Derivco Isle of Man is sponsoring the award for Medium Enterprise at this year’s Awards for Excellence – it’s the company’s inaugural year of involvement with the award ceremony. Errol Larson from Derivco explains why they are proud to call the Isle of Man home
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Derivco Isle of Man is an international IT specialist to the online gaming industry.
The company employs a group of creative and technical specialists who are called upon to solve complex business problems, find answers and implement solutions by utilising the latest techniques and technologies. And this experienced team service and support Microgaming software throughout the world. Both companies enjoy a close supplier relationship, which is why Derivco Isle of Man is based in Microgaming’s headquarters on Circular Road, Douglas.
The company established itself in the Isle of Man in December 2012, embarking on a massive venture which saw more than 50 staff (and their families) move from Derivco South Africa to the island. It’s a project that took several months to complete, but was a very successful undertaking.Errol explained: ‘It’s no small task relocating this number of staff and their families, but I’m pleased to say the process couldn’t have gone any better. We received wonderful support throughout the entire process, from the applications for work permits to the physical relocation and finding houses and schools.
‘Our relocation was helped by B-Local Isle of Man and I have to say their services were invaluable, as was the support from several other local organisations including the Hospice’s retail arm Share the Care, who arranged for temporary furniture to be made available, if required, for staff during the move. To show our appreciation, Derivco Isle of Man made a donation of £10,000 to Share the Care.’
Derivco Isle of Man settled on-island very quickly, explains Errol: ‘I can honestly say that we love living here – the weather may be different to what we are used to, but the lifestyle, safety, schooling, sports and social side more than make up for that. We’re very proud to call the Isle of Man our home.’
Since December 2012, the business has grown considerably and the total number of employees currently stands at 69. A great effort has been made to recruit locally, and at present around 25 per cent of its employees are local recruits. This number is expected to grow over the coming years.
‘The island really does have an impressive number of talented technical specialists and we are always on the lookout for extraordinary individuals, with a passion for IT to join our team. We are committed to recruiting local talent where possible, and this is evident in our growing number of Manx staff.
‘We recognise raw talent and we feel it’s important to invest heavily in staff development – we are a growing company and it’s important our staff develop with us. We have a career development programme that provides the framework to nurture exceptional talent and a leadership development programme which is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders. We do work very hard but we play hard too. And our internal culture and core values are something I’m very proud of. We are a fun, lively and energetic bunch that are keen to get involved locally. This year alone we’ve signed up to the KPMG Promenade Relay, Viking Longboat Races, Tin Bath Championships, The Children’s Centre Rounders Tournament, End 2 End Mountain Bike Challenge, Tough Mann Adventure Challenge and Race the Sun. And it’s been great fun!
‘The Isle of Man Awards for Excellence is another project to add to the growing list and we are absolutely thrilled to be involved in an event which recognises the island’s business community.
‘We look forward to celebrating everyone’s success on November 20.’
Find out more at iomtoday.co.im/afe