A DAY IN THE LIFE
GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry-
experts what makes them tick…
Iyer Sivakumar, Territory
Sales Manager for Africa
at Siemon
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
This has to be receiving the President’s Award from President
and CEO, Carl Siemon in 2017, for best leadership skills in
sales and strongest regional growth. Being able to convert a
small sales lead into a million-dollar project and making it into
a great reference site gives me a sense of achievement.
We have successfully managed to put Siemon on the map
in Africa over the last five years and this result is extremely
rewarding. In addition, developing the team in Africa over
these years gives me pleasure in knowing that the company is
investing resources in a market where we were first movers.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
I naturally gravitated towards starting a career in a technology
once I had gained my Bachelor’s degree in electronics and
communications. I started as a graduate engineer and then
joined a large distributor of network cabling, later moving to
Siemon as Sales Manager.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ in your
current position?
My management style more or less depends on the person
involved and the requirements of the local region in which
they are based. I tend to get more involved and offer my
support in regions that are notoriously more challenging
in terms of sales. However, after setting their objectives
and guiding them with the overall direction, I let them
take responsibility. I am currently attending an executive
leadership programme to further my leadership development
and skill sets.
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What do you think is the current
technology trend of 2017 and why?
The Internet of Things and digitisation are the biggest talking
point across all industries. Inside Africa, Internet of Things has
already started transforming the hospitality industry. Siemon
has also taken similar initiatives with its approach towards
intelligent building solutions, which supports low-voltage
applications on a single IP-based structured cabling system.
You just have to look at the hospitality industry, a rapidly
growing sector in Africa, and you will see that everything is
being controlled through the Internet, from hotel check-in
through to temperature control in each guest room.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside of the office?
Constantly on the road and travelling across the huge
territory takes up much of my time, but the time that I do
get, I like to spend with family, eating out or at theme parks.
I enjoy watching blockbuster movies or having an occasional
workout, if I get time for myself. This helps me bring back
the work-life balance.
If you could go back and change one
career decision, what would it be?
By nature I am quite a decisive person and I had made up
my mind that this is the career path I want to take with my
educational background. I don’t think that I have made any
wrong choices in my career and I’m definitely in the right
place working for Siemon. n
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