What advice would you give to aspiring IT leaders? “Discipline and growing as a person are incredibly important. Don’t just focus on your role - look outside and learn from other people and industries.”
What advice would you give to aspiring security leaders? “Make peace with your company’s risk appetite. My job is to present the risk and prioritise solutions to reduce and manage risk, but ultimately, it’s the business leader’s...
What predictions do you have for the role of the CTO in the future? “CTOs, especially those working in the startup arena, need to foster an interesting mix of skill sets: technical visionary, strategy advocate, team leader, delegator,...
What advice would you give to someone starting their career in IT/tech? “Frequently ask the question ‘what is the user trying to accomplish, and why?’ - bad requirements won’t make sense, and good requirements will be far easier to...
What advice would you give to aspiring IT leaders? “My best advice would be to find the part of IT that you love and focus on that with an undying vigour. Become an expert on that one vertical.”
Cybersecurity is constantly changing – how do you keep learning? “You need to have a passion for what you do. Tech is constantly changing - you must be invigorated, because otherwise it would be extremely difficult to keep up…”
How do you align your technology use to meet business goals? “For me, it’s always the business need that comes first, and my job as a CTO is to find a technology-based solution.”
What are some common misconceptions about working in IT/tech? “That you have to be particularly technical. Business skills are often just as important in the tech sector.”
Do you have a succession plan? “I always look at how people can grow into my shoes... I see succession as mentoring people on a daily basis to ensure that they will one day be ready for the role.”