My guest today is dear friend and an ex-colleague, Derrick Mc Court. 

Derrick and I first met in 2001 when he joined Microsoft in Ireland. Our paths crossed many times and in many ways over the years and it has always been a pleasure to spend time with him. 

Today he is General Manager of the Customer Success Unit in Microsoft UK and sits on the UK Board.  A quick look at his LinkedIn Profile will show the considerable skills he has but for me the most significant thing is that in amongst all the corporate madness he has managed to remain impressively grounded and that comes across in our chat. 

Derrick has three passions which are key to him keeping his feet on the ground the first of which is his family. He was born in 1969 and grew up in Belfast during ‘The Troubles’ which he reflects on in a typically thoughtful and moving way. For the past 15 years home has been in Edinburgh where he lives with his wife and their two boys Conner and Joe. His eldest boy Jamie got married last week and his daughter Lucy lives in London and works in I.T. 

The second passion, as you will hear is music and at festivals like Download that is shared with Connor and Joe. 

His final passion is running, and he is well on the way to completing the ‘Big 6’ Marathons and getting his ‘Six Star Finisher Medal’. Music and Playlists are clearly an important part of his running regime hence the title of the episode. 

Derrick’s song selections are: 

70’s      I’ve Got A Feeling                                      The Beatles

80’s      Alive And Kicking                                       Simple Minds

90’s      Paranoid Android                                      Radiohead

00’s      I Predict A Riot                                            Kaiser Chiefs

10’s      X-Ray Visons                                               Clutch

20’s      Mr. Motivator                                               Idles 

Enjoy 😊