GOOD PEOPLE STAY AT GOOD

COMPANIES AND LEAVE BAD

COMPANIES . of career mistakes , but I ’ ve tried to view them as opportunities to improve .

You can ’ t change the past , but you can certainly use the lessons it ’ s taught you to create a better future . For me , the most important of those lessons has been that family will always be more important than work .

I missed my daughter ’ s first day of school because I had a business meeting relating to a deal we were chasing at the time . When you ’ re an entrepreneur running a start-up business , there will always be a lot of demands on your time , but you can never get that day back again .

So now , if my daughter tells me there ’ s an awards dinner or some such coming up , I arrange my commitments around being there for her .

What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?

Artificial Intelligence is one . We ’ ve been through the hype cycle and now we ’ re seeing organisations taking a hard look at how they can apply AI to real business problems and harness it to deliver real business value .

The other is cloud computing . It ’ s not new but the pace of adoption is accelerating and , as more organisations move into the cloud , we ’ ll see cybersecurity investment increasing in this space . The Australian government has just created a dedicated cybersecurity portfolio . That ’ s an indication , if ever there was one , that the challenge of protecting data and systems in a hyper-connected world is here to stay .

What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in APAC ?

Skills shortage is a big one at the moment . Coming out of the pandemic , we ’ re still waiting for the flow of skilled resources to start to move around the globe and it can be difficult to find people who are proficient in new technologies .

Pre-pandemic , ICT was one of the most mobile of industries and getting back to that status quo will make it easier for companies like ours to connect with and service customers .

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 ?

In start-up land , you ’ re very hands-on ; involved in everything from code-level questions to business strategy and chasing customers up to pay their bills . That ’ s where I was in the early years of Servicely but , over the past 12 months , I began moving away from the handson operational stuff .

Looking ahead , I ’ ll continue to build a strong management team so I can lift myself into a more traditional CEO position . In a year ’ s time , I want to be concentrating on strategy and partners , not spending so much time down in the weeds .

What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?

Two ears , one mouth is a piece of advice that will serve you well at all stages of your career and especially so if you have C-suite aspirations . Just because you ’ re moving up the ranks or in a senior position , it doesn ’ t mean you know everything .

View every day as a learning opportunity and value the chances you must connect with people at all levels and to encourage and learn from them . Remember that good people stay at good companies and leave bad companies , so strive to make your team and your company a great one to work for . �

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Intelligent SME . tech