Graham O'Sullivan

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK in 2023.

Graham is CIO at mutual society OneFamily, bringing more than 20 years of financial services experience to the role. He has held senior IT roles through some of the industry's most fraught times, including the 2008 financial crisis.

How did you get into IT?

After a degree in Electrical Engineering and Microelectronics I took a five month summer internship in JP Morgan in London working with credit derivatives traders and quants (the mathematicians). It was a dynamic and exciting, and relatively new, environment back in 1999 and after that internship I was hooked!

How do you ensure diversity is taken into account in your IT recruitment?

We look at recruiters as much as we request diverse candidate pools to be submitted. We're also furthering our entry level recruitment through programmes such as the #10000BlackInterns, of which we are a founder member.

I'm a sponsor of the Race pillar of our DEI strategy organisation-wide, and it was key for me that in our first couple of years we made some key commitments, such as this, that showed tangible signs of change.

Which technology are you currently most excited by?

I'm a technologist, so I believe all well designed technology, implemented well and aligned to a business outcome, can be hugely exciting in how it can power a business to grow and to thrive.

What would an outsider find the most surprising part of your job?

Probably the breadth of my role and just how much time I spend away from the core technology. I invest a significant amount of my time wearing a broader executive hat, considering matters with a finance or a business lens, appraising business cases or looking at M&A opportunities.

I love spending time on finding ways to enhance our customer and employee experiences (CX and EX) through innovation and new partnerships.

What's your secret talent?

I can send and receive Morse code at about 15wpm. Sadly a talent that isn't called for much these days!

What makes you laugh?

My kids. Always bowled over at the one liners they come up with spontaneously - one of life's great joys!