This edition features a handful of Tech leaders across several sectors that are at the forefront of leading us into a digital future
Read More: https://www.insightssuccess.com/the-10-most-inspiring-tech-leaders-to-watch-2022-june2022/
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The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022.pdf
1. www.insightssuccess.com
VOL-06 | ISSUE-11 | 2022
Tech and
Innovation
Leading by
Integrating
Technology and
Business Skills
10
Most
Inspiring
Tech Leaders
to Watch 2022
T
H
E
5. ver since the introduction of technology into
Emainstream human life, debates have been going on
about its usefulness, advantages, and
disadvantages. But where does it bring us to?
A definitive answer? No, I don't think so. How much ever
may we argue over the technology being a double-edged
sword, it is inevitable that we continue to use it irrespective
of anybody's views about it.
As a technology pioneer and founder of one of the most
technologically sound companies in the world, Microsoft,
Bill Gates has said, “The advance of technology is based on
making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's
part of everyday life.”
The idea behind the inception of technically advanced
products is straightforward- making human life easier and
better. The product that fits this basic requirement will
create a niche for itself. The catch is using upcoming
scientific advancements and translating them into a system
that takes labor off human shoulders.
The success of any new technology depends on how many
human hours it has saved. Most machines are built to
perform human tasks with little or no supervision, making
time for us to do other tasks. Companies have been vying to
create an ecosystem that performs tasks like their human
counterparts, simultaneously or using less time.
Another factor driving the research and development of
new technologies is their efficiency. The aim of
technologists has been the perfection of the tasks. Taking
the human aspect out of the picture gives them the luxury of
eliminating human error from a specific operation. Creating
technologies that work with the principles of efficiency and
time revolutionize the core structure of how things work for
the company and the industry.
As major biggies in a particular field start rolling out new
advanced tech products, the industry automatically starts
catching up with the rising trend. In contrast, there has been
the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and its subsidiary,
Machine Learning, long ago. Companies are still
developing and redeveloping the basic framework to suit
their requirements, meet the industry needs, and challenge
the set norms to create something fresh.
Automation of processes within a company has been the
central area of focus for many organizations within the last
year. While there have been software and AIs that maximize
the production output, setting an efficient system for
utilization of resources can be termed the hot selling
product of 2022. The only thing that matters is how much a
new offering eases the complexity of a chain to create
outstanding results.
To summarize this wide-ranging year for tech companies,
Insights Success has come up with an edition of “The 10
Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch 2022.”
In this issue, you will have access to inspiring tech leaders
whose profiles have been written by our in-house editorial
team, who have broken the barriers of the human mind to
create primitive technologies that are sure to take the sector
by storm.
Hop inside for a thought-provoking read!
7. Adela Mehic-Dzanic
16
Anil Kumar
20
Benjamin Buchanan
24
Brigitte Falk
30
Dr.Shimrit Tzur-David
34
Tom Edwards
40
Victoria Pelletier
44
Wayne Zwiers
48
Playing the Infinite Game
A Techno-Geek Setting a Glittering
Instance of Prolific Leadership
The Best IoT Professional
A Doyen of Management in the IT
Industry Leading by Example
Providing Passwordless Authentication
Solution to Enterprises
Providing Strategic
Guidance to Excel
Bringing Information
& Opportunity Together
A Technology Maverick Solving
Complex Business Problems
9. Brief
Company Name
FORCAM
forcam.com
Brigitte Falk, CIO /
COO IIOT / Smart Factory
Strategy, B2B Marketing,
Leadership
FORCAM delivers IIoT technology and an ecosystem that
empowers manufacturing in the pursuit to reduce complexity
and maximize profit.
Benjamin Buchanan
CEO
SBT
sbt-alliance.com
SBT Alliance partners with small, medium, and Fortune 500
customers to design, deploy, and support IoT-enabled solutions,
systems, devices and technologies.
Adela Mehic-Dzanic
Head of Connectivity
Service Providers - CSP
MAVOCO AG
mavoco.com
MAVOCO is one of the leading software manufacturers of
CMP – Connectivity Management Platforms.
Anil Kumar, Founder
Chairman and Chief
Technology Officer
Cavisson Systems Inc., having its headquarter in Santa Clara,
CA (USA), is a leading provider of performance intelligence
platform that ensures exceptional customer experience and
business efficacy of mission-critical applications.
Cavisson Systems Inc
cavisson.com
Featured Person
IBM
ibm.com
Victoria Pelletier
Vice President &
Senior Partner
IBMers believe in progress—that the application of
intelligence, reason and science can improve business, society
and the human condition.
Tom Edwards
Chief Digital &
Data Officer
Omnicom Health
Group Inc.
omnicomhealthgroup.com
Through its shared commitment to learning and
development—and a relentless focus on innovating and
delivering value—the company drives extraordinary results for
healthcare clients.
Wayne Zwiers
Founder
Basalt
basalt.co
Basalt is adaptable and resilient, solid and reliable, capable of
keeping up with the world as it shifts and changes.
Ritu Jyoti
Group VP for AI &
Automation Research and
Market Advisory Services
IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence,
advisory services, and events for the information technology,
telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.
International Data
Corporation
idc.com
Most
Inspiring
2022
T
H
E
Shimrit Tzur
CTO
Secret Double Octopus is the passwordless authentication
solution for the enterprise.
Secret Double Octopus
doubleoctopus.com
10.
11. The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
12. Before joining IDC, Ritu held various executive-level
positions in Product Management, Marketing, Solutions,
technology alliances, and Consulting at Kaminario, EMC,
IBM Global Services, and PwC Consulting. Ritu has over
two decades of experience in high-tech, covering Business
applications (ERP, CRM), Databases, Big Data Analytics,
and Enterprise Infrastructure Services, driving big picture
corporate growth and strategic direction by identifying a
high potential new business, market, and partnership
opportunities. She is a proven innovative thought leader
adept at leveraging her strong technical background to
uncover and align business/customer needs with on-the-
ground solutions engineering. Most recently, she was the
Chief Product Officer at Kaminario.
She completed her executive education in Corporate
Strategy & Strategic Marketing from MIT Sloan School of
Management, USA. She also holds a B.Sc. engineering
degree in Electronics and Communication from Ranchi
University, India. Ritu is a frequent speaker, presenter, and
moderator at IDC, industry, and customer events and
provides analysis for multiple media outlets, including The
Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired, CIO Techie, and CIO.
Ritu is often quoted in leading business and technology
publications.
