The 10 Most Innovative CEOs to Follow in 2022

ISSN 2582-127X

January 2022

TOP

1

MOST INNOVATIVE

CEOs TO FOLLOW IN 2022

Tech CEOs: Follow Top Technology Agendas to Drive Revenue Towards the Business

Key Traits that Separate Successful Tech CEOs from the Rest

MARK

BRYANT Latium Technologies

CEO

EDITORIAL

I

n contemporary times like today, innovation

The most successful CEOs embed an insight-based

plays a pivotal role in bringing revolutionary

innovation in their company's culture, in its ways of

transformation in the entrepreneurial space.

working, in its organizational design and in its

An amalgam of creative instincts and thrive to

leadership model. By doing so, they push innovation

succeed can take your empire to Cloud nine. The

to frontline teams across their business and

prominent entrepreneurs with prowess in their

empower those teams to identify and remove

specific fields are progressing with dynamic vigor.

sources of friction for customers. They make

Innovation has long been a priority for many CEOs.

everyday innovation a source of competitive

Now, the pandemic has added new urgency to the

advantage.

quest: COVID-19 has driven a jump of 10

The year 2020 put to rest any remaining doubts

percentage points (to 75%) in the share of

about the value of digital processes and value

companies reporting innovation as a top-three

propositions. Digital transformation of the core

priority—the largest year-over-year increase.

business is now a top priority for 75% of CEOs, and

CEOs have taken COVID-19 as an opportunity to

65% of firms are doubling down on their plans for

question the impact of their innovation agenda and

transformation with renewed urgency. One big

in some cases to rethink it from the ground up. Many

benefit of digital is its ability to turbocharge

leaders have seen their own teams or their

innovation and create competitive advantage

competitors accomplish innovation feats in just

through new products, services and business

weeks that previously took months, and they are

models.

looking for ways to sustainably adopt new ways of

The six success factors are close integration of

working. A general shift is underway from

digital strategy with the business strategy,

traditional incremental innovation toward non-

commitment from the CEO through middle

incremental or even self-disrupting moves, which

management, a talent core of digital superstars,

involve building new and often digital capabilities.

business-led and flexible technology and data

Business model innovation can take many forms.

platforms, agile governance and effective

Leading firms are making both gradual and more

monitoring of progress toward defined outcomes.

abrupt moves inside and outside their core business,

Bringing together all six factors is essential to

depending on the level of disruption in their industry

becoming an innovative organization in the digital

and the availability of adjacent growth

age.

opportunities. Most companies are at least gradually or partially altering their core business models. Digital opportunities and the sustainability imperative are two key forces driving this change.

CREDITS Ashish Sukhadeve Editor-in-Chief

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January 2022

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Mark Bryant 08

CEO of Latium Technologies

Kevin Wideman

26 Sajid Azmi

32 Jai Chitkara

40

CONTENTS

16

Articles

Frederico Samartini

24

46 Jared Whitaker

54

Tech CEOs: Follow Top Technology Agendas to Drive Revenue Towards the Business

Martin Strigač

52 Key Traits that Separate Successful Tech CEOs from the Rest

60 James Lancaster

64 Mathew Garver

Mark CEO

Bryant

Driving Latium Technologies Towards Industry Leadership and Success with Superior Innovation and Expertise

A

s construction demand continues to grow day by day at home and abroad,

companies have to keep up the pace. One way this can be achieved is through the

expansion and adoption of new technologies in construction. New technologies are

allowing space for innovations to step in and tech tools are also changing how construction companies work. It is also revolutionizing the job site to a great extent. Disruptive technologies are also allowing job sites to be more interconnected than ever before. This is what Latium Technologies is leading the industry in.

Latium is a global leader in IoT and adjacent solutions that boost the construction, mining, and oil and gas sectors. Innovative, collaborative, accessible, and putting innovation to work is Latium's way. It is an Internet of Things (IoT) & Industrial Solutions provider that inspires better operational & business decisions through a scalable, field-proven suite of applications known as Job Site Insights®. The company has delivered solutions to top companies in many industries including Construction, Mining, Oil & Gas, and Pipeline. Combining real-time telemetry, project management tools, job-site visualizations, and resource scheduling, Job Sight Insights® enables organizations to enhance quality, safety, productivity, and operational excellence while reducing risks.

In an interview with Analytics Insight, Mark Bryant, the CEO of Latium Technologies, explains how his team innovates products and services that are customer-centric. He also gives us some vital insights by sharing his experiences and learnings.

08

COVER STORY

09

“

Technology in heavy industry and construction is at a historical inflection point of rapid investment, acceleration, and digitization that will create new category leaders in those who choose to invest in this significant industry change. Failure will come to those who choose to ignore this significant shift.

“

Mark Bryant CEO Latium Technologies

www.latiumtech.com

10

Tell us about yourself and the important role you play at Latium Technologies Mark Bryant: As CEO of Latium Technologies, my role is

industries. I completed my executive MBA at Boston

to help our customers achieve success quickly, easily, and

University and business administration accreditation

affordably. I have nearly three decades of IT expertise,

from Sheridan College in Ontario, along with additional

serving in financial services, software, manufacturing,

credentials related to e-commerce from the Ivey School

and AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction)

of Business.

What steps do you follow while innovating your Job Site Insights® products/solutions appealing to your target audience?

Mark Bryant: We follow three criteria to innovate JSI®

based on what they need, not what you think they

products at Latium Technologies.

need working with them every step of the way.

Ÿ

Ÿ

You must first listen to what your customer needs or

Ÿ

The third is to actively solicit the feedback and field

suggests. Even if it is a difficult and/or impossible task

testing the solutions with the end-users of the

to achieve, turn that into a success plan.

product or service and look at how to make good

The second is to continuously collaborate with

things great and eliminate those things that are of

customers on fine-tuning and improving the solution

little or no value.

11

How are disruptive technologies impacting today's innovation and how has the role of a leader has changed over the years?

Mark Bryant: Data has become a critical resource to

industry as it provides real-time insights into risks and

make real-time data-driven business decisions. Data

operational issues that could impact quality, safety, and

needs to come in three critical flavours. Historical state

schedule.

