Intelligent CIO North America Issue 02 | Page 79

GET TO KNOW ...

On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
Chris Schueler , CEO of Simeio

wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement ?

Without a doubt , my most memorable achievement would be raising my three daughters , all of whom are STEM ( science , technology , engineering and mathematics ) focused and making positive impacts to our society . We need more diversity and equality in technology and we should all try to do our part to improve in these areas to make our industry better as a result .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
Do you remember the movie War Games from the early 1980s ? I credit that movie for getting me hooked into technology .
The whole idea of being able to impact governments , companies , and the public via 1s and 0s in a cyber world was fascinating and drew me into exploring all things technology related .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
I definitely see myself as a coach that is steered by my ability to set vision and focus on transformation . I am highly focused on building the best team possible to lead our company and my job is to give them the needed strategic direction and active coaching to make them successful . We truly are the sum of our parts . I want everyone to win , from our people to our clients .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
Digital Transformation and cloud are the driving forces for all business , both from a revenue growth and cost opportunity . That said , the hottest theme right now is working smarter not harder , so Big Data and analytics are getting a lot of attention for all the right reasons .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
Stress in this position as CEO is mostly self-induced , but I truly do want the best for our people , our customers and our shareholders / sponsors . We carry the expectations of these three groups at our core and it ’ s always a balance , but what has helped me through the years is one core element … there is no losing . I am always winning or learning . And if you are authentic in this focus on the three groups , managing stress is not really a focus , but it ’ s more around do you really love what you do ? My ‘ in office ’ and ‘ out of the office ’ is all intermingled so balance always exists and that ’ s not just the case due to COVID .
If you could go back and change one career decision what would it be ?
That ’ s a great question but I would say every opportunity provided me key skills and experience that has shaped who www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
79