Accomplishing More with Fewer Resources
Ritu Jyoti is a trusted advisor to some of the world's largest
technology firms and end-users. Her research focuses on the
state of enterprise AI efforts and global market trends for
eing recognized as a trusted advisor to the
Bworld's largest technology firms and an
executive analyst for Fortune 500 organizations
is a commendable milestone that isn't easy to
achieve. Making it possible with a vast experience of 25
plus years, Ritu Jyoti is setting incredible standards.
Currently, she serves as the Group VP for AI &
Automation Research and Market Advisory Services at
International Data Corporation. She is a tenacious leader
who thrives in ambiguous situations and environments.
IDC is a premier global provider of market intelligence,
advisory services, and events for the information
technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology
markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives,
and investment communities make fact-based decisions on
technology purchases and business strategies. Ritu is
providing strategic insights to help its clients achieve their
key business objectives. She is skilled in developing
creative solutions and leading teams through periods of
change and uncertainty, making her a seasoned and
dependable leader.
Elite Education, Elite Learnings, Elite Leadership
Ritu Jyoti is the Group Vice President, Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Automation Research with IDC's
software market research and advisory practice. Ms. Jyoti is
responsible for developing IDC's thought leadership for AI
Research and management of the Worldwide AI and
Automation Software research team.
13.
14. the rapidly evolving AI and Machine Learning (ML)
innovations and ecosystem. Ms. Jyoti also leads insightful
research that addresses the AI technology vendors' needs
and provides actionable guidance to them on how to crisply
articulate their value proposition, differentiate, and thrive in
the digital era. She has delivered ground-breaking research
for the technology suppliers and buyers to drive their
business transformation, re-enforcing IDC's position as the
go-to thought leader in the industry.
In addition, from raising market awareness to advancing
revenue growth goals, growing tech disruptors have a lot on
their plates. Especially in a turbulent market, organizations
are tasked with accomplishing more with fewer resources
and often compete with more mature organizations. The
right partner can help build trust in the brand's expertise,
expand reach, and drive awareness, lead generation, and
revenue. She has also led IDC Emerging Vendor and
Accelerator Program for AI and Automation: to better
support these disruptive organizations and supercharge their
growth in hyper-competitive markets.
Speaking about her challenges, Ritu says, "While everyone's
journey is unique in some ways, I remember that in the
initial phase, blending-in in into a male-dominated industry
was not easy. I was the only female student in my
undergraduate (BTech), which I thought had prepared me
for the future, but then being the only female Graduate
Engineering Trainee was quite different. Sometimes, I
experienced a lack of inclusion based on ethnicity and
gender. In addition, it was not easy to get mentors who
could provide guidance or social support. While it is a bit
strange, I recall in one exceptionally large consulting
engagement - where I was the lead, and some women
doubted my leadership more. It took me time to win
everyone's confidence and succeed."
Disruptive Technologies, Flexible Working
With over 1,200 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global,
regional, and local expertise on technology and industry
opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's
analysis and insight help IT professionals, business
executives, and the investment community make fact-based
technology decisions and achieve their key business
objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG, Inc.), the
15. world's leading tech media, data and marketing services
company.
International Data Corporation (IDC) is at the forefront of
providing flexibility in the workplace. This includes
telecommuting, remote working, customized working
hours, condensed workweeks (e.g., early release on Fridays
during summer), flexible vacation time, unplugging days
etc. Ritu shares, "My work mantra has always been to
empower the team members to put in their best, and work
flexibility plays an integral role."
Disruptive technologies (AI, Automation, Cloud, Big Data,
etc.) impact every aspect of the business, from corporate
strategy to business operations and job functions. These
innovations can directly influence both the production and
the characteristics of a wide range of products and services,
with important implications for productivity, employment,
and competition. But, as important as these effects are
likely to be, AI also has the potential to change the
innovation process itself, with consequences that may be
equally profound and which may, over time, come to
dominate the direct effect. For e.g., developing a novel
technology for identifying potential drug candidates by
using neural networks to predict the bioactivity of candidate
molecules. The learning algorithms that are being
developed suggest that artificial intelligence may have
applications across a very wide range of use cases. Ritu
states, "These technologies are not just used in my day-to-
day personal life but also in my business setting from
market research to interactions with customers and
partners."
Insightful and Confident Decision Maker
IDC is changing the way the world thinks about the impact
of technology on business and society. Ritu envisions the
incorporation of AI in market research data collection
methods. Areas for data collection will become more
seamless and automated, including analysis of open-ended
text responses. These capabilities will enhance researchers'
time efficiency, create more value for clients, and break
down the 'why' when purchasing behaviors. Another
example of this is in "Sentiment Analysis," where
researchers will be able to decipher positive or negative
responses better. In addition, market researchers will focus
on insights that can carry over into clear and confident
decision-making. Research has shown that customers value
and appreciate it more when brand experiences are more
curated or customized.
Ritu shares, "I am a big proponent of continuous learning.
Keeping that in context, I would like to strengthen my skills
as a visionary leader, explore digital disruption from
strategy, organization and leadership perspectives,
generate new value propositions for my coverage area, and
create sustainable growth."
She concludes with encouraging words, "I would advise the
aspiring business leaders to focus on communication,
integrity, accountability, resilience, and vision. Effective
communication entails relentless, simple and direct
communication, affirmed with actions. As C.S. Lewis said:
"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is
watching." Having a good conscience is important, and
integrity is the cornerstone of all leadership qualities. We
rarely see this personified, but it is truly magical when it is.
Next is accountability. An effective leader needs to give
credit when the credit is due and take responsibility for
blame when necessary. I have met very few leaders who
truly embody this in the 25+ years of my career. Next would
be resilience. In today's disruptive and unpredictable world,
the true grit of a leader is not how they perform during
good times but how they react to challenging situations."
19. Adela Mehic-Dzanic
Playing the Infinite Game
t is a characteristic of leader that he or she is motivated
Iby the spirit of contribution to the society by using
technological advancements. This is what makes him
or her an influential leader. Giving back and serving the
community are essential traits of an influential leader. Such
a leader wants to be part of something great and make the
world a better place. Adela Mehic-Dzanic genuinely
believes in giving back and serving the community. Apart
from making the impact within the industry, Adela, the
Head of CSP segment at MAVOCO AG works making sure
each customer of MAVOCO AG loves company’s software.
She is actively involved within two communities, WU
Executive Academy Female Leaders Network as well the
Businesswomen of BiH (as the Vice President), with the
mission to empower, connect and share among themselves;
under the motto “Together we are stronger”.
