GET TO KNOW the choices you make dictates where you ’ re going to end up . I could never have imagined the journey Zetaris has taken or the success we have achieved , if I didn ’ t walk the journey I did . I wouldn ’ t go back and change anything about the past , regardless of any challenges , because it all led me to where I am today and I am grateful for all those experiences .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Better and faster ways to prepare data for AI . The issue that is being grappled with at the moment and where investment is being made is in how to clean data , fast , in real-time to feed AI with accurate information and insights . When we think about what are the inhibitors to AI growth , it is access to real-time knowledge and to solve it means data preparation and integration . Generative AI will in the future write SQL for you , build queries and deliver faster , more accurate insights – this is where major investment is being made .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in APAC ? anticipating and interpreting emerging trends and if we need pivot strategies for advantage . I am less hands on with the technology than I used to be and more externally focused on customers , partners and company growth and strategic approach .
What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to obtain a C level position in your industry ?
The first person you really need to convince that you have what it takes to enter the C suite , is yourself . The day you say it and believe it with conviction , conquer your own self-doubt and imposter syndrome , is the day you will have the confidence to go and find a way to make it a reality . Self-belief is key , the how you ' ll do it , you can easily solve once you know internally beyond doubt that you will .
It is also important to never take yourself too seriously and make sure work is fun . Understand your personal motivations for doing the job . If it is to provide a better life for your family , then you won ’ t suffer the little things , you will let them slide off you and not stick . Remember the big picture and your personal reasons why . And it is imperative to surround yourself with amazing people . p
Before our customers onboard with us they undertake a pilot and many times , such as with one massive telco in Australia , they actually didn ’ t believe we had really done our job . We had to prove that we had done the query and show them how we achieved the results . They didn ’ t believe the speed of our data engine and how fast it was and that we were able to take a query that used to take them 8 hours and do it in just 30 seconds ! We had to prove it and break it down for them to understand how this was even possible . The power of our engine is a gamechanger and of a magnitude that our customers at first have difficulty believing .
Australia ’ s mentality to technology has shifted in recent years , from leading the APAC region . Singapore has now taken over and is leaps and bounds ahead in their appetite for risk taking , disruption and being a hub of innovation and investment . Australia currently is more defensive , not as willing to break things , disrupt or innovate . Australia is currently looking at the US lead and then running with that technology .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
With the unpredictability of the current economic climate , higher interest rates and tighter capital , my role has shifted to a large focus on the external environment and
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