Derek Ferguson

Derek Ferguson is a seasoned technology leader with extensive experience in the financial services industry. He currently serves as the Chief Software Officer at Fitch Group, Inc., a role he has held since September 2023.35 Prior to this, he was the Global Head of Enterprise Architecture at Fitch Group from February 2021 to September 2023, where he was responsible for setting the vision and strategic direction for the company's technology initiatives.32

Ferguson's career includes significant roles at JPMorgan Chase, where he served as Head of Engineering and Executive Director, among other positions, focusing on software development and technology leadership.3 He also worked at Bear Stearns as Managing Director, leading trading software development for various groups.3

He is recognized for his innovative approach to technology solutions, particularly in cloud deployment and enterprise architecture. Ferguson has been involved in transforming critical systems to the cloud at Fitch Group, emphasizing reducing friction in development processes and enabling innovation.2 Additionally, he is an accomplished author, having written best-selling software development books like "Broadband Internet Access for Dummies" and has spoken at numerous international conferences.14

Ferguson holds a degree from DePaul University in Chicago and has professional certifications including Confluent Certified Developer for Apache Kafka and others related to cloud services and architecture.3