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and it ’ s not just this year that will be affected , it ’ s going to be a huge trend for the future too . Every conference I was planning to attend has either been cancelled or had to go virtual , and post lockdown I am not sure I want to physically attend another conference . The leaders will drive new collaborative ways of working with colleagues and clients .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Analytics and AI is a major area of investment . A data-driven approach is key to almost every problem analysis and so enterprises are gearing up on data strategy , data engineering and analytics . Machine Learning in AI is still a small part of the challenge as there is much work to democratise and progress the data locked behind the existing legacy systems . Another key ongoing area of investment is automation . There are still too many people doing mundane tasks that can be automated .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?
My advice is to have a life outside of work ! I spend a lot of time reading about ethics and AI . This is a big personal interest of mine and something I ' ve also been trying to understand by attending lectures as well as CognitionX events for the last two years . I also love to climb mountains and I ’ m in the process of trying to climb the highest peaks around the world – though I ’ m omitting Everest . Obviously , that ’ s on hold at the moment but I ’ m still preparing for the next climb , whether through meditating , cycling or other exercises .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I would like to have worked in more industry verticals , such as healthcare or finance . I ' ve worked extensively in the public and defence sectors , but I think it ' d be fascinating to see how other industries operate so I can better understand how to help them .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in Europe ?
Regulatory compliance is still a key challenge when implementing new technologies . Recently , we swiftly implemented a COVID-19 Employee Welfare App in record time out to the field , but the rollout had to be paced in line with privacy approvals and works council engagements in each country .
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 a CTO , I have to show leadership by example and fully embrace a data-driven
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I ’ VE BEEN MOST PROUD OF THE TIMES I ’ VE BUILT AND IMPLEMENTED A SYSTEM THAT HAS GONE INTO PRODUCTION .
approach to everything we do , which has been the biggest change . I am excited by new technology but absence quantification of the ‘ size of the prize ’ in solving a specific business problem , I push back to the idea originator . The market is changing rapidly and understanding where to play and how to differentiate has never been more important based on regular data from market analysis , customer engagements and the maturity of technology .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry ?
I think aspiring CTOs will need to become a ‘ Babel fish ' that stays close to the reality on the ground – i . e . the ability to speak both in the language of business process and technology implementation , have head in the clouds but feet on the ground . I also think that strategies are going to become more short-term , with those five to 10-year plans of old becoming increasingly unrealistic . •
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