On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
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Andrew Conway , CTO , Proteus developed by Xergy
wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement ?
In 2020 , Xergy was awarded a significant research and development grant from Scottish Enterprise . While this was a great achievement for the team , it was meaningful in a much bigger way . It was a true milestone that symbolised what our hard work and dedication were able to afford and our capability as a team . One of the criteria for the award was to promote local job creation in Scotland , so we funded a team in the area . Interviewing local talent and thinking about how their skills , passion and ethics will fit together to create a fantastic product development team is something I genuinely love to do .
The award also gave us an endorsement from a highly recognised institution that believed in the innovation and aspirations we had set out in our research and development ( R & D ) activities . This achievement was important as it is now accelerating everything we want to do with Proteus . Now we have the team in place , I am continually amazed by the talent and passion of the team I am surrounded by every day .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
Creative jobs are a challenging art form and I have immense respect for its artists . Be it furniture , artwork or baking – the use of physical craftsmanship and the mind to produce something greater than the sum of its parts is gratifying .
Software development leans into this idea . Being able to dream up a concept , design or function to formulate into an application using essentially nothing which communicates and engages with thousands of users is exhilarating .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
The core of my management philosophy is empathy . The fundamental piece of the management puzzle is to reciprocate the environment you would thrive within . What you put into your team is what you will get out . What goes hand-in-hand with this ? Transparency . Justifying decisions by management must be communicated to your peers . The good , the bad and the ugly . Breeding trust and empathy will yield results internally and externally .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
The topic still at the forefront of business ’ minds is COVID-19 whether we like it or not . Workplace structures have been shaken in a way that they were gravely unprepared for . What has held currency in supporting the thrust into remote working dynamics is the cloud concept . A cloud-based ecosystem has enabled businesses to manage themselves remotely . From sales , project management , budgeting , HR , finance , systems are changing .
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