(what happened), current/real-time state (what is

Equally, Cyber Security has never been more important

happening right now that we need to action), and

than it is today. As more IT assets expand and become

predictive - what's going to happen or could happen

inter-connected, cyber-criminal activity escalates and

based on patterns that are happening now or historical

become easier to conduct and risk profiles also change.

patterns that match what could happen if we don't take

Cyber activity has shifted from the virus era to the era of

action.

impersonation, identity theft, and extortion. It has made

All applications and services drive data today. IoT has

cyber defence and insurance an absolute necessity to

proven to be very valuable to the workforce of heavy

operate in today's modern world.

What are the biggest lessons you learned from your experience?

Mark Bryant: I have learned four important points from my experiences. Ÿ

Ÿ

Three- Collaborating across all aspects of the

One- Creating a vision with whom you work to see

business and not just certain areas to achieve a

how it can change the business and letting people own

common goal to better an organization's business.

and help shape that vision is critically important. Ÿ

share your passion is absolutely necessary.

Two- Surrounding yourself with great people that

Ÿ

Four- Continuously challenging the process and modelling the way of the art of the possible.

Kindly tell us about the primal challenges that you faced during the initial phase of your journey.

Mark Bryant: Discovering the skills and tools that are

was, once gaining the skills, acceptance and trust for

needed to be successful is the major challenge that I

myself, was then 'how to enable others to act on your

faced. It was also difficult to understand how to gain

behalf and trust in their capability to gain traction and

acceptance, trust, and confidence at the beginning. The

adoption of the vision.'

most significant challenge during this journey for me

12

Describe some of the vital attributes that every C-level executive should possess.

Mark Bryant: I believe that vision, energy, adaptability,

of people that surround you that will contribute to that

trust, motivation, critical thinking, and active listening

success. Equally, being able to trust and motivate people

are the foremost attributes that C-level executives must

enabling them to execute your vision is critical to success.

possess. Having the energy and vision to create a new

Critical thinking and change management wrapped

product, service, or experience and run an organization

around these things enable strong teams to continue to

and its functions requires the ability to adapt quickly,

move in a path forward that contributes to that success.

think critically and actively listen to the very critical team

How do you envision Latium Technologies' future?

Mark Bryant: There is a significant opportunity to

know-how, and critically important, the people in the

digitize heavy industry that includes construction,

area of IoT and adjacent digital product solutions. The

mining and, oil and gas industries, which have not

opportunity to revolutionize and write the history book

embraced technology as quickly as some other industry

of change in our industry is exciting with this very capable

verticals. Latium Technologies, along with Job Site

Latium team.

Insights® has a significant lead, expertise, products,

How do you envision Latium Technologies' future?

Mark Bryant: Push and drive hard! Never give up your

under it, around it, or just knock it down. Be prepared to

mission! Surround yourself with great people and be a

continuously reinvent, pivot, change and adapt if not

role model. Challenge the process and model the way.

never be afraid to ask for help. Lastly, leverage your

Don't get discouraged if you hit a wall, find a way over it,

network, and invest time in your customers success.

13

Mark Bryant

Kevin Wideman

CEO

CEO

La um Technologies

Koniag Government Services

Mark Bryant is the CEO of La um Technologies. In his role, he helps the company’s customers achieve success quickly, easily, and affordably. Mark has nearly three decades of IT exper se, serving in financial services, so ware, manufacturing, and AEC industries.

He completed his execu ve MBA at Boston University and business administra on accredita on from Sheridan College in Ontario, along with addi onal creden als related to e-commerce.

Kevin Wideman is the CEO of Koniag Government Services. With over 30 years of experience in leadership posi ons, he focuses on revenue growth, strategic planning, opera onal excellence, and customer delivery. Kevin’s extensive background in informa on technology, program management and development, and systems engineering has empowered him to posi on KGS as a leader and sought-a er partner within the Government Informa on Technology Services industry.

www.la umtech.com

TOP

1

MOST INNOVATIVE

CEOs TO FOLLOW IN 2022

www.koniag-gs.com

Jared Whitaker

Martin Strigač

Frederico Samartini

James Lancaster

CEO

CEO

CEO

CEO

Fluid

Sygic

YSSY & Co

Renew IT

Jared Whitaker is the CEO of Fluid.

He joined the company in 2020 as the COO and since then he has been ensuring smooth running and business op miza on of all opera ons. Jared was appointed as the CEO in July 2021. In his current role, he grows the business, ensures successful scaling, and secures the future of the business with proper investments and planning.

Mar n Strigačis the CEO of Sygic. He took up the posi on in January 2018. Mar n joined Sygic in 2015 as the Vice President of Enterprise Solu ons from the interna onal so ware company, Asseco. He worked there in a senior management posi on and was part of the supervisory boards of subsidiaries. One of Sygic’s cofounders is his friend and classmate from university studies and this led Mar n to know the story of Sygic from the beginning.

Frederico Samar ni is the Chief Execu ve Officer of YSSY & Co, a leader in deploying cu ng-edge technologies, bringing connec vity and digital transforma on to its partners. Frederico is focused on changing Brazilian enterprises through innova ve and ethical ways of deploying services. He has over 15 years of working experience in different sectors such as technology, food, mining, management consul ng, investments, among others.

Mathew Garver is the CEO of HiQo Solu ons, Inc. worldwide. He has 25 years of experience in interna onal business, focused on private equity, finance, strategy and opera ons for growth companies. Mathew served in key execu ve roles for Liberty Street Capital, DLA Piper, CGL Engineering and others including Chairman, CEO, and CFO. One of his favourite roles was co-leading DLA Piper’s Global Infrastructure Steering Commi ee.

www.fluid.work

www.sygic.com

www.yssy.com.br

www.renew-it.com

Mathew Garver

Sajid Azmi

Jai Chitkara

CEO

CEO and Founder

CEO

Chair & CEO

HiQo Solu ons

Yegertek

KTech Products

Cisco

Sajid Azmi is the Founder and CEO of Yegertek. He is also a commi ed believer in the transforma ve power of tech-driven innova on.

Being a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned corporate leader, Sajid brings 20 years of his experience across mul ple ver cals to the table. With Sajid at the helm, Yegertek has already built a formidable reputa on as a leader in customer engagement technology.

