel a lot less severe – perhaps it has become out new normal.

In this episode, we discuss: What is the reason for being at a point where you are considering changing career? Do you know what you want to do? Mind the gap! How will you know you are making progress? What is your timeline? What are you prepared to do to achieve your goal?

In this episode, we discuss: What are you seeing in the financial services market at the moment and how has it changed over the course of the pandemic? Are there any particular sectors that are hiring at the moment? What types of roles are particularly in demand? In terms of level, anything standing out? What impact is Brexit having now?

Wow, what a hectic year!!! 2020 will certainly be one we will all never forget. For some, it has been stressful, sorrowful and an unenjoyable experience. For others, it has given them the chance to press the reset button, get their exercise and eating patterns at a satisfactory level, and has allowed them reassess what is important to them.   Regardless of where you are in your Covid journey, an interesting question is continually raised from our clients and candidates – “when do you think we will return to the office?”.

We were delighted to have Adrian Whelan join Paul on this episode of Your Pursuit of Happiness. Adrian is and SVP and Head of Regulatory Intelligence with BBH but is also actively involved in a long list of extra circular activities within and outside of BBH, a lot of which revolve around Inclusion and Diversity.

As we know Pride week is themed every year and this year the theme was “In this together” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was joined by Vessy Tasheva who shared some intimate details about her story and how she celebrated Pride this year.

Interviewing by Video in the “New Normal”   For anyone on the job hunt, you will know the market is starting to pick up again and there are more and more roles being released every day. We work in Financial Services and Fintech and these industries have remained strong throughout, but some industries did stop all recruitment which is starting to move again.   For anyone who has not interviewed by video before, read below our Top 5 useful tips for Interviewing by Video:   Ensure you are comfortable communicating your skillset through video While we should be able to present ourselves as we would face-to-face, this method might be new to some people, hence can be off-putting.  A simple way to overcome your resistance to this method is by doing a mock interview with your recruiter if you went through one or asking a colleague or friend to help. This can help you become more familiar and comfortable with the video method when the interview goes ahead. Presentation should still be high on your agenda You should dress yourself as you would for an interview, although you can get away with dressing only the bottom half 😉 I have caught someone who had to get up for something and I saw their checkered patterned, undisguisable pyjama bottoms! Also make sure the room you are interviewing in is tidy. The best way to position the came is to point it to a blank wall as your backdrop. Limit distractions You are most likely working from home where children and animals can be a huge distraction – make sure if there is someone else at home, they are watching them during the interview. Perhaps you can lock the room you are in. Some people think it might be a good idea to keep lots of notes you can refer too but remember even though you are not in front of your interviewers, they can still see you 😉 It is better to limit as many distractions as you can. Make sure you have a stable WiFi connection If you have an unstable WiFi connection that you are aware of, please leave the house and ask a friend or family member if you can use theirs. It can be annoying when you are having a conversation with someone and they suddenly freeze. It is your responsibility to counteract such occurrences. Another alternative is to use your phone as the 4G on your phone might be more stable. Be as natural as possible This is a regular interview, albeit through a different medium, so prepare as you would normally. By following the above steps, you can reduce any stress or nervous energy you might have around interviewing in this way.   For more tips on interviews and to assess our various resources, visit: https://www.toptierrecruitment.com/jobseekers/resources   To check out our open vacancies, visit: https://www.toptierrecruitment.com/fintech-and-financial-services-jobs  

"What Basis.Point does is it puts together those people who want to make a difference and want to make a change with those who can" - Edel O'Malley's succinct description of what Basis.Point do. We were delighted to have Edel on the show, particularly in light of their quickly established but effective Emergency Fund to help charity partners during Covid. For notes and links, check out https://www.toptierrecruitment.com/podcast

In this special episode, we welcome back Pete Townsend of Norio Ventures to discuss the impact Covid 19 is having on the FinTech, Blockchain and Financial Services market with Paul.   In this hour long special, we cover the opportunities and challenges for businesses operating and recruiting in this market, what Pete is seeing in areas like fundraising, transformational projects and who will come out of this stronger than ever while Paul gives an insight into the recruitment market and demand for coaching.   Please don’t forget to check out our complimentary 90 min coaching session offering through Possible.ie for any SMEs, leaders or HR professionals who could do with support during the Covid 19 crisis. Go to www.possible.ie/covid and tell us how we can help.

Brexit has come to pass and will affect Irish business and employment for years to come. We spoke with the former Brexit spokesperson at the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, Katie Daughen, for her thoughts on how best to deal with this huge change. Show notes here.

R3 is an exciting international enterprise blockchain software firm that continues to grow in Ireland. Join us as we talk with Dave Hudson and Katelyn Baker from R3. Show notes here.

The Funds Industry in Ireland has gone from strength to strength and today we're joined by an industry leader, Karen Malone. Karen is Founding Partner & CEO of Centaur. With offices in Europe and North America, Centaur delivers independent fund administration and regulatory services worldwide. Show notes here.