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

I ’ ve always derived great satisfaction from helping people realize their potential , so encouraging my team to exceed their expectations of themselves and supporting future leaders on their career journeys are the experiences that matter most to me . It ’ s also rewarding and humbling when people who ’ ve worked for me in the past are prepared to do so again .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

It wasn ’ t my first career choice . I owned a design business in New Zealand in my younger years . Then , at some point in the nineties , my sister , who was engaged in the technology field , suggested I ’ d be pretty good at this computer stuff too ! I started delving into the nascent world of IT and discovered she was right – I had a strong affinity for software . It appealed to my logical mind and its transformative power – the way in which you can create something from a bunch of ones and zeroes – continues to fascinate me to this day .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

No one would call me a micro-manager , that ’ s for sure ! Clichéd it may be , but I aim to hire people who

are smarter than me and let them do their jobs . I ’ m also drawn to the Zen Buddhist concept of Shoshin which is all about approaching things with a ‘ beginner ’ s mind ’; remaining open to the possibilities , rather than narrowing down your options too quickly . For that reason , I like to take input from everyone on the team and be as transparent and inclusive as possible when there are decisions to be made .

What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?

Uptake of the cloud . It ’ s really storming through the marketplace . Prior to COVID , a lot of businesses were thinking about it and talking about it , and a few were well down the cloud path , but now we ’ re seeing a massive acceleration . People have realized their legacy systems have outlived their usefulness or become too complex and , all of a sudden , they ’ re saying , ‘ let ’ s go ’.

How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?

Being a lifelong martial artist really helps . I ’ ve been training and instructing Japanese karate for 30 years

Every company is a data company today .

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