Jai Chitkara, the CEO of KTech Products, has over 25 years of leadership and IT program management experience across mul ple industry ver cals. He has managed many mul million-dollar IT projects and big-sized project teams with a 100% success rate in big and small consul ng companies, higher educa on, public sector, retail, oil and gas, media, golf, manufacturing, fleet maintenance, food service, and pharmaceu cal industry.

Chuck Robbins is the Chair and Chief Execu ve Officer of Cisco. In his role, Chuck is focused on helping companies, ci es, and countries around the world as they look to Cisco to connect, secure, and automate their organiza ons for a digital-first world. Over his 20 years at the company, he has served in many roles, where he led the Worldwide Sales and Partner Organiza ons.

Mathew Garver is the CEO of HiQo Solu ons, Inc. worldwide. He has 25 years of experience in interna onal business, focused on private equity, finance, strategy and opera ons for growth companies.

Mathew served in key execu ve roles for Liberty Street Capital, DLA Piper, CGL Engineering and others including Chairman, CEO, and CFO. One of his favourite roles was coleading DLA Piper’s Global Infrastructure Steering Commi ee.

www.hiqo-solu ons.com

www.yegertek.com

www.ktechproducts.com

Chuck Robbins

www.cisco.com

Delivering Impeccable Technological Solutions in IT Operations with Dedication and Desire

K

oniag Government Services (KGS) is an Alaska

consulting, solution engineering, and program

Native Corporation with more than 4,200

management services improve efficiencies and reduce

Alaska Native Shareholders. The mission and

operational costs. The team supports leadership

vision of the company are rooted in Alaska’s native

organizations with financial management, strategic

values. The Alutiiq value of caring for the community is

consulting, and human capital solutions. Recognized as a

embedded in everything that the team does in every

one-stop partner, KGS aligns its vision with the

service, decision, and investment reflects the KGS

customers' missions to ensure success. The best-in-class

commitment to living the Alutiiq culture.

facilities management and integrated logistics support

KGS and its subsidiary companies demonstrate success

includes security and intelligence, and occupational

by providing high-quality products and services to

health.

government agencies, healthcare providers, and higher education institutions. It brings forward-leaning

A Strategic Leader with Business and IT Vision

solutions that are designed to solve complex mission and

Kevin Wideman is the CEO of Koniag Government

business challenges in enterprise IT, professional

Services with over 30 years of experience in leadership

services, and operations management.

positions. Kevin focuses on revenue growth, strategic

KGS designs technical solutions that improve IT

planning, operational excellence, and customer delivery.

operations and demonstrates expertise in cloud,

He specializes in transitioning and building a business

cybersecurity, application development, and data

culture based upon high-quality customer service,

analytics products and services. The company's full-scale

recognition of outstanding employee performance, and

16

Kevin Wideman CEO Koniag Government Services 17

“

We are a resilient nation; history shows how we face challenges head on, stay strong throughout, and emerge bruised but triumphant. We continue to persevere during this pandemic. The light grows brighter daily as we move toward the other side.

“

Kevin Wideman CEO Koniag Government Services

www.koniag-gs.com

18

the common pursuit of company goals. Kevin's extensive

Envisaging the Challenges Head on with Courage

background in information technology, program

Kevin mentions that the biggest challenge he faced was

management and development, and systems

cultural change. Changing a culture that people have

engineering has empowered him to position KGS as a

grown comfortable with is very challenging. People will

leader and sought-after partner within the Government

buy into the vision. But the more things change, the more

Information Technology Services industry.

they want them to stay the same.

Since joining KGS in September 2018, Kevin has led the

Today, after three years of transformational changes,

company's growth from performing US$100+ million in

KGS's culture is one of the best Kevin has ever

annual revenues to US$500+ million projected for FY

experienced in the GovCon space. The company fosters a

2022, with corresponding net profits that are growing

culture of taking care of people and having each other's

exponentially. He drove the company from 130

backs, which contributes to the very low turnover rate.

employees to an incredible team of more than 1700

He adds that KGS faces adversity head on and deals with

today.

issues when they happen with full transparency. There is always a solution to any problem, so the team challenges

The Inspiration Behind the Initiations

and empowers leaders to be solution-oriented.

Kevin has worked for some of the greatest small business

Kevin gives a recent example when the healthcare costs

CEOs in the industry. He was fortunate enough to work

were rising 2% per employee, which meant each member

in the executive cabinet of Roger Mody, the most

of the team would have had that much more taken out of

successful 8A CEO; Deepak Hathiramani and John

their check. Instead of passing that along to employees,

Hassoun are two other CEOs that he had the benefit of

KGS covered the cost as a company. It is something Kevin

learning from. He has also worked with some CEOs that

is very proud of; company growth enabled KGS to cover

helped inform him on how “not” to lead. Additionally,

the cost increase.

Kevin has progressed from working as an engineer to increasing levels of leadership. That has given insight into

Internal Implementation as the Catalyst of Innovation

the demands placed upon everyone in the chain of

Kevin highlights that his team innovates along with

command.

customers by implementing the same solutions

19

internally that they provide services for. As an example,

communication skills are attributes that every leader

he cites that the team works on a lot of robotic process

‘must’ possess. If people are not listening to you, then

automation (RPA) for customers and internal processes,

they are not following you” states Kevin.

including automating business development and finance activities at KGS. The lessons learned and improvements

Key Advice to Aspiring Leaders

that are made internally are innovations that the team

Kevin suggests that aspiring leaders always remember

members bring to customers as well, sharing the benefits

that CEOs are leading human beings. “It is fine to lead

and approaches that make a project successful.

with a passion for success; however, one needs to also lead with compassion for employees. A leader just can't

Technology and Intelligence at the Heart of Business

talk it, you have to walk the talk,” says Kevin.

Development “Technology innovations today are making the industry

A Robust Roadmap for the Future

faster with more contextual relevant data,” says Kevin.

Kevin believes that the government contracting industry

He adds that the sheer amount of data that is created

has some major challenges in the road ahead including

every day makes these technologies essential in today's

pandemic-related issues, global competition,

business environment to get from data to intelligence.

contracting hurdles, and aging technology platforms.

