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

My move into sales occurred quite a long time ago , while I was with IBM . Back in 2003 , I helped the division I was working in develop a sales function . We identified a massive opportunity which culminated in IBM scoring an eight-figure deal with a household name grocery company . Seeing the contract signed was exhilarating and it was at that moment I realised that what I really wanted to do in life was to go out and sell . It was a big leap for me but , having made it , I ’ ve never looked back .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

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

We ’ re a thousand-person company but there are only 10 of us in Australia . In that setting , I believe you need to channel your inner Greg Chappell or Ian Botham because what ’ s needed is a fast-paced all-rounder – someone who can confidently have a crack at doing whatever the team needs to succeed . So , for me , effective management is a balance between diving in and helping where needed and knowing when to hold back , so we develop our people and their competency .

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

In common with many people in the nineties , I stumbled into the sector by accident , when I was offered the opportunity to be part of an IT project team at the insurance company NRMA , my employer at the time . They wanted to computerise some of their systems and needed a subject matter expert . Off the back of that experience , I scored a management role at IBM and ended up spending 13 years there . During that time , I had about five different ‘ careers ’. If you were looking for an allround education in IT , there was nothing better than working for Big Blue back then – getting that initial opening really was the bee ’ s knees .

Artificial Intelligence . Amelia is at the heart of it right now , which is exciting . We ’ d been waiting for something to ignite the AI wave in Australia and then Chat GPT was launched . Since then , we ’ ve seen an

I don ’ t mind getting behind a lawn mower because when I do , I completely shut off – I ’ m not thinking about other things .

www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO APAC 79