Apart from that, Adela has started her mission “1000
Women” to share her career story and inspire more women
to pursue the career in the Tech industry and to follow their
dreams. As we all know it, the role models, and stories we
share to lift one another are crucial and that is why Adela is
committed to working with the future leaders, be it through
her mission or serving as a mentor in the various
communities, such as the BOSNIA and Herzegovina
Futures Foundations as well the WomenTech Network.
Passionate About Technology
Adela’s journey started back in 2015 when she joined the
Tele2 M2M /IoT Global Unit as a Solution Consultant
responsible for the CEE (Central Eastern Europe) market.
This took her career to a whole new level and enabled her
to work with customers and partners looking to launch
global IoT solutions for the very first time. As for someone
who is passionate about people and technology and
committed to making the world a better place, IoT is the
place to be. Her recent move to the software company
MAVOCO AG was a strategic move to go even deeper into
the world of Data and IoT platforms and influencing the
Telecom industry while deploying the connectivity
management platform of the new generation.
Huge Market Presence
Adela says that MAVOCO AG’s core market includes
world largest telecom operators that are using the
company’s connectivity management platform &
subscription billing software to manage, analyze and bill
their subscribers. However, the very same platform and its
capabilities are perfectly suited to be deployed for the needs
of the global MVNOs as well the large Enterprises (such as
the Automotive industry sector) who have the volume and
resources to manage their own connectivity deployment. At
the end of the day, it is a matter of configuration. MAVOCO
AG is currently working with the customers and partners
that bought the private 5G license and they as well have the
needs of managing their connectivity and their customer
base.
Appreciating Culture of Experimentation
Adela believes that passion, vision, perseverance, and
generosity are the essential traits every leader should
possess. She is currently reading this book from Simon
Sinek “The Infinite Game” and she highly recommends it to
every business leader. Adela believes that the culture of
failure and experimentation and playing the infinite game is
beneficial. She asks to experiment, be open to new ideas,
collaborate with the startups and be ready to try it all over
again as well to pivot. It is a greenfield and the rules are yet
to be written. She suggests looking beyond one industry and
to be curious about the other industries and their approaches
to tackling the challenges.
Empowering Employees
There are endless ways to create new sets of data and start
or apply a new model. The data can be re-created, as it is
not a limited resource.
Adela considers it is important to empower one’s
employees, set high priorities on diversity and inclusion,
and make sure that the product reflects one’s customers.
Unfortunately, we still read about too many examples
where women are completely left out and women are the
half of population. Adela thinks that women must be at the
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
June 2022 | 17 | www.insightssuccess.com
20. table discussing the products and services meant to make
their lives better.
From Adela’s experience, a healthy company culture with
strong values and a vision is way more than just profit and a
short-term game. Of course, with the opportunities to grow,
leaders do take time for their employees and create a culture
where they feel appreciated and safe to raise their voices
and have their opinions heard. It is not about the ping-pong
table, free coffee, and goodies. Quite the opposite.
Being Updated with Latest Technologies
Adela keeps herself updated with the latest technologies
using books, workshops, trainings, podcasts, magazines,
LinkedIn community and respective feeds as well as
various groups and communities focused on the specifics,
such as IoT, AI and Data science etc. She tends to mix it up
and use the best of all the options available out there.
Gratitude to Colleagues, Mentors, and Managers
Throughout her career, Adela has been the only woman and
the youngest team member, as well woman in tech and
working in the multicultural environment. It was not once
that she would get a reply to her email as “Mr.” and during
the customer meetings that they would ask her male
colleague to answer the technical question, even though he
was in sales. On the other hand, it was a major advantage,
and she feels grateful for the colleagues, mentors and
managers who believed in her from the day one and
cultivated the culture of talents, hard work and supportive
environment.
Valuing Culture, People and Values
If there is one advice Adela would like to give to her
younger self is to choose wisely your boss and the
company, you are joining. Back in 2014 when she moved to
Austria from her home country Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and when deciding the company to join, her priority was the
culture, people, and the values. Once she felt aligned with
those values, she did not think for a second and used every
single opportunity along the way, to grow, learn and
connect. Then it is true what they say, nothing is
impossible.
June 2022 | 18 | www.insightssuccess.com
21. “Think bigger
than you can
imagine, keep
your eyes open
and push through
against all odds.
Then the
opportunities will
come!
22.
23. June 2022 | 21 | www.insightssuccess.com
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
26. Benjamin Buchanan
The Best IoT Professional
Over the years, many technological innovations
quickly rose to prominence but ended up falling off
just as fast. What happens to those systems
beyond? Odds are those systems no longer work, leaving
those businesses up a creek without a paddle! That’s why
Benjamin Buchanan, Chief Executive Officer sets out to
create something better, something smarter at SBT
(Smarter Building Technologies) Alliance.
An interview conducted between Benjamin Buchanan and
Insights Success identifies his leadership development by
fully embracing innovative thinking and building an all-star
team to help drive the SBT mission forward. Below are the
highlights of the interview:
Kindly take us through your journey to becoming a
proficient tech business leader.
From my humble beginnings in this industry as a project
designer, I saw the importance of working hard to bring the
customer more than what they expected and making their
project truly valuable. There are plenty of examples of
projects built with cheap products, and I knew the customer
had left so much on the table. So I made it my purpose to
educate myself on all the technology available to marry
them with the customer’s needs perfectly. This technology-
first approach guided me from lighting into the world of
wireless IoT systems and now is a cornerstone to SBT’s
mission, bringing true value through technology to our
customers and suppliers alike.
What business roadblocks or challenges have you faced?
And how did you overcome them?
As with any business, leadership position, or professional
role within an organization, roadblocks and challenges are
abound – there’s simply no way around it. You’re going to
hit roadblocks and confront challenges – be it cash flow,
funding, sales, employee relations, productivity, etc. The
question then becomes, will you persevere, or will you let
them defeat you and knock you down? Perseverance and
persistence is the path to success, in my opinion. It is only
through perseverance and persistence that I’ve overcome
business (and personal) roadblocks and challenges.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
SBT is committed to a business model that is product and
technology agnostic. This approach allows our product and
IoT solutions teams to engineer solutions for clients that
answer specific data-related questions about their facilities
while also solving critical business challenges. A one-size-
fits-all approach simply doesn’t work in the sphere of IoT
and technology-led solutions. It sounds nice, but proper IoT
solutions are an amalgamation of many technologies,
devices systems, and solutions that, when pulled together,
create the enticing solution offering that meets our target
audiences’ needs. That’s why we stand out with our clients;
we don’t try to sell them something they don’t need. We
partner with them to solve business and operational
challenges and design a mix of solutions to achieve that
goal.
