Meet Mike O’Callaghan, Veriff’s Vice President of Verifications

Welcome to the team, Mike! Can you tell us a little bit about how you learned about Veriff and what drew you to the company?

Thank you so much. It’s great to be working with such a welcoming group of people. I’ve been tracking Veriff for several years and  was drawn to  the company because of their industry-leading product offerings, world-class leadership, and ambitious plans for hyper-growth with elegant and efficient scaling. In addition, I feel very aligned with the company’s culture, values and mission to “make the internet a safer place, whilst being utterly transparent.” Everyone I met during the hiring process reinforced the strength of the culture, the alignment to Veriff’s mission and goals, and lastly, the strength of the team.    

Can you share a little about your background and previous experience?

My experience expands across multiple industry sectors including SaaS (B2B) technology, FinTech/FinCrime, eCommerce/retail, online travel, business process outsourcing, telco/broadband and retail/digital banking. I’ve been fortunate to work for some of the world’s largest tech companies and world-renowned brands in the last 25 years. I started my career in retail banking (way back in the late 1980’s) and I was proud to be involved in the launch of the first full UK internet/digital bank in 2000! I’ve enjoyed opportunities to work all around the UK and Ireland, live and work in Luxembourg for 5 years, and run operational teams in over 30 countries! The biggest privilege, from operating all around the world, has been the opportunity to travel, learn different languages, and experience so many rich  and diverse cultures. Operations is a people business and I’ve loved the opportunities to connect with so many throughout my career.

You have worked at some of the most well-known companies in technology today like eBay, Amazon, Skype, and others. What are some of the most valuable takeaways from working at those companies?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work for some incredible global tech companies, where I learned the importance of relying on facts and data to drive decisions at a high velocity. In fast-paced, dynamic, and complex businesses (often growing exponentially), having a clear mission and priorities married to data and facts allows one to make decisions quickly. These global platforms and recognizable brands all have multiple things in common: powerful missions and purpose linked to a strong culture and customer or service obsessions delivered through product innovations that remove friction and ensure trust in services we all want, need, and use every day in our lives. Looking back, I’ve been attracted to companies that try to solve the most challenging technology problems affecting the whole planet and its inhabitants. Often these companies are in hyper-growth mode, with massive user and transaction volumes and scale, while ensuring the products and services are “user friendly” and add value to people’s lives. For my part, I’ve learned that people are the most valuable assets and often make the biggest difference in achieving success!    

You have seen the identity space evolve and grow from quite close. How did you end up in the identity space in the first place? What do you see are some of the key trends in the space at the moment?

I stumbled into the identity space because of my background in running and scaling global operations that supported a technology platform. Identity was still quite a young and emerging industry, but the previous experience of supporting an “always on” (24/7/365) service was transferable. Some key emerging trends within the sector are digital or re-usable identities and industry-wide standards and definitions being created and adopted. Also, how “know your customer” (KYC),  “anti-money laundering” (AML), and fraud prevention/fighting financial crime all intersect, often via multiple or complementary technology solutions, that will all need coordination or orchestration while ensuring high conversion for services, no friction for end users, and privacy protection.  

You have seen the identity space evolve and grow from quite close. How did you end up in the identity space in the first place? What do you see are some of the key trends in the space at the moment?

I stumbled into the identity space because of my background in running and scaling global operations that supported a technology platform. Identity was still quite a young and emerging industry, but the previous experience of supporting an “always on” (24/7/365) service was transferable. Some key emerging trends within the sector are digital or re-usable identities and industry-wide standards and definitions being created and adopted. Also, how “know your customer” (KYC),  “anti-money laundering” (AML), and fraud prevention/fighting financial crime all intersect, often via multiple or complementary technology solutions, that will all need coordination or orchestration while ensuring high conversion for services, no friction for end users, and privacy protection.  

You joined the team as Vice President of Verifications. Can you tell a little bit what the verification division does and is responsible for at Veriff?

As VP of Verifications, I am responsible for the “24/7/365” operations, knowledge management, support and development, and service planning and delivery of Veriff’s verification solutions. The extremely versatile and agile team’s talent, expertise, and experience provide “human in the loop” signals and inputs for our automated decision-making, as well as gathers, analyzes, structures, and maintains Veriff’s in-house knowledge related to identity documents and registries in line with international standards. We support new client testing and incubation groups with revenue, account management, and solutions engineering teams to ensure a smooth and successful onboarding and “go-live” process for new clients. Lastly, we collaborate with regulatory compliance, product and engineering, and quality management functions to achieve Veriff’s business objectives.

What are some of your priorities and goals for Veriff’s verification division?

One of my priorities and goals for the verification division is to take a step back and ensure strong connections with the company’s mission, growth mindset and promise to make the internet a safer place while handling millions of individual transactions. I am excited for the division to evolve and grow with “follow the sun” operations that offer resiliency, agility, and support for new market expansions (country, languages, and forms of identification). As always, we aim to support our customers and ensure a high conversion while mitigating fraud or losses by providing a high-quality and highly accurate expedient service.

Aside from your work here at Veriff, what are some of your other commitments and passion-projects you are currently working on?

One passionate project I’m working on is acquiring a new self-sufficient 4x4 motorhome (in the US, they call them RVs) built with a composting toilet, no LPG gas onboard, and electricity provided by solar panels, lithium batteries, and an inverter!  I’m also excited about finding a non-profit to get involved with so that I can assist in using my wide experience and skills.

Rapid fire:

One thing that surprised you about Veriff?

The leadership, teams, and the company culture! Everyone has a passion for the mission; it’s clearly in the company’s DNA.

A must-read book or must-listen podcast?

My must-read book is “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni.  It’s written as a fable and is very relevant to technology start-ups and newly formed or fast-changing teams.  

Best piece of advice you have received to date?

“It is not what you say, nor wish, nor hope, nor intend….it is only what you do that counts.”