"To lead in this environment, one must be flexible and

KGS meets these challenges head-on by offering creative

open to change, infusing disruptive technologies where

solutions to keep agencies ahead of the curve. He

they make sense to take time and errors out of business

highlights that as the company continues to grow, the

processes,” emphasizes Kevin. The role of a leader is

team is constantly re-investing in innovation like

more now than ever about the enablement of a team and

communities of practice for agile, DevSecOps, and cyber,

giving them a platform to think creatively and own

a s w e l l a s h o s t i n g a n n u a l “ I n n ov a t i o n S p i ke”

process improvements using automation, he

competitions to allow the staff a platform for infusing

underscores.

results-based innovations back into the government.

Kevin concludes that the company is also constantly

Essential Traits for Positive Growth

working in collaboration with the government on

According to Kevin, the ability to listen and communicate

contracting solutions to make the process more

is one of the vital traits of a leader. “Only when you listen,

seamless and less costly.

can you hear ideas other than your own. Effective

20

Tech CEOs Follow Top Technology Agendas to Drive Revenue Towards the Business

C

EOs of technology companies are instigated to

opportunities after evaluating the pros and cons of a

adopt digital transformation through cutting-

technology needed for the growth of the business. Let's

edge technologies such as artificial intelligence,

explore some of the top technology agendas to drive

IoT, big data and many more. They have to be aware of the

revenue towards the business to have a successful high-

upcoming trends and models to boost the productivity of

growth business.

a business. It is proved that hybrid work environments with human-machine interactions have driven higher

Top Technology Agenda for Tech CEOs

revenue than traditional systems. Tech CEOs need to

Bridging the gap between evaluation and execution

create technology agenda to drive revenue towards the

Tech CEOs should always be focused on bridging the gap

business. The reason is these technologies have started

between the evaluation of any advanced technology and

reading the consumer buying behaviour, their needs and

the final execution of that strategy. This is a fast-paced

wants, etc. with the real-time data available in the global

global market where no one waits for anyone, just like

tech market. Even, investors are leaning towards the

time and tide. Here, tech CEOs need to make the

global tech stock market available from reputed tech

decision-making process faster to gain a competitive

companies across the world. Not only the big tech giants

edge against competitors. Bridging the gap is required

are catching the eyes, there are emerging tech

for successful survival. It can only happen if one can grab

companies that are popular in this tech stock market.

the right opportunities at the right time without any

Thus, tech CEOs should boost their technology

hesitation.

performance to gain a competitive edge in the market. It is necessary for CEOs to modify company strategies

Engage high-performance team

according to the trends and market demands. There is an

A high-performance team can make it possible to drive

alignment among technological capabilities, business

business growth with higher revenue with advanced

strategies and operations of the company. That is needed

technologies. Tech CEOs only need to recruit and engage

to be looked after by these tech CEOs to avoid any

with the high-performance team to have a successful

serious consequence on the face of the brand. Yes, CEOs

technology journey efficiently and effectively. The

have other important responsibilities, but the technical

higher the team performance, the better the brand

field is highly crucial with the integration of IoT devices

name--- the main reason is the culture of adaptability. It

and the internet connection network. The tech CEO and

ensures more productivity than an average-performing

t h e t e a m m e m b e r s a r e r e q u i r e d t o g ra b n e w

team in a very short time. This high-quality team has a

24

strong understanding of which technology is suitable for

in the market. There are hundreds of tech mergers and

the business needs and which are irrelevant to the

acquisitions occurring in the global tech market. Focusing

company goals.

on the right technology investment is a needed step for tech CEOs to move forward with innovation and creativity in a

Customer acquisitions

business. Leveraging the best qualities and capabilities of

One of the technology agendas for tech CEOs is to follow

another tech company helps to meet customer satisfaction

customer acquisitions with extensive research. It is

for the long term.

known as the practice of identifying as well as instigating the target audience through direct and indirect channels.

Allocating technology budget

Tech CEOs need to have innovative and interactive

Tech CEOs allocating a technology budget with the right

marketing strategies aligned with the technology to

strategies in the right areas is one of the top technology

attract customer engagement and brand loyalty. There

agendas to drive business growth. The right expenditure

are multiple practices and strategies to drive business

from the technology budget leads to defining the

growth through customer acquisition.

technology benchmark one tech CEO wants to have. The tech CEOs need to bring together all the core and key

Right technology investments

performance areas under this technology budget for

Technology investments are crucial to adopt digital

efficient use. The strategy should be for more productivity

transformation in Industry 4.0 to gain a competitive edge

in the limited budget to drive profit in the nearby future.

25

Taking Disruptive Tech Towards New Horizons for the Betterment of Customer Experience

N

amed after the German word for “warrior”,

Yegertek as it gears up for an expansion into Saudi and

Yegertek is a company with an energetic

African countries. His ability to drive cohesiveness and

approach to optimizing customer

inspire collaboration among his teammates has been

engagement. The company leverages the Microsoft CRM

instrumental to the success that Yegertek has achieved

ecosystem and disruptive technologies like AI and ML to

thus far.

offer customized solutions for retail, healthcare and education, amongst other dynamic industries. It

An Experienced Leader with A Good Drive

specializes in e-commerce and enterprise mobility

Sajid Azmi is the Founder and CEO of Yegertek. He is also

solutions, enabling clients to effectively engage their

a committed believer in the transformative power of

employees as well as customers through granular,

tech-driven innovation. Being a serial entrepreneur and

contextualized and data-driven insights. Yegertek has

a seasoned corporate leader, Sajid brings 20 years of his

crafted a niche for itself in the MENA region, through

experience across multiple verticals to the table. With

proprietary full-suite offerings like Puzzle, which is a

Sajid at the helm, Yegertek has already built a formidable

first-to-market clienteling solution.

reputation as a leader in customer engagement

Yegertek was founded in 2017, with a vision to emerge as

technology, facilitating the capture and segmentation of

a leader in the omnichannel customer loyalty, customer

customer data to derive actionable insights.

experience, and the analytics space. It is the brainchild of

According to Sajid, the inspiration to start Yegertek goes

Sajid Azmi, born out of his 20 years of professional

way back to his engineering days when he developed a

experience across IT, retail and healthcare. Since 2017,

penchant for service- and innovation-driven businesses.

he has helmed Yegertek's strategy and vision by taking

This drive took him to Infosys, where he worked as a

the pre-seed stage company to its growth phase. As the

Project Manager for seven good years, honing his IT

CEO, Sajid continues to have hands-on involvement in

skills. This was followed by stints at fashion brand

26

Sajid Azmi CEO and Founder Yegertek 27

“

The pandemic and the accompanying increase in digitalization have re-written the rules of customer engagement. Today, success hinges on transparency, quantifiable value, and customer experience, wherein the customer is kept at the centre of all innovation. So, in a way, the rules are simpler than ever.