What culture change do you suggest for companies that
want to embrace the full power of AI?
The full power of AI, machine learning, and the Internet of
Things (IoT), more broadly, honestly depends on each
customer’s needs. In B2B – which is the sphere that SBT
operates – it isn’t necessarily a question of culture change,
rather a better understanding and realization of what’s
possible when using the advanced technologies of IoT to
solve business challenges. It is more about education and
proof points.
What are the vital traits that every business leader
should possess?
Leaders in any business setting should encompass some of
the following traits/approaches, as I’ve identified in my
own leadership development and shared by many of my
leadership mentors within the business community. I chalk
these traits into five vital characteristics of successful
leaders:
June 2022 | 24 | www.insightssuccess.com
27. Benjamin Buchanan,
Chief Executive Officer,
SBT (Smarter Building Technologies)
June 2022 | 25 | www.insightssuccess.com
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
28. 1. Effective leaders need the ability to streamline and clarify
the complex.
2. Passionate leaders must fully embrace new thinking –
that’s what primes innovation.
3. Confident leaders must have both self-assurance and
humility – they inspire, not belittle.
4. Compassionate leaders must set high standards but
modesty to admit when wrong.
5. Responsible leaders need to be honest, truthful, and
transparent – that’s what builds trust.
How do you keep yourself up-to-date with the latest
technology?
As a technology-forward company, SBT and our team
technicians and IoT thinkers keep me in the know, along
with our industry partners with whom I continually meet.
As I mentioned earlier, the SBT model focuses on product
and technology agnosticism, so we’re continually meeting
exciting new technology companies and learning how they
approach IoT, AI, and machine learning. To me, there’s no
better way to keep up to date than getting right in there and
being hands-on with innovators as SBT does every day.
What does it take to attract and retain tech talents?
As I mentioned earlier in this conversation, it is my firm
belief that if a leader takes to heart the five vital
characteristics that I reviewed, they will set the stage and
environment that will attract, retain, and encourage tech
(and non-tech) talents. It’s about building an atmosphere
that allows folks to contribute and help SBT deliver on our
mission and reach our vision to transform how IoT
products, services, and technologies are delivered to the
market and optimized by customers.
Where are you focusing your energy now, and where do
you hope to make an impact next?
Right now, we are in the whirlwind that comes with scaling
a technology-focused company. I am keen to drive SBT
forward to continue making the impact we are for our
customers, industry partners, and the facility management
space as a whole. My immediate energy is focused on
continuing to build an all-star team of SBT team members
who evoke our CIVIC values as a company and as
individuals. These include:
Ÿ Commitment
Ÿ Integrity
Ÿ Value
Ÿ Innovation
Ÿ Community
“
SBT partners with
small, medium,
and Fortune 500s
to create smart
spaces that future-
proof businesses.
June 2022 | 26 | www.insightssuccess.com
29.
30. usiness leaders in technology have to develop good
Bskills both in technology understanding and
business as well to be the most influential business
leader in technology. They should be prepared to use
whatever talents, skills, abilities, and resourcefulness they
have for the purpose of coming with creative and inventive
solutions so as to make a worthwhile contribution. They
have to be keenly aware of the latest technologies that can
be integrated into the businesses so as to improve the
offerings of the businesses.
Technology if utilized appropriately, it offers enormous
advantages and has the capability to make a profound
impact in the industry. Business leaders have to go beyond
the boundaries of traditional or conventional thinking just to
settle by the norms and have to be inventive in approach to
break the status quo or stagnancy in the businesses. They
need to develop the most pragmatic approach to lead the
businesses that create a tangible impact in the industry with
its contribution. Business leaders should think about out of
the box solutions to not to be just trapped by what is
available in the market and be comfortable with that.
Comfort zone is the worst enemy of progress. To be
successful business leader in technology, one cannot afford
to be comfortable or complacent. Being complacent is
absolutely dangerous.
Comfort zone doesn’t allow one to take the inventive or
creative approach to develop something new that can be
integrated into the businesses. Therefore, one should go
beyond the comfort zone by stretching oneself above the
limits of comfort zone and should be open to the new
changes that can be incorporated in the businesses.
Business leaders should prefer to be in the stretch zone to
come out with inventive solutions.
Seduction of safety is much more perilous than the
perception of the risk. Calculated risks in businesses always
pays off. Therefore, business leaders should not be afraid to
take calculated risks. Regret of not taking risk is heavier
than risk itself, so therefore one should always be open to
take risk in businesses and play out the bold game.
Nothing substantial can be accomplished by playing by
cowardliness and being trapped by mediocrity and timidity.
Boldness is genius and therefore business leaders should
have the courage to pursue their audacious goals.
Mediocrity and fear are the worst traps and those should be
avoided by the leaders who want to make a tangible
difference. Business leaders in tech should be cognizant to
recognize the potential of technologies that can be
implemented in the businesses to improve the quality of the
solutions.
Business leaders should be open to the wonderful
opportunities and should grab them diligently to play the
key role in delivering modern solutions to the challenges
present in the business world. The leaders in tech have to be
smart enough to tap the potential of highly capable
technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics
etc. Artificial Intelligence offers enormous benefits for the
businesses and to automating the many mechanical
processes. This potential of Artificial Intelligence can be
incorporated in the businesses to help businesses expand the
scope of their services.
The potential of many emerging technologies can be
integrated in the businesses and businesses can be taken to
new heights for the purpose of benefits of clients. Due to
the pandemic, many businesses are incorporating
digitalization into their businesses. So, this area also offers
a potential for lot of growth and innovation. Business
leaders have to be vigilant to grab the chances they have to
make a positive difference in as many ways as they can.
They should have planning and strategy to make
contribution in the areas where there are opportunities for
contribution.
Business leaders should also see that they have most
resourceful team of people with them to recognize the
potential technologies for the purpose of implementing
those technologies most effectively in the businesses. There
can be no keener revelation of a leader than the way in
which he or she treats and trains their employees or
teammates to play the most important role in being part of
the solutions to the challenges. The business leaders should
train their teammates and employees to be part of the
solutions. Great leaders are not just leaders themselves, but
they also make more leaders, and this creates a tangible
difference.
