Why Jérôme Kerviel is the ideal IT security employee
Jérôme Kerviel is in demand - and we're not talking about his new book or the media scrum surrounding him as he makes his way to a Paris courtroom. His new IT role, as lowly paid as it is, is just about the hottest area any financial techie could hope to work in.
Irony of ironies, Kerviel - who allegedly manipulated SocGen's internal controls to hide his risky positions - has been working as an IT consultant for Paris-based firm LCA, which works for banks on security, development and integration projects, since his fall from grace in 2008.
It includes BNP Paribas among its clients.
Kerviel is earning just €2,300 per month - or €27.6k a year - compared to the lofty €48k excluding bonus he hauled in a SocGen. But at least he's appreciated.
While his ex-boss brands him a liar and former colleagues testify about his "crazy" bets, his new employer has been vociferously defending his corner.
Jean-Raymond Lemaire, who heads up LCA, told French television network RTL: "Everyone who got close to him discovered a fundamental kindness. He tries to do the right thing, in his own way. He's reserved and shy. On top of all that you can trust him. He doesn't know how to lie."
At the very least, you can say that Kerviel made a wise career choice (despite the lowly pay). IT security has been an area financial services firms have been forced to pour mountains of cash into over the last 18 months, and there's still a long way to go.
What's more, ongoing M&A in the financial sector has meant that techies with integration and change expertise have been highly sought-after for some time now.
All this could be a moot point anyway - if Kerviel is found guilty of breach of trust, computer abuse and forgery, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a fine of up to €375k.
