GET TO KNOW face-to-face meetings in the shadow of COVID . The quadrupling of Zoom ’ s share price tells that story on its own . Secondly , but no less important , has been the introduction of dozens of smaller cloud-based industry-specific tools replacing legacy on-premises systems since on-premises no longer benefits from being the incumbent – this includes everything from time tracking , payroll finance , expenses , scheduling and many more . We ’ re seeing , more so than ever , the lines we would usually draw around where sensitive data is kept quickly getting more blurred while companies rush to stay operational .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Tied into my above answer , we ’ re seeing clients invest heavily in systems such as Teams and Zoom , and other collaboration tools . As part of the ( enforced ) trend towards home working and the expectation that this trend will become part of the norm moving forward , we ’ re also seeing clients investing more heavily in cybersecurity . Clients are being asked by their customers and potential customers to clearly outline their cyber-resilience and compliance efforts in line with various standards , leading to an increase in investment . We ’ re also seeing clients start to invest more in on-demand or as-a-Service offerings rather than recruiting their own internal security teams , either because of financial restrictions or the scarcity of resources . We ’ re seeing clients invest in managed service / subscription-based offerings such as our ‘ Max does Cybersecurity ’ proposition .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?
I find exercise is the best way to deal with stress outside of the office . It ’ s really important to me to get to the gym or out on my bike most days as this is a real opportunity to grab an hour or two without thinking about the stress of work . I firmly believe that exercise is as good for you mentally , as it is physically .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I went to work for a small startup business around 2002 without researching in enough detail the company ’ s proposition , values and the people behind it . It was an absolute disaster and I left after nine months . It ’ s always important to make sure that you have a clear understanding of a company ’ s proposition and its values . If your values don ’ t match to the organisation you ’ re working for , it might be time to look elsewhere .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in Europe ?
Mainly around two areas – cost : when compared with cheaper outsourced providers in APAC etc ., and the second is legislation , such as privacy , GDPR and international transfers to the US etc .
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 I moved to SureCloud just 12 months ago , my job role has changed quite dramatically . It ’ s great being back in an entrepreneurial , less political environment . My role has aligned back to focusing on growing the business through sales , proposition development and strategy implementation rather than excel spreadsheets . The last six months , since the pandemic outbreak , has obviously had a major impact and my job role now is heavily involved in making sure that my leadership team and broader team are all still motivated and working well remotely .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry ?
Work hard – there really isn ’ t any substitute for this . You ’ ve also got to have a lot of grit / resilience and be determined to succeed in what you do . It ’ s also really important to understand your clients ’ challenges and needs . I ’ m from a sales background , so I ’ m not a technical expert but have focused my entire career on building a close relationship with my clients and understanding what keeps them awake at night . Once you do this , you can start to articulate how you can help them address their challenges rather than just talk to them about tactical services . p
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