Technology offers enormous advantages that business
leaders should incorporate in the businesses to drive the
growth of the businesses and also for the purpose of most
creative and inventive solutions. With great potential of
technology being implemented by technically, smart leaders
will help businesses to attain the greatest leaders and this
will create the most impact in the industry and the credit of
that will go to the leaders who integrate the technology and
business skills most effectively and in a more profitable and
organized manner.
Tech and Innovation
June 2022 | 28 | www.insightssuccess.com
32. prominent personality in the international IT
AIndustry, Brigitte Falk is setting a striking instance
of impactful leadership. Brigitte brings 25 years of
management experience in the IT industry to the table.
Currently, she is serving as CIO and COO at a IIoT
software company FORCAM, with a strong focus on the
innovation environment, digitalization, and agile working
methods.
Brigitte started her professional career in 1996 at SAP as
Product Manager Oil and Gas. During her tenure over, she
worked in corporate development, innovation management
and event management. In 2004, she took over the Business
Operations department as Marketing Director. Having
worked for several years there was a substantial learning
experience accompanied by management & leadership
techniques, innovation methodologies, product management
know-how, intercultural and interdisciplinary teams.
After graduating with Malik MZSG Executive Diploma,
Brigitte Falk founded the Simplicity Company to support
consulting firms, analysts and investment banks with
strategic consulting worldwide. In 2014, she took over
global responsibility for Marketing & Sales Applications at
Celesio AG (today McKesson Europe). In 2017, she was
appointed Division Lead Organization & Information of
CRONIMET Holding GmbH.
Brigitte's interdisciplinary studies of arts, humanities, and
natural sciences, complemented by an open spirit, are the
foundation of where she is today. She inculcates strategic
thinking through work with venture capitalist in a startup
environment, followed by taking on European ecommerce
IT assignment in a challenging environment. Her
achievements have been reflected over the last three years
as “CIO of the year 2018” (CIO Magazine Germany), “CIO
of the year 2019” (Bonhill – Women in IT Awards Europe),
and “CIO of the Decade 2020 Germany” (Confare & EY).
Customer Centric Approach
FORCAM FORCE™ is the first turnkey and manufacturer-
independent IT platform for the industrial Internet of
Things (IIoT). The company's claim that it delivers results
in productivity remains a solid foundation since its
establishment in 2001. Almost two decades ago, FORCAM
celebrated its debut and first deployment at Mercedes-Benz.
The iconic automobile company has since celebrated many
accolades, including the “Factory of the Year” award in
2007, 2008, and 2012. The most recent award in 2020 is the
Manufacturing Leadership Partner Award by the National
Association of Manufacturers.
Since then, the company has evolved into a comprehensive
IIoT solution partner with a high-performance
manufacturing 4.0 platform and a vital ecosystem. Today,
its turnkey and freely extensible cloud platform is used by
large and medium-sized companies including Lockheed
Martin Audi, BMW, BorgWarner, Daimler, KUKA, Pratt &
Whitney, Schaeffler, Swarovski and many more. Today,
June 2022 | 30 | www.insightssuccess.com
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
33.
34. more than 100,000 machines are monitored with FORCAM
technology worldwide.
Having Brigitte at the helm, the company is about to launch
two new IIoT product lines by introducing “Customer
centricity” as guiding principle. They are based on
Ÿ market gap: connecting supposedly “non-connectable”
older brownfield machines to the internet (FORCAM
FORCE EDGE) and leverage their data potential and
Ÿ the need for fast, easy and low-cost connection of
production lines of SMEs or smaller subsidiaries to the
internet (FORCAM FORCE SaaS)
A Culture Change to be Adopted
According to Brigitte, to embrace full power of AI,
companies must show openness towards disruptive business
models and the respective digital transformation across all
parts of the business. They should unlock the hidden
potential of their current staff, encourage them to take on
bigger tasks beyond their usual level of comfort, agile
principles (inspect and adapt), and take related
responsibility.
Brigi e Falk
COO and CIO
FORCAM
June 2022 | 32 | www.insightssuccess.com
35. Besides, it is also important to attract and retain tech talents.
She mentions that for companies, it takes a bold vision,
creation of jobs for people from tech background based on
their ambitions and strengths, and encompassing
empowerment to attract and retain tech talents.
Thought Leadership in the IIoT Domain
Currently, Brigitte is focusing her energy to market the
FORCAM solution portfolio geared towards real-time data-
driven decision making on the shopfloor, grid connectivity
and machine data lake offerings as foundation. Now, all her
efforts are in the direction to drive vision and thought
leadership in the IIoT domain.
Besides, Brigitte keeps herself updated with the latest
technological trends by reading, meeting, talking with an
outmost heterogeneous, interdisciplinary audience and
network from all over the world. She also keeps openness
for inspirations from unusual sources beyond the
mainstream.
A Take on Sound Leadership
When asked about essential traits every business leader
should possess, Brigitte is of the opinion that every leader
should focus on empowerment. They should always put
strategic thinking and innovation into practice for every
decision they take and communicate a related vision with
everyone. A sound leader is one who leads by example,
builds on trust, integrity & transparency, and actively
listens.
June 2022 | 33 | www.insightssuccess.com
37. Dr.Shimrit
Tzur-David
Providing Passwordless Authentication Solution to Enterprises
Influential business leaders are those who carry good
decision-making abilities, courage, and presence of
mind to lead businesses successfully. Those who are in
technology sector possess the ability to recognize the smart
technology that solves a real problem. They identify the
market for that need, and with their shrewd business
acumen they leverage the same to build a revolutionary
solution that solves a real problem in the market. One such
influential business leader in tech is Dr. Shimrit Tzur-
David, the CSO and Co-Founder of Secret Double
Octopus. The Secret Double Octopus is the passwordless
authentication solution for the enterprises. It liberates end-
users and security teams from the burden of passwords with
the simplicity and security of strong passwordless
authentication.
In an interview with Insights Success, Dr. Shimrit Tzur-
David shares about her journey and contribution through
her leadership in Secret Double Octopus.
Below are the Highlights of the interview:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a
proficient tech business leader.
Since I was young, I had a passion for computers. My older
brother studies computer science and I remember that I
went through my brother’s books, began to copy code and
write it on the computer, just to see what it does. Back then,
it was clear to me that this is what I want to do in my life. I
studied computers in high school and then I completed my
BSc in Computer Science. I continued my studies to MSc
and PhD right after graduated. In my MSc and PhD, my
research focused on information security, so when I finished
my PhD, I continued my research as a post-doc researcher,
first in the Hebrew University and then in Ben Gurion
University. In my research, I thought of a new approach for
data-in-motion security that use the same algorithm that is
used today to protect the nuclear weapon launch code in the
USA. I remember the moment I told this idea to the
Professor I worked with, Prof. Dolev.
