Kalibr8 sees the future of cloud spend management differently.
We’ve built an automated platform that helps measure, manage and master cloud investments.
More than just a team: true believers.
Our purpose goes beyond helping MSPs help themselves and their customers to get the most out of their cloud spend. Our passion is to contribute to the reduction of carbon and overall energy consumption in the cloud computing industry to help reverse the dire consequences of climate change by calibrating new ways to do more – for less.
Management Team
Ben McGahon
Co-Founder, Managing Director, CEO, Board Member
Ben McGahon is Co-Founder and CEO of Kalibr8. An experienced entrepreneur and managing director with over 20 years of experience in the technology sector, Ben is a technically and commercially minded business leader with a proven track record of growth. Prior to founding Kalibr8, Ben was Co-Owner and Managing Director at Comsys, based in Dublin, where he successfully managed the acquisition of Comsys by Evros Technology Group, now EirEvo, in 2017 and grew the enterprise division from 5M to 25M in three years. As Managing Director at Comsys, Dublin, Ben completed a management buy-out of Computer Systems Sales in 2005 and drove double and triple digit growth annually between 2008 and 2013. His accomplishments included certified partner agreements with DELL/EMC, Oracle, IBM, VMware, and Sun Microsystems.
Comsys become known as Ireland’s leading high-end enterprise IT design and implementation company, winning multi-million-euro contracts in Irish Water, Coca-Cola, McKesson, Medtronics, AIB, Irish Life, IBRC, Boylesports, PWC, Analog Devices, BNY Mellon and more. Comsys led the Irish market in the adoption of next generation technology, designed the first Converged and Hyper-converged solutions in Ireland in 2013, which today have become the standard.
Earlier in his career, Ben served as Managing Director at Visual Glue, Dublin; Visual Glue was formulated to provide digital signage and solutions to the Irish market. Previous to this, Ben served as Business Development Manager at Computer Systems Sales Ltd., Dublin. Ben attended Blackrock college secondary school and holds degrees from University College Dublin, and earned an MBS, Business Studies, at the Smurfit Business School, Dublin.
Board
Paschal Naylor
Board Chairman
Paschal Naylor is Chairman of the Board of Kalibr8. He was the co-founder and former CEO of Arkphire, the Irish IT Consulting, and managed-services company that was acquired by US tech firm Presidio in 2021. Paschal is a chartered certified accountant (FCCA). He is also a graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and holds a BA in Psychology. He has a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Arkphire was established in 1981 when it was known as Memorex Telex. After a takeover in 1998, it rebranded as EDS Global Services before becoming A&O IT Systems & Services Ireland after it was acquired by the German-owned IT provider AO Group in 2006. It returned to Irish ownership in 2009 following a management buyout and relaunched as Arkphire in 2011. In 2018, Arkphire secured a multi-million investment from London-based private capital firm Bregal Milestone in late 2018 to aid growth. In 2019, Arkphire set up operations in Singapore, appointed a Head of Asia Pacific to spearhead the business as it targets growth in the region.
Howard Roberts
Board Member
Howard Roberts is a member of the Kalibr8 board. He also serves as Head of Technology and Professional Services at Arkphire. Prior to joining Arkphire in 2006, Howard was Technical Director with Xnet Information Systems, Country Manager for Redstor Ltd and Principal Consultant with Sabeo Technologies Ltd. Howard was Technical Director for Softbank Inc. in the US throughout the 1990’s, with primary responsibility for the design, implementation and management of voice and data systems for Softbank’s call/data centers across North America. He has a Degree in Computer Science from Trinity College.
Dermot Benson
Board Member
Dermot Benson serves as a director, co-founder, and Board member of Kalibr8. He is an executive consultant expert in leadership development, team building, corporate training, change management, executive mentoring, management consulting, business consulting, and individual motivational focus. His passion is helping unlock performance awareness in people and teams.
Dermot has held senior executive positions in financial services, international distribution and has worked extensively in Ireland, UK, Europe, the Far East, and South America, and has provided business consultancy across print and broadcast media, legal services, accountancy, construction, IT-multinational organizations, charities, franchisee operations, transportation and logistics, international distribution, export and import, leisure, online, public relations, healthcare, financial services and software.
Alex Russo
Board Member
Alex Russo is a member of the Kalibr8 Board. He has led a series of tech-driven, PE-sponsored global companies over the past 20 years, serving as Executive Chairman or CEO of four PE portfolio companies and managing their sale for $1.25 billion in cash, representing a cumulative shareholder return of >3X. A prolific dealmaker, he also cofounded and/ or privately invested in and advised a range of start-ups across the tech sector. Prior to his chief executive roles, Alex served as General Counsel of both public and PE-controlled companies and, previously, as an M&A attorney at Skadden, Arps in NYC.
David Walsh
Board Member
David Walsh is a member of the Kalibr8 Board. David has been a disruptor and innovator across a range of technology driven markets over the course of his 30+ year career. A proven fintech and technology leader, he has built, scaled, and sold companies from start-ups to global enterprises, generating billions of cumulative gains for investors and management teams by combining his vision and operational expertise while serving as Chairman, CEO or President of four publicly traded companies.
Peter Hendrick
Board Member
Peter Hendrick is an experienced founder, CEO, non-executive director, and investor, widely recognised for his successes in the technology and telecommunications sectors. As one of the most high-profile CEOs in Ireland, Peter is consistently named in Business & Finance’s CEO 100 Index.
With a proven track record of developing and scaling businesses from start-up to mature growth, Peter is highly regarded for his ability to build and grow company culture and create world-leading customer-first experiences.
Currently serving as the CEO of National Broadband Ireland (NBI), Peter is responsible for one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world and Ireland’s biggest investment in rural Ireland since electrification. Heading up NBI’s rollout of the Irish Government’s €2.6 billion National Broadband Plan – the largest Public Private Partnership in European telecoms – Peter oversees a workforce of approximately 2,000 people who are working to bring connectivity to over 1.1 million people.
Having held senior leadership roles at Siemens, in 2006 Peter co-founded AirSpeed Telecom and built it into a national telecoms business focused on delivering managed telecommunication services to both retail and wholesale customers across Ireland. Following the successful sale of AirSpeed Telecom in 2014, Peter supported the acquiring investor Granahan McCourt Capital with integrating AirSpeed with enet, Ireland’s largest open-access network provider, before leading the bid team for the National Broadband Plan.
With over 20 years of experience in senior leadership, sales, and engineering roles, Peter has astute knowledge of corporate & operational strategic planning, organisation & leadership development, corporate & board governance, legal & contract management, fundraising & equity exit strategy, media and political relations, and policy & regulatory development.
As an investor and board member, Peter holds interests in a number of high-growth ventures, including X3T, a private equity backed software-as-a-service platform supporting Fibre-to-the-Home network operators to scale; Kalibr8, an automated cloud optimisation and cost management platform for managed service providers; Solgari, a leading contact centre solution using the power of AI to extend the functionality of Microsoft Teams to deliver greater customer service experiences; and Cora Systems, a world leader in portfolio, programme, project and performance management software responsible for $100bn worth of projects in over 50 different countries.
Peter has received a number of industry awards including a top ten place in the Deloitte Fast 50 Technology Awards and the Irish Times Tech 50. He holds a diploma from the Institute of Directors and an honours degree in Electrical Engineering from Technological University of Dublin. He has provided external support to university examination boards covering both electronic and electrical engineering disciplines and is an active contributor and board member of charities.
Connect with Peter on LinkedIn.
