GET TO KNOW
“
I LOVE TO READ A
GOOD BOOK AND
LEARN ABOUT
THE AMAZING
THINGS PEOPLE
ARE DOING TO TRY
AND IMPROVE
OUR WORLD.
and develop an AI-worthy data
environment within their organisation. I
appreciate that this is not necessarily a
new technology trend, but it is a challenge
that businesses have to master if they want
to capitalise on new technologies in the
coming months.
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
As aforementioned, I believe that AI and
robotics will continue to grow at pace in
the data analytics industry. But again, this
will mean investing in state-of-the-art data
infrastructure and processes such as data
governance and cybersecurity.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside of the office?
I try to spend as much time as possible
outside, surrounded by nature. But, when it’s
too cold and wet, I love to read a good book
and learn about the amazing things people
are doing to try and improve our world.
happy with the
direction those decisions have taken me.
What are the region-specific
challenges when implementing new
technologies in Europe?
Some organisations in specific regions
in Europe are more conservative in their
willingness to adopt newer, lesser known
technologies despite the fact they could
be game-changers and impact their
businesses tremendously.
What changes to your job role have
you seen in the last year and how do
you see these developing in the next
12 months?
As Exasol continues to grow and becomes
more international as a company, it will
be important to bind all of our people,
roles and geographies into one. As part of
this growth, and as we bring on more and
more experienced people into the business,
I will have the greater ability to work a
lot more closely with our people and the
organisations we engage with – I expect to
learn a lot from them.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain
C-level position in your industry?
Learn to look beyond the technology. Of
course, the technology is important, but you
need to look at the bigger picture and accept
and understand wider responsibility. Learn
how businesses and organisations work and,
more importantly, how the ethics of doing
business works.
Ethics is incredibly important and should
form the foundations of your business.
Always work with ethical people, partners
and customers. As you learn these things,
make sure you can prove the value that you
are bringing – the more value you can add to
the business as a whole, the better. n
If you could go back and change one
career direction, what would it be?
Nothing. You can never plan your whole
career. There will be defining moments,
people you meet and experiences that take
you to new places that you didn’t even
know existed. I don’t like to second guess
my decisions. I did the best I could at the
time with the information I had and I’m
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