I wanted to pursue an academic career and I thought it was
a great idea academically, I wasn’t interested in a career in
industry, but Prof Dolev immediately understood it is a
great idea that can have great applications. I remember him
giving me a very intense look and saying that he thinks we
should go meet Vcs.
The rest is a history. Secret Double Octopus was founded in
2015 by me, and 3 other co-founders. Secret Double
Octopus is the Leader in Passwordless authentication for
the workforce. We delight end users and security teams
June 2022 | 35 | www.insightssuccess.com
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
38. alike, by replacing passwords across the enterprise with the
simplicity and security of strong passwordless
authentication. From being named a Gartner “Cool Vendor”
in 2016, our platform is now serving mid-sized to Fortune
50 customers around the globe and we are backed by
leading global Vcs.
What roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a
corporate business? And how did you overcome them?
At first, our product was a site-to-site security solution for
VPN. After a year, we felt we had a great product in our
hands, but customers weren’t rushing to buy it. They all
agree that we have a groundbreaking product, but the
problem it solved wasn’t a high enough priority for them.
We were running out of funds and needed to show some
success stories for the next round, and we began thinking
about pivoting. We worked on the authentication solution
which is a security risk that really bothers the industry
today. Once we had a working prototype that got popularity
in the market, we made the full pivot, and the new product
is selling very well.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
We offer passwordless authentication to each and every
service in the organization, including web-applications,
legacy applications, and workstations login, both for online
To success, you
must have a
smart
technology
that solves a
real problem, a
market for that
need, and a
good team.
“
“
June 2022 | 36 | www.insightssuccess.com
39. and offline modes. Our product can be installed at the
customer pace, per-user, or per-service. In addition, the
product can be installed fully on-prem, this helps many
conservative organizations install our solution without any
fear regarding leaking information.
Besides the basic installation that includes our Octopus
mobile application, our server is FIDO certified so any
FIDO authenticator can work with our solution without the
need to use the Octopus application. In addition, many of
our customers already have a password-based MFA, such as
Okta or RSA. In that case, instead of coming with the
approach of replacing the current installation, we are
integrating with the already installed MFA to provide our
full coverage of secure passwordless authentication solution
to all services, but the users continue to use their current
way to authenticate so the transition will be transparent to
rd
the users and the customer investment on the current 3
party MFA solution won’t be lost.
What, according to you, are the vital traits that every
business leader should possess?
I think that the two most traits that a business leader should
possess are the ability to make good diagnosis and courage.
The basic 3 things that a startup should have are a smart
technology, a market, and a good team. In some cases, the
technology must be replaced along the way, and to make
that change after you invest as lot on the current product, a
business leader must have courage. another important thing
is choosing the right team to walk with you, for that, you
must have a perfect diagnosis when it comes to people,
otherwise, you can waste a lot of time and money.
Where are you focusing your energy now, and where do
you hope to make an impact next?
These days we are focusing on making strategic
collaborations, those that, in one hand, can sell our product
in large scales but in the other hand, will not add too much
bandwidth. In my dreams, I can see every employee that
comes into the office and logs in to the many services
without passwords at all. Secret Double Octopus breaks the
long-standing security paradigm, proving that organizations
can have better security with a better user experience while
reducing costs.
43. Providing Strategic Guidance to Excel
I have spent the last twenty-plus
years working at the intersection
of technology and consumer
behavior tied to various
forms of marketing
and advertising. ascinated with technology since watching the
Foriginal Star Wards in the late 70s, Tom Edwards
was enamored with the droids C-3PO & R2D2 and
how they enabled the main characters on every step.
Similarly, the core aspect of technology that enables
humankind proved to be the foundation of his professional
journey.
Tom spent over two decades working at the intersection of
technology and consumer behavior tied to various forms of
marketing and advertising. Starting his career during the dot
com days paved a path to start-up life, proving to be
instrumental in shaping his understanding of business,
developing solutions, customer centricity, and grinding
methods. These steps helped him build a new skill set in
emerging areas shifting from software-based services to
strategic marketing, innovation, data, and AI-centric roles.
Today, Tom leads as the Chief Digital & Data Officer at
Omnicom Health Group Inc., utilizing his expertise in
strategy, data, analytics, intelligent systems, product
development, digital transformation, and thought
leadership.
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch 2022
June 2022 | 41 | www.insightssuccess.com
44. However, achieving this milestone was filled with multiple
challenges where the accelerated pace of change and how
businesses adapt were primary. Tom gained insights that led
him to begin creating original content to deconstruct and
simplify highly complex topics for himself, his teams,
clients, and the industry. He shares, “Since then, I have
created over 600 pieces of original content, recorded
hundreds of hours of video content, and began delivering
keynotes across industries. I have now given over 100+
keynotes on emerging technology and AI across industry
events across the globe.”
Prominent Impact
For the last twenty years, Tom has worked with outstanding
teams with renowned brands worldwide. He recalls that one
program that he is incredibly proud of was a collaboration
with Electronic Arts. His team created the first instance of
taking in-game video game content and porting it to the
web, a first-of-its-kind program.
Another significant impact was launching Omni Health in
2021 for Omnicom Health Group. Omni Health is the first
and largest pharma-focused data precision marketing &
HCP insights platform by any agency holding company. He
adds, “We have five years invested in refining data models,
and Omnicom has invested millions of dollars into the core
Omni Platform.”
“This has led to several industry awards. From the 2022
DFWIMA Marketer of the year, 2x OnCon Icon Top 10
global marketer, Tech Titan Technology Advocate award,
and Advertising Age recently recognized me as a Marketing
Technology Trailblazer. I am humbled and grateful for the
recognition and praise of my team members and family for
their fantastic support.”
Tom mentions that Omnicom Health Group was recently
recognized by Ad Age as the most effective healthcare
marketing and communications network in the US, with
more than a dozen companies and over 4,000 talented
people specializing in every area of health marketing and
communications.
From physicians to patients to providers to payers, it takes
intense collaboration to coordinate and deliver healthcare.
