Say hello to Ronan O’Callaghan, our newest Business Development Representative!

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Ronan has long believed in the promise of new and emerging GovTech. He’s worked as a GTM consultant for GovTech companies, so he’s seen firsthand the impact that the right tools can have on local governments.

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At Holly, he’s dedicating his sales savvy and GTM expertise to ensuring that our nation’s public service is best equipped with tools and talent.  We sat down with him to ask about his background, what brought him to Holly, and what he could give a TED Talk on impromptu!

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What drew you to Holly?

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I've been engaged with improving cities for a while now and believe the emerging generation of GovTech companies have the most promise to improve local governments. I was doing GTM consulting for GovTech companies and Holly was on my radar as a potential client. I was particularly interested because human capital was at the root of all the state capacity functions that other companies I was working for needed in order to achieve their desired goals.

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What drew you to being a BDR?

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I wanted to transition into a direct selling role while also having the opportunity to flex my GTM engineering skills in an outbound context. With where Holly is at its growth story, I'll be able to contribute to both, which is very exciting.

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What are you most excited about in your future at Holly?

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Honestly, just spending time interacting with city officials and finding the best messaging that helps them understand Holly's mission as quickly and clearly as possible.

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What’s something about your background that would surprise people?

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I was originally more interested in governance on a global level rather than a local one and spent a summer doing foreign policy work in Washington DC.

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What are your hobbies outside of work?

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Creative writing is my primary hobby. I have published several short stories but my ultimate goal for this pursuit is to create my own audio drama series.

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What could you give a TED Talk about impromptu? Give us the opening line.

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You might not be able to point to Estonia on a map. But it has a lot to teach us about twenty-first century state capacity.

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What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

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You need to find your highest and best purpose through what can serve others the best and then focus all your energy on it.

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Ronan – we’re super lucky to have you on the team!

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