It ’ s easy to say ‘ you can have any colour as long as its red ’, but in any relationship , there needs to be an equal partnership with clearlydefined win-win scenarios . the communications space as they transform their own businesses and add new services .
What are the latest trends you see emerging across the channel ?
Consumption-based licencing models have become prominent for businesses of all sizes throughout the last two years . This has cemented hybrid cloud ’ s position as the go-to model for most businesses taking pragmatic steps to digitalise their operations in the face of the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and long-term lockdowns . For partners , that has opened the door to conversations with customers on value-added services , cloud migration , integration of third-party applications , and new opportunities for services / support . It has also whet the appetite for Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and automation to augment employee and customer experiences , creating entirely new revenue streams for the channel , while keeping customers loyal ( as partners become their ‘ guiding light ’ for all things tech ), and maximising revenue potential .
What is your management philosophy ?
It ’ s easy to say ‘ you can have any colour as long as its red ’, but in any relationship , there needs to be an equal partnership with clearly-defined win-win scenarios . I encourage my team and our partners to have an entrepreneurial mindset , and my role is to find ways to make their ideas work . If our partners are successful , we will be too , and that takes consistent support whether at the front-line of joint customer engagement , or from behind the scenes .
When you look back at your career , what has been the most memorable achievement ?
I ’ ve been on a journey with Avaya for more than seven years . In one specific project , I was fortunate to support one of our local partners in building and delivering a comprehensive collaboration solution for an animal welfare group , which helped the organisation administer care and connect pet owners , wildlife workers and more with expert veterinarians regardless of location .
While there have naturally been challenges , learnings have followed those experiences , but I think the best is yet to come over the next 12 months with further development and additions to the Avaya OneCloud suite .
What made you think of a career in technology ?
I ’ m a gadget guy at heart , and therefore love working in an industry that ’ s forever changing and providing new challenges . It ’ s great to be involved with technologies that were only in science fiction movies when I was growing up – whether it ’ s becoming immersed with an augmented reality headset , or speaking with bots that use AI that consistently learn and provide answers on-the-go .
What do you think will be the hot technology talking point of 2023 ?
We are in an AI tech revolution . It ’ s not just driverless cars , drones , and robotics . It ’ s now embedded everywhere in our daily lives , and we often don ’ t see it because it just happens . The use of AI in the automation of processes is starting to appear in all areas and across all industries – whether that ’ s chatbots in banks verifying users through their voice print ( rather than those pesky series of questions typically asked when calling a bank ), or in some parts of the world , having AI support emergency services to accelerate dispatch whenever there is an incident .
What are your personal interests and where do you like to spend most of your time after work ?
I ’ m realising my dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver , albeit in the virtual world of simulator racing ; I ’ m currently preparing for a competitive 12-hour race with a good friend , and we ’ ll go up against the best from Australia and surrounds . Over the years I ’ ve also built a home workshop , where I spend a lot of time tinkering on different projects , from restoring classic motorbikes to building furniture . •
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