“

Sajid Azmi CEO and Founder Yegertek

www.yegertek.com

28

REDTAG and Geant Hypermarkets ME, which fostered

while leadership is about inspiring people to do things,

his retail expertise that would later help him formulate

they never thought they could.”

Yegertek's omnichannel value propositions. Sajid also

Sajid says that he aims to be the latter, who can grow

co-founded MyMedicNow, a digital platform for medical

along with the team. He also believes empathy and

services, doctors and patients that is geared towards

humility to be the two main attributes of a good leader.

streamlining healthcare journeys. So, Yegertek was the

Sajid thinks that it is also important to prioritize personal

culmination of a steep learning curve across IT, retail and

development and be self-aware, which enables leaders

healthcare. And as a lifelong learner, the intention and

to empower their workforce and inspire loyalty in return.

efforts will continue to take Yegertek to greater heights.

“Within the pandemic context, resilience, empathy and c r o s s - c u l t u ra l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s h av e b e c o m e

Balancing Between Challenges and Opportunities

prerequisites to good leadership,” adds Sajid.

During the Pandemic Sajid admits that, like any start-up, the initial challenges

Embarking a New Trajectory in Hyper-Personalization

Yegertek experienced was facing the established

According to Sajid, customer loyalty and engagement is a

competition and making the right decisions. Also, early

dynamic space that is characterized by innovations and

on, getting the right talent who understood customer

ever-evolving end-user sentiments; there are no

and technology intersection better took effort. But the

prescribed rules of engagement. That being said, Sajid

biggest challenge and opportunity to the company,

articulates that segmentation and hyper-

according to Sajid, was the pandemic and lockdowns,

personalization continue to be the cornerstones of

which he claims helped the company reconsider the

Yegertek's solutions portfolio. “Increased digitalization

goals in the second year of operation and pivot to ensure

and accompanying surge in big data offer the recipe for

success; not wilt and wither like many start-ups did

personalized services,” expresses Sajid.

during these times.

He further adds that social listening and analytics provide actionable insights to optimize a range of retail

Persuading and Inspiring People: A Priority in

functions, deliver targeted solutions, and ensure life-

Leadership

cycle engagement. Yegertek embarked on a new

Sajid mentions that his approach to leadership is inspired

trajectory of hyper-personalization with its proprietary

by a timeless Steve Jobs quote: “Management is about

clienteling solution, Puzzle.

persuading people to do things they do not want to do,

29

Disruptive Technologies, The New Norm of the Tech Era

pinpoints that the same can be said about the industries

Sajid states that AI, automation and the likes are no

with considerable exposure to digitalization. Sajid

longer “disruptions”; they're the new norms that need to

further asserts that there is a top-down governmental

be embraced and viewed positively. He opines that they

push, end-user interest, and healthy competition in the

are making inroads into every facet of life by creating

private sector, which are providing tailwinds, resulting in

opportunities for higher efficiencies and productivity. At

the investors' inclination to deploy capital in digital

Yegertek, the core team expects AI analytics to be

businesses.

powered through Microsoft CDP, based on Customer

“Even Yegertek secured fresh funding from NB Ventures

Insights integrated CRM and its loyalty solution

recently. So, the business ecosystem could soon reach

Engage365, which are expected to find greater

pre-pandemic levels of activity. And Yegertek intends to

application and adoption in 2022 and beyond.

emerge on top of the value chain as this transformation

Sajid states that the uptake will be greater for

plays out,” adds Sajid.

technologies, which will enable businesses to personalize their customer journeys across touchpoints.

A Thumb Rule for Future Executives

“Leaders have a pivotal role in ensuring the adoption of

Sajid suggests a general thumb rule for future business

appropriate, fit-for-purpose technologies, which can add

executives, "Always address the pain points of

true value to operations. Incidentally, leaders can make

customers. Even if you're a product-driven company,

these decisions using data-driven insights,” mentions

customer-centricity cannot be ignored," he mentions. At

Sajid.

the same time, he pointed out on the equal emphasis of the employee experience (EX) “A good EX has a direct

Digital Transformation at the Heart of Future

bearing on CX,” says Sajid.

Explorations

"Your success will hinge on your ability to strike the right

Talking about the future, Sajid claims, “We are a digital-

balance between these priorities. Also, you should trust

first company. So, the current momentum in digital

your people, be your toughest critic and always get a

transformation bodes well for our operations.” He also

good night's sleep!" concludes Sajid.

30

Leading the Way to a Digital Future with Innovative and Seamless Business Solutions

G

reat leaders are the biggest drivers of a

contributions, Jai was recognized with the UiPath MVP

company. They create a vision and motivate

(Most Valuable Professional) award in 2021. Jai shares

everyone around them to become part of that

that his experience collaborating with the CIOs, AVPs,

big goal. Having a great executive at the helm is

CFOs, Controllers, Finance Directors, HR VPs, Vice-

something investors, workers, and even consumers

Chancellors, Provosts, and various department heads

want. Jai Chitkara is one such leader who is contributing

has resulted in creating innovative solutions that focus

to the IT-sphere with passion and dedication.

on customer success.