June 2022 | 42 | www.insightssuccess.com
45. Enhanced is all about perception between physical and
digital and how and when technology will adapt to us vs. us
adapting to it. This territory dives deeper into the
Metaverse, the role of computer vision, digital synths,
multi-modal interfaces, digital twins, holograms, synthetic
reality, and Tom's prediction of when people will see multi-
modal at scale.
“My goal is always to understand the business problem we
are trying to solve and align the optimal technology to solve
or enhance a program vs. taking technology and making it
work. I see this happen all too often when integrating new
and emerging tech. Ensure that it is relevant for both the
brand and the existing ecosystem and communities,” Tom
explains.
What Comes Next?
Tom sets multiple short- and long-term goals to stay on
course across many concurrent work streams. For Omnicom
Health Group, it's to continue to evolve its capabilities and
upskill its talent for the next phase of marketing and
communications. For his data and digital team, it's about
aligning around automation, integrating intelligent systems,
and always driving outcomes.
“As a futurist, my goal is to continue to read the signals
from across all aspects of technology and consumer
behavior, from infrastructure that is foundational to scale
advanced intelligent experiences to ecosystems that trigger
mass adoption, to the patents and experiments around
multi-modal interfaces that will evolve us past desktop and
mobile to a time not too far in the near future where
technology interacts with us vs. us interacting with it.”
“It's an exhilarating time as we see technology rapidly
moving to redefine our reality. My goal is to continue
deciphering what I see and inspire those I interact with
across all forms of content and interaction,” Tom
concludes.
That's why Omnicom Health Group agencies are culturally
oriented toward working together. Most of its client
assignments are shared by three or more OHG specialty
agencies.
He notes, “Omnicom Health Group was built on the idea of
Best of Health. Best of Health Talent, Collaboration, and
Inclusion. As Chief Digital & Data Officer, I lead the
Digital and Data Center of Excellence. My team
responsibilities include expanding our strategic services,
enhancing our data/tech/AI products, driving innovation,
and empowering the world-class agencies in the OHG
network.”
Cultivating Modern Work Culture
OHG offers mobility opportunities across the network to
ensure that it keeps talent in the network. Employees have a
chance to raise their hand and seamlessly transition from
one agency to another to continue their professional
development.
“OHG seeks the best talent in the industry, and we are
flexible about where that talent is based. I am a great
example of Omnicom Health Group's flexibility. While OHG
is headquartered in NYC, I am working effectively to
support our aggressive growth agenda based out of my
home office in Texas,” clarifies Tom.
Technology as Benefactor
Tom expresses that technology has been foundational to his
career as an executive and as a professional, where he uses
the filters of Empower, Exponential, and Enhanced when
speaking about leveraging technology to drive business.
Empower is all about understanding that consumers are in
control. Their expectations are radically transforming how
business is done. This includes GenZs impact on tech &
culture, gaming, the Metaverse, Ethereum, NFTs, POAPs,
the evolving role of the camera, the rise of private
messaging, and how the camera is a bridge to intelligence.
Exponential is all about ease and convenience as the core
motivation for why consumers are open to adopting
intelligent systems. This includes all facets of AI, Machine
Learning, Deep Learning, understanding algorithms,
predictive decisions, generative models, what he calls the
five levels of autonomy, digital humans, virtual assistants,
and the rise of the proxy web.
June 2022 | 43 | www.insightssuccess.com
47. indly take us through your journey on
Kbecoming a proficient tech business leader.
I have been a very early adopter of technology most of my
life, and my career has centered around technology being a
business enabler. I transitioned early in my career from
being a heavy user of technology to leading technology
teams as I transitioned into the world of Business Process
Outsourcing leading very large teams of sales, customer
service, and technical help desk operations supporting many
business clients.
My success in leadership in this space, however, has not
been by selling technology – it has been about solving
challenges for clients; understanding their strategy and pain
points and then advising and co-creating with them, the
solutions with technology, that enables the people and
processes to deliver against the strategy and outcomes
desired.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
The most important criteria, in my opinion, is to understand
WHO your target audience is – what challenges they are
facing – often not a singular problem, but a multi-
dimensional problem set. Once you understand your
audience and frame their pain points, then there is an
opportunity to create a differentiated solution that targets
these challenges and tells a story about how your solutions
will solve these challenges.
In today’s changing environmental landscape, business leaders recognize that sustainability is
fundamental to remain competitive. The global pandemic is accelerating the need for digital
reinvention and adoption in the organization and has become more vital than ever.
Meanwhile, Victoria Pelletier feels fortunate working for IBM - an industry leader in IT &
Services with a phenomenal learning and skills platform. An interview conducted between
Victoria Pelletier - Vice President of Talent & Transformation for North America and Insights
Success shares her experience, feedback, and opinions to drive successful outcomes.
Bringing Information
Opportunity Together
&
June 2022 | 45 | www.insightssuccess.com
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
48. ‘‘
How do you keep yourself up to date with the latest
technology?
I am a voracious reader and have subscriptions to many
digital news and media publications and also have alerts set
up for many of the favorite topics that I follow. This
includes news and social posts from some of the top
technology and business leaders that I follow.
What roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a
corporate business? And how did you overcome them?
I have faced many challenges in my career – one of the
earliest was becoming an executive at aged 24 – just a few
months after giving birth to my first child. I had to balance
an extremely demanding role with long hours and
significant travel with the needs of my young family. I have
also faced being the only woman, or one of very few, at the
executive table for a vast majority of my career and have
faced discrimination, bullying, and some mudslinging, as a
result.
I have also faced the types of challenges that I thrive in –
organizational change and transformation. I have personally
been a part of 18 mergers or acquisitions and often sat at the
heart of the integration and transition – something I deeply
love as the challenge of building something new and
different is extremely motivating to me. I have overcome
significant adversity in my life that has driven me to a
philosophy whereby I believe that I am unstoppable, always
finding solutions for the challenges I face. I live a life of
#NoExcuses - I use this hashtag liberally, signing my social
media posts with it, and even had a custom phone case
made with this motto on it!
What culture change you suggest for companies that
want to embrace the full power of AI?
I believe that there are a number of key elements to creating
a culture and environment that will be successful in both
adopting and adapting to AI in the workplace. Importantly,
it’s about creating a place that fosters a growth-mind set
with continuous learning and feedback – of creating a
vision and allowing the team to work in a very agile way to
achieve the desired outcomes. New kinds of skills are
required for this moment, especially as employees are
working outside a traditional office and increasingly apply
digital tools and emerging technology to how they work.
