Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 15 | Page 81

GET TO KNOW... On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick. . . . Rost Bitterlikh, Vice President RD, LogNet Billing What would you describe as your most memorable achievement? About 20 years ago, I was involved in managing the setup of a software development centre in Ukraine. We were one of the first technology companies to set up a large development centre in Ukraine. Today, Ukraine is one of the largest outsourcing centres in Europe, although at the time the country was completely undiscovered in terms of its outsourcing potential. The entire experience was exciting and rewarding in terms of my personal career development. Under my leadership, we grew from a small team of a few programmers to a full-scale development operation running advanced R&D and complex customer project activities. In general, new product releases and new customer launches are always exciting for me and I hope that there are many more of these to come. What first made you think of a career in technology? When I was in high school, I participated in an internship type of programme at a local hospital as part of the application process for studying pre-med at university. During this internship, there was a segment involving the hospital’s IT centre. This segment of the programme really www.intelligentcio.com interested me. I made a good connection with the head of the IT department and he gave me a database programming assignment. This was my first experience with programming and I really enjoyed it. Sooner after, I changed my plans and pursued university studies in applied mathematics and software engineering. What do you think will emerge as the technology trend of 2019 and why? AI and Machine Learning technologies are definitely maturing. AI-driven business processes based on consumer data is an area gaining momentum, especially in the service provider markets we are active in. What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position? In the field of software development, creativity and dedication are required. From experience, I find that working in small teams focused on achieving near-term goals produces the best results. “ IN THE FIELD OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, CREATIVITY AND DEDICATION ARE REQUIRED. INTELLIGENTCIO 81