Jai Chitkara, the CEO of KTech Products, has over 25 years of leadership and IT program management

Family: The Foundation for Inspiration and Growth

experience across multiple industry verticals. He has

Jai describes how he has encountered many problems

managed many multimillion-dollar IT projects and big-

just like every other human being and believes that one's

sized project teams with a 100% success rate in big and

character gets developed only by overcoming those

small consulting companies, higher education, public

hardships. He learned his first life lessons by watching his

sector, retail, oil and gas, media, golf, manufacturing, fleet

hard-working father and his mother, who was the master

maintenance, food service, and pharmaceutical, and has

of developing connections and relationships. His father,

played all types of roles in the IT sector. Recognizing his

then 13, along with his family, migrated from Pakistan to

32

Jai Chitkara CEO Ktech Products 33

“ The future belongs to organizations that are all set to transform their business and processes digitally through innovation, automation, and rapid implementation methodologies.

“ Jai Chitkara CEO KTech Products

www.ktechproducts.com

34

India in 1947 during the India-Pakistan partition time

Jai is enjoying creating new opportunities for his

after getting freedom from England. Jai, who was born in

employees and customers by creating new jobs in the

1971, grew up watching and hearing stories about how

market and advancing the economy.

his father and other family members had to struggle to rebuild their lives many times to survive, including how

Sailing Through the Challenges ”Splendidly”

difficult it was for his father to put food on the table daily

Jai opines that the initial phase of his CEO journey was

to feed a family of 7 and cousins.

filled with several challenges, like creating multiple teams to align with his vision, learning to prioritize

Do better today than yesterday.

amongst many tasks (sales, pre-sales, marketing,

During his early youth, after losing two years during his

solutioning, managing onshore and offshore teams), how

engineering degree, Jai learned a life lesson to not

to manage a business, retaining employees, rebuilding

compare with others but to compare with himself. He

the teams after losing employees, and encouraging

followed a principle: "Do better today than yesterday, do

himself every day to give his 100% to keep winning. He

better tomorrow than today.” which he still follows to

remembers how KTech won its first customer within 15

keep going no matter what.

days after becoming the CEO and then lost the same customer in the next 10 days. For Jai, another challenge

Braving Real-Life Competitions for a Win-Win

on a personal front was when his wife lost her job just a

Situation

month after he started his journey as a CEO. He explains

Jai recollects the time he was visiting a customer in

that the company had to stand with each other and sail

Seattle. He recalls his accident, where he broke his knee

through, which Jai, his partners, and the team did

cap into two pieces and had major surgery. With a no-

splendidly. They built a team of 50+ employees and

compromise spirit, while recovering in bed and managing

turned an initial investment into 850%+ booked revenue

multiple physical therapy appointments per week, he

within a year.

was able to make two clients go live at the same time.

While working for UT Dallas, Jai got an opportunity to

The Composition of a Perfect Leader

lead a project for UT Dallas and the UT System. He led

Speaking about the composition of qualities in a perfect

that project with the mission of building a strong

leader, Jai states, "The first most important attribute is

relationship between both organizations. He was able to

related to your employees. You need to develop the eye

do all of that while taking care of his kids and his mother-

to find the good and the strengths of your employees and

in-law's surgery.

then cultivate and polish them." Employee success is

Jai mentions that his mentors taught him to not

equal to customer success. Happy employees mean

compromise and always create a win-win situation in his

happy customers, adds Jai.

life. He further adds that, recently, he had the experience

According to him, the second important attribute is to

of working for a midsize consulting company, building 3

establish open communication enterprise-wide. Always

new practices from the ground up within one year,

communicate 360 degrees. The absence of

helping them achieve US $2+ million in revenue and

communication leads to perceptions and confusion.

gross margin above 75%.

From his point of view, the third attribute for leaders is to

With these experiences, Jai has gained and also

always push themselves to learn new skills that are

developed an understanding of humility, passion, and

relevant to their service offerings.

meaning in his life. Presently, in his current role at KTech,

35

Disruptive Technologies as a Catalyst to Transform

Words of Wisdom for Emerging Leaders

Businesses

“Listen to your customers and assess their requirements

While considering technology, Jai observes that it exists

as thoroughly as possible. Care for your employees,

to solve a business problem, fulfill a need, or transform

e m p o w e r t h e m , a n d g i ve t h e m a c a n d i d w o r k

the business. He explains that one must find the gaps in

atmosphere that offers both career growth and learning

the market, listen to, and understand the customers' pain

opportunities," says Jai to the future leaders. He believes

points in business, and partner up with them. Jai adds, “It

that every employee can be productive and that the

is always ideal to show quick wins early in a project to

company will just have to provide them with the right

ensure the client's buy-in, commitment, and

environment, support, and tools for them to blossom. He

involvement.” This strengthens the partnership, and

aims to do whatever it takes to make his employees and

customers get involved in improving the product and

customers successful, and hence, Jai advises future

services.

leaders to lead by example.

Intelligent Amalgamation as the Power Source for

All of your business and higher education technology

Executives

needs in one place.

Jai expresses that at KTech, the employees truly feel an

Ktech Products, LLC is a Dallas, Texas-based digital

intelligent amalgamation of technologies such as robotic

technology company, that is focused on customer

process automation, artificial intelligence, machine

success through innovation, automation, and business

learning, cloud deployments, IoT, business intelligence,

transformation using digital technologies and rapid

and analytics enhancing and meeting today's needs for

implementations. KTech specializes in Business Process

innovation at a very fast speed and that they will

Optimizations, AI-enabled Robotic Process Automation

continue to rule the IT space by bringing in innovative

(RPA) implementations and managed services, AI-

solutions to customer problems. He believes that the

enabled Chatbots, AI/ML platforms, analytical Optical

role of a leader has changed to adapt to these new

Character Recognition (OCR), mobile OCR, intuitive UIs,

disruptive technologies, embrace them, invest in them,

enterprise application test automation, and automated

and help implement them to make customers' lives

access controls/audit controls.

better.

Some of KTech's key digital transformation solutions are accounts payable/invoice and PO, reconciliation

Riding the Innovation Wave for the Future

automation, accounts receivable/billing automation,

Jai says he is confident that KTech will continue to focus

student transcript OCR to student information system

on creating and enhancing innovative solutions that

(aka DigiScript), student success, online admission

bring true business transformations for its clients by

application (OAA), mobile expense reimbursement and

helping society in general and improving their lives and

auditing automation (MobilEx), and Enterprise Test

operations. KTech would serve as a true long-term

Automation Suite (TASK) for on-premise and cloud

partner to its clients, enabling them with digital

enterprise applications.

transformation assessments, product roadmaps, timelines, and the right technology to use to achieve the organization's goals and objectives. Jai, on the whole, sees a future filled with new opportunities and spirits.