Also, critically important is creating an open, transparent
and empathetic culture that promotes differing points of
view, and public dissent as necessary, however, all with a
Be the type of
leader who you
needed when
you were earlier
in your career.
June 2022 | 46 | www.insightssuccess.com
49. high degree of integrity and ethically based and data-driven
decision making.
What does it take to attract and retain tech talent?
Retaining top tech talent, and quite frankly, retaining ALL
talent across an organization, is about creating both a
positive culture and a highly engaging environment that
offers career development and advancement. For leading
organizations, artificial intelligence will increasingly play
an important data-driven approach to all these areas of
personalized career and skills, compensation and
performance management, and creating an environment of
engagement and belonging.
This approach is very multi-faceted and includes strong
leadership – those operating with transparency and
authenticity and modelling the values aligned to the
business they joined. It is also about individual
development opportunities with a particular focus on skill
development and/or reskilling; this is especially important
in technology given the rapid acceleration of change and
the shortened shelf-life of skills.
Retention is also linked to transparency in performance
management and pay; that is – clarity in expectations and
goals to measure performance and doing so across a multi-
dimensional set of goals, not a singular measure and
ensuring that pay is linked to performance and also tied into
the demand for the skills that one brings to and develops in
their role. One of the most critical areas is also around
creating a place where people feel comfortable bringing
their true and authentic whole selves to the workplace.
Where are you focusing your energy now, and where do
you hope to make an impact next?
I have been spending my time and energy very focused on
culture, talent strategy, diversity, equity and inclusion, talent
and skills development, and the enabled workforce of the
future. My role at IBM is leading our Americas Talent &
Transformation business unit supporting clients, so not only
is this a space that I am passionate about, but I get to help
companies in these areas.
A very focused area, both within and outside of IBM has
been my work on DE&I given the escalation in social
unrest and the need for better cultures and outcomes in the
workplace and in our communities. I want to have an
impact and leave a legacy around my work in creating
better workplace culture and environments to live and
thrive in.
51. AYNE ZWIERS
A Technology Maverick Solving Complex Business Problems
AYNE ZWIERS
The 10 Most Inspiring Tech Leaders to Watch, 2022
52. Adversity is inevitable but having resilience is the
single most important factor that determines
success”, believes Wayne Zwiers, the Founder of
Basalt.
According to Wayne, leaders should be authentic, lead their
business decisively and fairly as well as have humility for
everyone they encounter. They need to understand that
every individual has strengths and a story to share. And by
encouraging each team member to grow, upskill and take
calculated risks, they can cultivate resilience across their
businesses. Wayne has inculcated all the mentioned traits
throughout his professional journey.
Let’s find out more about his entrepreneurial ride in an
interview conducted between Wayne and Insights Success.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a
proficient tech business leader.
For several years I wanted to start my own business, one
that was aligned to my values. I was in discussions with
various potential partners and felt that the timing was right
to pursue my goal of creating purpose-led software
solutions to address areas of need from education to health,
to finance. We began Blackbeard in 2016 in Johannesburg,
South Africa and, after winning some incredible contracts
and growing the business, we decided to rebrand in 2019 to
Basalt Technology to cement and celebrate our evolving
business. Basalt is now an award-winning software
development company that solves complex business
problems through the rapid implementation of profitable,
technology solutions.
I have won several industry accolades, including the Africa
Tech CEO of the Year Award in 2019, joined many
entrepreneur societies and even developed an NPO, Tech
Relief which distributes tech devices to African school
children that are in need. I started out as an entrepreneur by
walking away from a path I didn’t want towards creating a
life that was harmonious and value-based, so, in that
respect, I feel accomplished. Every day I grow as a leader,
in part because of my incredible team, however, my journey
is still unfolding and the adventure for Basalt is very much
underway.
“
“
Have the freedom and
autonomy to build and
disrupt technology as
quickly as possible in
order to change markets
& verticals for the
greater good of
humanity.
June 2022 | 50 | www.insightssuccess.com
53. What roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a
corporate business? And how did you overcome them?
The difficulties that you face with corporate businesses are
largely to do with organizational structure and due diligence
constraints. Things move slowly, approvals are slow,
decisions are delayed and there are consequently many
barriers to agility. I invented our business model by turning
these challenges on their head and into opportunities. This
saw our model incorporate remote working with
international teams, agility in terms of structure, and the
necessity to make fast decisions unhindered by legacy
issues.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
Our planning is very strategic. No business and no business
model can last forever. Industries, markets and customers,
are constantly changing. A business needs to therefore be
very strategic with how they disrupt themselves. We
constantly look at our customers and evaluate their needs
which helps us to stay ahead of the market.
How do you keep yourself up-to-date with the latest
technology?
The first step in keeping up to date is learning to speed read
which I managed to master many years ago. Your ability to
read faster determines how rapidly you can take in
information and thereby build your personal database and
points of reference. I use both books and social channels for
learning and research. I recently learned how to build a
motorbike piece by piece on YouTube. I love researching
the latest technology through surveys, podcasts and doing
short personal development and skills courses.
Where are you focusing your energy now, and where do
you hope to make an impact next?
I believe that there is a moral imperative for big business to
generate positive change. This thread of purpose runs
throughout Basalt as a business and is the reason that we
have set up our NPO, Tech Relief which is partially funded
by Basalt. As a tech business that began in Africa, we are
keenly aware that education in technology and facilitated by
technology is an exit strategy to poverty that we need to
support. Tech Relief collects and distributes ‘old’ donated
technological devices such as tablets, iPads, and laptops to
STEM learners.
What culture change you suggest for companies that
want to embrace the full power of AI?
Firstly, there needs to be a mindset shift around what AI is
and how powerful it is going to become. There is no
escaping it, so it will be the early adopters who naturally
benefit most. Secondly, all companies need to be
considering how technologists can incorporate AI and make
their product/service offerings better for humanity or they
risk being left behind.
What does it take to attract and retain tech talents?
A work environment that is creative, admired, and
experimental helps to attract top tech talents. Creating an
environment of consistent innovation with a degree of
autonomy encourages retention. At Basalt, our technologists
work in small groups of five to seven people, whereby a
leader is allocated who has certain KPIs to achieve. Our
teams then split their time between clients and the rest of
their time on the business itself. The latter can include
categories such as mastery, incentives, business
development, and innovation. Essentially, employees select
what they want to work on, which naturally leads to higher
engagement and better results.
Wayne Zwiers,
Founder,
Basalt Technology
June 2022 | 51 | www.insightssuccess.com
