On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
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Marcus McNamara , Head of APAC of Sana Commerce
wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement ?
Working in the Software-as-a-Service industry on five continents is up there . I ’ m an Aussie who ’ s spent two years in Europe , a year in North America and stretches in South East Asia and South Africa . Nothing ’ s come up in Antarctica yet but when we start selling software to penguins , I ’ m there ! Having done business successfully all over the world – interacting with people professionally and navigating the various different cultures – is definitely something I ’ m proud of .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
Back in school , I was very passionate about computers and certain I wanted to become a software developer . I studied all the IT subjects , then did a Bachelor of Information Systems at university . It wasn ’ t until I graduated and got my first job that I discovered I wasn ’ t actually very good at developing software , even though I quite liked it . Despite that belated revelation , my technical background has served me immensely well over the years . I found my niche translating technical requirements to the rest of the business and that experience led me down the solutions consulting and pre-sales path . From there , I was able to move into sales and sales management , then on to regional leadership roles . Not quite the CIO career track I imagined I ’ d be on as a younger person , but it ’ s proved a better journey for me .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
I ’ ve always been an advocate for openness and transparency and strive to maintain a highly communicative style , open door style of management . ‘ Managerial mystique ’ and keeping employees in the dark has never been my way ; I ’ d rather involve my team in the decision-making process , whenever I can . That ’ s not always possible but I ’ m certainly not a dictator and have no aspirations to be one !
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
The practical use of Artificial Intelligence has come very much to the fore in recent times . The term AI is a buzz word that doesn ’ t really convey a lot of meaning ; it ’ s more meaningful to talk in terms of highly complex algorithms that enable you to undertake predictive analytics that can be used to drive decision making . We ’ re seeing this technology being incorporated
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