Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 23 | Page 60

I take immense pride and satisfaction in having built a strong team and culture. remember each and every order . . . it still gives me a kick! What made you think of a career in technology? That is a long story . . . and more a case of being at the right place at the right time. So, I like to say that technology chose me as opposed to the other way around! To cut a long story short, at the age of 15 in South Africa, at my first part time job, I was asked to help out a friend who had just won a large turnkey networking IT project. 20 plus years later, I am just as passionate as ever. What style of management philosophy do you employ at your current position? I like to live by the mantra ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’. The environment at Credence Security, particularly around quarter end (which I am sure is true of most organisations here in the region!) can be extremely stressful and definitely not for the faint of heart, but I think we try and have fun while doing it. We are a small team but we are all passionate, dedicated and most importantly determined to deliver great solutions and service to our customers. What do you think will be the hot technology talking point of 2019? With data breaches becoming more commonplace, I expect greater accountability to be a trend in 2019. As such, the number of businesses required to provide some form of security assessment, audit report, or attestation will increase along with general cybersecurity awareness. A couple of other trends that I expect to only see gather momentum is a consolidation of market players, OEM agreements for vendors to work closer and better together and product roadmaps to include greater functionality and overlap within the traditional vendor portfolio. 60 CHANNEL CHIEF What are your personal interests and where do you like to spend most of your time after work? I love to travel (not for work), go see a movie or try out something good at one of the latest restaurants in town – I am a bit of a foodie, if I am honest! Most of all though, I enjoy spending time at home with family and friends; they keep my world turning. How do you cope with stress and demands of your career? Cooking or watching a movie helps me relax and unwind and take my mind off the work and all the pressing tasks and demands of the job. Having the right team, which I believe Credence Security has, reduces a lot of the stress in my life – we work well together and this makes all the difference. What gives you great job satisfaction? I take immense pride and satisfaction in having built a strong team and culture here at Credence Security. When I see our employees choose to advance their career within the organisation or when I hear from an ex- employee that left Credence, based on empty promises from a new company, only for them to return a few months later, it tells me we are doing something right. Oh, and of course, it always gives me joy and brings a smile to my face when I hand over the bonus cheques and see employees’ faces light up – makes all the hard work and stress worth it! ˜ I like to say that technology chose me as opposed to the other way around!