GET TO KNOW extraordinary surge of interest . When it ’ s harnessed and deployed by people who understand how it works best , AI can be a gamer changer .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
I suspect I need to do more of everything in that area ! There ’ s the odd round of golf , I enjoy socialising with friends and I find gardening is very therapeutic . I know it sounds strange but I don ’ t mind getting behind a lawn mower because when I do , I completely shut off – I ’ m not thinking about other things , I can just be focused on that one particular thing . Family is also a huge part of my life . We have two girls , one doing her HSC and the other at university . Watching them grow up has been a joy . Whatever your job entails , you can ’ t allow yourself to think about work all the time . It ’ s important you have an off switch and you ’ ve got to find the right button for you .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I ’ m not sure there ’ s been a career decision , per se , that I ’ d like to wind back the clock on . I ’ ve really enjoyed my journey , working with companies both large and small . Shifting into the start-up space has given me more opportunity to influence the direction and trajectory of the organisation I work for and that ’ s incredibly rewarding . One thing I might do differently though , if I had a Back to the Future moment , would be to become more forthright , at a younger age . Feeling comfortable speaking up and saying things others may be thinking but aren ’ t game to say tends to be something that comes with age and experience but it would have been good to accelerate the process !
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
US and Europe . Because of the isolation factor , many companies focus on becoming the best in the local market , instead of striving to be world class . Skills shortages are a perennial issue too – it ’ s tough to find people who are specialists in cutting edge solutions . Currently , an AI engineer is one of the highest paid IT professionals in the US and so finding those skills in our part of the world is a massive challenge .
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 ?
Since I joined , Amelia ’ s Australian office has expanded its reach to encompass more of the APAC region . For us , the SE Asian market is relatively untapped – but we plan to change that , and fast ! We ’ re seeing huge interest in our technology from companies in Singapore , China , Korea . . . There are some challenges around language which we need to work through but there are also some great opportunities . I ’ m looking forward to driving that growth over the next 12 months .
What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?
Try to gain some experience in all the different operational competencies . You also need to be able to talk to customers at all levels and develop a genuine understanding of their problems and challenges . If that ’ s not your driving focus , if you ’ re not able to put yourself in their shoes and appreciate the impact that not solving an issue will have on their business , it ’ s likely you ’ ll get bogged down in the minutiae . Developing a solid network is critical too – you should aim to amass an eco-system of people you can work with to get the right outcomes . p
Many companies in our region are getting a lot of traction via their digital channels – adoption has really surged especially since COVID – but their understanding of how that technology can be harnessed to maximum effect is yet to catch up . There are lots of opportunities for enterprise and government organisations to derive some incredible benefits and I think that ’ s where we ’ ll see upcoming spend directed .
What are the region specific challenges when implementing new technologies in APAC ?
We see a lack of awareness about what ’ s available , technology wise , here in Australia , compared with the
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