Kilkenny woman named New York’s top tech evangelist

Rebecca Kelly, who comes from Castlecomer and works for Kx, wins top award

An Irishwoman has been named “Tech Evangelist of the Year” at the annual Women in IT Summit awards in New York.

Rebecca Kelly, who hails from Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, won the award at a virtual ceremony held last week.

The award is now in its third year, and seeks to recognise individuals and organisations who are championing change for women in technology. The Irish edition of the virtual summit is due to be held remotely on November 17th.

Ms Kelly is employed as a "tech evangelist" for Kx, a division of Newry tech company First Derivatives.

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Prior to taking on the role with Kx, she obtained a degree in mathematics from Trinity College Dublin and followed this up with a masters in computing at Edinburgh University.

“Rebecca has established technical credibility and has become a key point of contact for advice and guidance on using the latest features within the organization’s technology community. A truly proactive and passionate candidate, and this year’s tech evangelist,” the judging panel said.

First Derivatives, which was founded by the late Brian Conlon, completed its $53.8 million acquisition of Kx Systems last year.

Established in 1996, the London-listed group provides trading and risk management software systems and consulting services to the capital markets industry.

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist