Richard McLaughlin

Go-getter
DISC Type : d

Senior Director Software Engineering and Site Lead at Optiva Inc.

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Overview

Richard is a Senior Director of Engineering at Optiva Inc. , specializing in large-scale distributed infrastructure for telecom systems. An alumnus of Queens University Belfast, he leads global teams in cloud transformation, DevOps, and SRE. Colleagues describe him as a strategic, supportive, and outstanding leader with strong technical expertise and a clear vision.

Outside of work, Richard is an avid golf enthusiast, recently attending the Irish Open. He stays current with emerging technology by participating in conferences like Beltech. He actively fosters an inclusive team environment by publicly celebrating cultural holidays such as Diwali and Eid with his colleagues and friends.

Unique fact: Richard was personally responsible for establishing, growing, and managing Optivas Belfast office.

Personality Overview

Fast-Paced

Direct & Candid

Decisive

They focus on objectivity in a pitch and pay little attention to bells and whistles.  They don’t always try to control the conversation but neither do they like yielding it fully. They care equally about the product and its potential impact.

Topics They Care About

Cloud Transformation
His career is focused on leading cloud transformation, DevOps, and SRE adoption for high-volume telecom and data systems.
Scaling Engineering Teams
He has a proven track record of leading and growing global engineering organizations, including setting up Optiva's Belfast office from the ground up.
AI in Software
He recently attended the Beltech 2026 conference, showing a keen interest in the impact and application of AI in software engineering.

Media Appearances

Richard has no verified media appearances

Work History

8-2021
Senior Director Software Engineering and Site Lead at Optiva Inc.
2-2020 - 8-2021
Senior Director of Software Engineering at Enea Openwave
9-2015 - 8-2021
Director of Software Engineering at Openwave Mobility
9-2013 - 6-2015
Senior Software Engineering Manager at Openwave Mobility
9-2011 - 9-2013
Senior Software Engineering Manager at Openwave Systems

Education

1996 - 1997
Master of Science (MSc) from Queen's University Belfast
1992 - 1996
Bachelor of Science (BSc) from Queen's University Belfast

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : N/A Location : Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Job Level : N/A Designation : Senior Director Software Engineering and Site Lead at Optiva Inc.
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Insights For Selling To Richard

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Stress on the business value that your product offers
  • Be crisp while making the pitch
  • Make sure that you you respond to any queries from them quickly

DONT's

  • Refrain from asking too many questions
  • Avoid long winding pitches, stay objective
  • Don’t expect them to change their mind quickly if they say no once

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Richard is

  • Belief in the product plays an important role, followed by objective proof and testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Richard

  • They may hesitate slightly, but if they are not convinced, they will say no.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Richard move?

  • Their decision making speed is somewhere in the middle.
  • Can Richard take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks only after they have analyzed the advantages and disadvantages.

You And Richard

Personality Compatibility


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