FD (AIM: FDP.L, Euronext Growth: FDP.I) announces that Graham Ferguson has informed the Group of his intention to step down as Chief Financial Officer and from the Board on 1 January 2021. Ryan Preston, the Group’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer, will be appointed Chief Financial Officer and join the Board on that date. Graham will continue as a full-time employee until 30 June 2021 to ensure a successful transition and to assist with a number of initiatives related to the Group’s growth strategy.

Graham joined the Board in his current role in 2008 and has played a central role in the development of the business since. He is leaving to devote more time to his other interests including providing consulting services to Northern Ireland-based SMEs to assist their development.

Ryan was formerly Chief Financial Officer of Independent News & Media plc and at OVO Energy Retail, having spent the early part of his career in senior finance roles at Tesco, including Group Finance Director, Europe. He was appointed Deputy Chief Financial Officer at FD in January 2020.

Graham Ferguson commented: “I’ve seen FD grow from a business in Newry with great ambition, to business-leading innovation in streaming analytics at a global scale. This development is a testimony to the quality of the people I have had the pleasure to work with over with the years and it has been wonderful to be part of this journey. In Ryan, I believe that the Group has a CFO who will be a valuable addition to the FD team and assist in delivering the next phase of growth.”

Seamus Keating, CEO of FD, commented: “Graham has been a pivotal part of FD’s leadership team for more than a decade and has contributed enormously to the Group’s growth. He leaves with our thanks and with FD in a strong position. We are pleased to appoint Ryan Preston as CFO with effect from 1 January 2021, confident that he can build on the strong start he has made since joining the Group earlier this year.”

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Michael Ryan Preston (47) has held the following directorships or partnerships in the past five years:

• Abbey Communications (Netherlands) B.V. TBC
• Adfront Limited
• Argus Newspapers Limited
• Champion Printing Limited
• Champion Publications Unlimited Company
• Digital Odyssey Limited
• Drogheda Independent Company Limited
• Grabone (Ireland) Limited
• Independent Abbey (Ireland) Unlimited Company
• Independent Communications (International) Limited
• Independent Communications (Ireland) Limited
• Independent News & Media (Finance) Limited
• Independent News & Media (UK) Limited
• Independent News & Media Belgium
• Independent News & Media Holdings (Ireland) Limited
• Independent News & Media Investments Limited
• Independent News and Media Limited
• Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Limited
• Independent Newspapers Finance PLC
• Independent Newspapers Management Services Unlimited Company
• Independent Newspapers Marketing Limited
• Independent Star Limited
• INM Regionals Limited
• INM Securities (Ireland) Limited
• Internet Interaction Limited
• Newspread Limited
• Sunday Newspapers Limited
• The Kerryman, Limited

The Board confirms that no further disclosures are required pursuant to Schedule 2, paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies and Schedule 2, paragraph (g) of Chapter 5: Additional Rules for the Euronext Growth Market operated by Euronext Dublin in respect of the appointment of Ryan Preston to the Board of FD.

About FD

FD is a global technology provider with more than 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s largest finance, technology, automotive, manufacturing and energy institutions. The Group’s KX technology, incorporating the kdb+ time-series database, is a leader in high-performance, in-memory computing, streaming analytics and operational intelligence. KX delivers the best possible performance and flexibility for high-volume, data-intensive analytics and applications across multiple industries. FD operates from 15 offices across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, including its headquarters in Newry, and employs more than 2,400 people worldwide.

For further information, please visit www.firstderivatives.com and www.kx.com