36

Architecting Connectivity and Digital Transformation in a Safe and Sustainable Way

D

igital transformation is no more a buzzword. It

Furthermore, Yssy is the most highly certified company

has become a key topic for discussion around

in its segment. Apart from being a great place to work,

the globe. Organizations starting digital

Yssyis also certified with ISO 20.000 (Service

transformation in their businesses should be aware of its

Excellence), ISO 14.000 (Environmental Management),

approaches and different concepts. To provide these

ISO 9.000 (Quality Assurance), ISO

services with extensive expertise and support, Yssy &

27.001(Cybersecurity), ISO 27.701 (Data Privacy) and

Co., a technology platform in Brazil, implements services

ISO 37.001 (Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption).

to integrate products and software from over 100

Additionally, Yssy is the only company in its segment to

multinational companies to digitally transform its

be certified as a B Corporation by B Lab in the US. For this

clients.

to be granted, to become a company that benefits the

In contrast to what is currently offered by its

world through its positive impact on the environment,

competitors, Yssy's range of services is by far the largest

society, governance, business and employees,

one in the country, which includes cybersecurity, data

Yssyundertook a three-year challenge to shift the

science and analytics, digital application, cloud,

company's direction towards the demands of the planet.

management services and IT infrastructure.

Yssy is a word in native Brazilian Indian Tupy-Guarani,

A Strategic Leader Spearheading Business Revolution

which means to put in a queue or to organize. It is what

Frederico Samartini is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

the company strives for, believes in and proposes to its

of Yssy and Co. He has abachelor's degree in electrical

clients.

engineering and also possesses three master's degrees:

40

Frederico Samartini CEO YSSY & Co 41

“ The future belongs to organizations that are all set to transform their business and processes digitally through innovation, automation, and rapid implementation methodologies.

“ Frederico Samartini CEO YSSY & Co

www.yssy.com.br

42

an MSC in operations research and neural networks, an

Conquering Challenges to Conceive a Wider Impact

MBA and a master's in finance from the London Business

Fredericoreveals that he has faced several challenges

School.

throughout his journey. But one big battle he fought was

At Yssy, Frederico's role as the hands-on CEO stretches

making a strategic decision that he took at the beginning

starts from strategic thinking to routine management.

of his mandate and is questioned to date.

He says that for a leader who is working at a company

He remembers a saying in Brazil that is largely accepted

that is fast transforming itself, growing two digits a year

by IT professionals which says, "A company who does

and bringing onboard new staffs every week, it is very

everything does everything poorly.”

important that the CEO be aware and present daily

While starting his journey with Yssy, Frederico, together

organizational challenges. Frederico also adds that

with the shareholders and the management team,

cultural strength, enforcing values, leading through

decided that the company had to become a technology

motivation and guidance to excel are some of the most

platform. Through the platform, the team wanted the

important attributes of his role.

clients to find the services necessary to help them digitalize their businesses. A “one-stop-shop” where

Multifaceted Experience at the Core of Being a Good

their businesses could be helped along on most of their

Head

digital journeys.

Frederico mentions that he has had the opportunity to

Now, after M and A transactions, Yssy & Co. has become a

work in a wide range of industries, including mining and

group of five companies with different tech provisions. It

metals, food and beverage, financial sector, management

provides cybersecurity, digital application, cloud, data

consulting, and IT and telecommunications. He has also

science and analytics, management services, processes

worked through different organizational life cycles,

automation, software development, connectivity and IT

including the fast pace start-ups and mature and

infrastructure.

distressed companies.

Frederico mentions that Yssy's organizational chart is

Frederico believes that this multifaceted experience has

split into different business units (BUs) that are highly

helped him considerably as a CEO because the distinct

specialized in each one of these services. The company

perceptions that he brings from previous companies and

has its alliance team that ensures all these BUs are

from other sectors or life cycle stages are useful when

working and thinking together while attending a client.

sorting out problems.

Bolstering this structure, Yssy has partnered with over a hundred multinational tech companies that sustain the

43

company's delivery.

With Yssy, the clients do not need to hire ten or more

He highlights that the market scenario in Brazil is of

suppliers to implement any change, the company experts

companies focusing on only one of those business units

can guide them along the whole journey, states

and within it, with a limited number of multinational

Frederico.

partners. There are more than six thousand integrators in Brazil, but none with as vast an offering as Yssy.

Beyond Horizons: Sailing with Time and Technology

However, the challenge to convince the market that Yssy

Frederico presumes that the industry is changing rapidly

is excellent in everything it does, and also necessity as

as the pandemic has forced everybody to isolate

tech complexity on the cutting edge makes it necessary

themselves. There are many changes coming over in the

for the team to possess players who have a broader

next few years, but Frederico would like to concentrate

overview to align and connect the most of what is

at least on four of them: manage modern micro-services,

available.

edge computing, hyper-automation, and the increased use of technology by a higher number of people (item

Creating an Effective Team, a Must-Have Attribute of

most highly influenced by the COVID19 pandemic).

an Executive

He adds that individuals now have an access to

Frederico pinpoints that the most important attribute

applications that enables them to make decisions,

for budding executives is the capacity to find and

acquire food or clothes from their mobiles. They now

convince the right people to join their teams. And for

have an access to international films or courses in leading

those executives to become great leaders, it is primordial

universities online from their homes or wherever they

that they have the social skills to motivate and engage

are on the street.

their team to get the best out of each one of them.

