With nearly 20 years of experience in the industry, Mairtin Ó Duinnín brings a broad background spanning asset management, trading software, regulatory programmes and post-trade product strategy. He has been with Euroclear Nordics AB* for over ten years. (*Name change as of 1 September. Previously Euroclear Sweden.)
” We’re totally at the heart of things. Just like the heart we're mostly unseen, but if we were to stop working, the market would quickly seize up. We are the hub that connects issuers to investors,” says Mairtin.
Mairtin and his team develop products and services for issuers in the Nordic financial market. Their clients range from global companies such as H&M and Ericsson to smaller growth companies and also central and local government agencies such as Kommuner. The role of product manager covers the full lifecycle of a product, with a strong focus on customer needs, market / competition positioning and regulatory developments, as well as launching and continuously evolving products over time. This makes the work both varied and fast-moving.
“I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect, and I’m lucky to work with people who are really smart and very knowledgeable. It means there’s always great support when we’re trying to crack a tricky problem at the whiteboard.”
In Sweden, companies have good opportunities to understand their shareholders, thanks to a centralised shareholder register at the central securities depository and its close connection to nominee registers held by banks and brokers. According to Mairtin, the key question is how companies choose to use this information in their investor relations.
“Through our shareholder analytics service, Vantage, we help companies gain a deeper understanding of their ownership base and what drives changes, enabling them to act more effectively, from data to insight and actions.”
For Mairtin, leadership is about how people experience their everyday work.
“None of us will work here forever,” he says. “So I want the time we spend at work to be something we can look back on as fun, interesting and worthwhile – even when it’s challenging at times. For me, wasting time is the biggest sin, because it’s the one thing we can never get back.” There is one principle he returns to often.
When recruiting, mindset matters most.
”I strongly believe in hiring for attitude, as skills, competence and experience can all be developed over time,” he says. “But if the mindset isn’t right, it’s much harder for someone to thrive and contribute to the team. Beyond the basics, I particularly value curiosity, openness, kindness, resilience – and, not least, a sense of humour.”
What makes Euroclear an attractive workplace?
”It’s a stable organisation with a clear mission, an international outlook and a strong focus on investing in its people.”
On a personal level, it is the people who stand out the most.
“I’ve met so many smart, kind and generous colleagues here. “
