On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
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Simen Teigre , CEO at Neat
wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement ?
I ' ve had too many memorable things happen in my career and life to pick just one , but I ' m currently very excited and proud about Neat ' s growth and development . We took Neat from an idea to publicly launching the company in just nine months and began shipping our first products just three months after that .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
I don ’ t like the word management . My job is to be a leader , not a manager . I think manager is an oldfashioned term . I don ’ t manage people , I try to lead and inspire them . I try to unleash them to be the best versions of themselves .
Then , the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but that didn ' t stop us . We ' ve grown Neat significantly in the last two-plus years to add additional products , grow the team and expand across the world .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
My passion for technology started at a young age – I ’ ve never thought of another career path . I ’ ve always been fascinated by science and technology and was inspired by my dad and older brother who loved it .
Initially , I wanted to work as an engineer in either software programming or hardcore engineering . I studied in Norway and did a combined engineering and business degree , and that ’ s when I discovered my passion for what technology can do for business , what it can do for society , and how you can build a business around technology .
At our new hire trainings , I tell our employees : ‘ We haven ’ t hired you to tell you what to do , we ’ ve hired you so you can help us figure out how to build a business .’
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
With the pandemic , I think a lot of people have realized that there are many technologies that they weren ’ t aware of that can help us all in a number of ways . One in particular is virtual communication technologies . Video has been around for a long time , but now that people were pushed to use it during the pandemic ,
I don ’ t like the word management . My job is to be a leader , not a manager .
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