Many people do not have the patience to wait and hence

Considering the soft skills mentioned above as the most

want immediate responses to their touch on the screen.

important ones, he also believes that leaders need to

Frederico says that because of this particular reason, it is

possess technical knowledge while remaining up to date

absolutely necessary to have processes and tasks

with what is happening in the world at large to guide in a

automated. “It is impossible to have a human being on the

better way and make timely decisions.

other side processing huge amounts of information and performing all the tasks necessary to render a digital

Introducing a Distinct Approach to Innovation

function. So, companies will need to automate their

Frederico opines that innovation is not always about

services to increase productivity and to keep up with the

creating something new, but mostly it is about

pace and demand,” he adds.

presenting the same thing in another way. In Yssy`s case,

Frederico says that while at the same time, given all this

he says that the company offers a bundle of adjacent

velocity, it is necessary to implement strategies of

services to make the clients' lives easier.

computing edge and cloud where digital services are

Frederico underlines that Yssy offers cyber security

decentralized and placed closer to the consumers,

services to protect its client's infrastructure security,

whether they are individuals or client companies, they

web security, software coding security and cloud

will need services with no latency and almost an

security. Therefore, it is not necessary to contact many

immediate processing of their needs.

suppliers to have total protection. Also, the automation

“The same service, for instance, a photo app on a mobile,

team steps in to digitize all the steps necessary to be

will offer different photo editing features where each

taken in case a vulnerability emerges.

one of them may be processed on different servers that

44

are allocated in different data centres around the world.

“This sector is going to feel the demand for broader

These microservices, together with a 5G infrastructure,

knowledge on how to deploy the technology. This must

will change more and more how we do things,” Frederico

be planned and implemented with a holistic view of all

asserts.

the possibilities that tech can offer,” claims Frederico.

Fostering an Amazing Digital Framework for the Future

Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Leaders

Frederico believes that integrators like Yssy& Co. will

Frederico advises that daily decisions and routines can

need to go through a market consolidation because

overwhelm a CEO's agenda. Sales, finance and

digital services are becoming a colossal complexity. It

operations take too much of the time available, and most

requires companies like Yssy to offer services to connect

CEOs are not spared, or given the time to acquire

all the available technologies.

knowledge in technology and how it can change their

He adds that, Yssy, for example, has cyber security as one

businesses. Additionally, digital transformation needs to

of its main services, because if providers do not have

shed its light on the strategic thinking regarding their

expert knowledge on how to protect their clients, it

specific sector or businesses.

would be impossible to develop an app for them.

So, Frederico believes many CEOs are aware of the

Software houses that do not have a cyber team, generally

digital importance in their decision-making processes,

leave many vulnerabilities in their code that may put the

but they are not investing enough time in that. “For

app users at risk. Moreover, to develop this app, it is

example, it is still very common to observe HR opening

necessary to think about modern architecture with

positions for C-level, but none present any kind of

microservices and the topology of edge computing plans.

requirement regarding technology skills” concludes

Therefore, he believes that developing an app will

Frederico.

require many other technical skills that go beyond programming.

45

Meticulously Delivering Elite Business Strategies and Plans in the Financial Sphere

F

luid is a full all-in-one project, program, meeting,

all operations. He was appointed as the CEO in July

and productivity management tool. The company

2021. At his current role, he grows the business, ensures

provides one single ecosystem for customers

successful scaling, and secures the future of the business

'project work. Fluid has a single interface for managing

with proper investments and planning.

every aspect of a project such as reporting, financials, resourcing, planning, risk management, document

Leading Large Acquisitions and Mergers at the Front

management, timesheets and more. It also brings the full

Jared has been working in large banks and financial

offering of Kanban and Sprint boards into one system

services institutions for the past 18 years and has been

with the project workspace and has a full meeting

involved in some of the largest projects and pieces of

management module that automates the manual admin

work available in various mergers and acquisitions in

around the project meetings. Fluid is a one-stop-shop for

order to power the regulatory efforts such as Brexit and

full project delivery. The company also has a built-in chat

Basel 2. Jared has hands-on experience in the business

functionality that allows the users to collaborate in any

sector as he has been in the management committee of

context on any given item. The users find a reduction in

large institutions by working closely with the day-to-day

emails, a reduction in meeting times, a reduction in

running of businesses.

manual reporting due to our automation, and just overall ease of use.

Overcoming the Challenge of Personal and Perspective Changes

A Versatile Leader

Jared believes that the main challenge for him is to make

Jared Whitaker is the CEO of Fluid. He joined the

sure that he stays the same and keeps being himself. “It's

company in 2020 as the COO and since then he has been

easy to try and follow what other people teach, but you

ensuring a smooth running and business optimization of

can lose some of what makes you unique if you only

46

Jared Whitaker CEO Fluid 47

“ Any entrepreneurs' or leaders' foremost responsibility is to take care of his or her people. There are many ways to do this, but the best way is to promote transparency.

“

Jared Whitaker CEO Fluid

www.fluid.work

48

repeat what others do,” says Jared. He tries to focus hard

such a great team with all of whom have a huge focus on

on earning lessons from others and applying them to

the client service. Fluid works with clients to make sure

himself so that he can bring his strengths to the work as

that they get the most out of the company, whether it's

well to ensure a proper flow.

the standard functionality or an innovative custom buildup. “There is no secret recipe, it's purely down to having

People First, Product Next: A Thoughtful Initiative

such a fantastic team, culture, and drive to deliver top-

"Any entrepreneur's or leaders' foremost responsibility

quality service,” expresses Jared.

is to take care of his or her people,” says Jared. There are many ways to do this, but the best way is to promote

Towards New Horizons

transparency. He adds, “Involve all your team members in

Jared reveals that Fluid is in a scale-up mode now. The

business-level updates. Let them know they're a part of a

company is taking on more and more clients, across the

larger vision. Talk to them about their dreams and the

existing areas of the UK, US and Africa regions. It is also

emotions that go with them, mentioned Jared. Ask for

branching out into new geographies such as the Middle

feedback and truly listen.” Jared strongly believes that no

East and Europe. “Fluid is growing rapidly and the sky is

matter how glaring the gap in the market and how

the limit,” says Jared.

innovative your solution is, putting people first (and encouraging them to put clients first) will take you to far

Advice to Future CEOs in Action

greater heights, than putting your product first will ever

Jared states that he believes that the CEO is responsible

do. “Think about the waves you could help make by truly

for the strategic planning, decision-making and the

putting your people first, working a better day, and living

overall success of an entity or any other business

a better life,” claims Jared.

organization, making top-level managerial decisions.

According to Jared, one should learn from everyone who

Creating Questions to Find the Right Answer

has come before them but he also asserts to remember to

Jared asserts that Fluid focuses on what is best for its

be themselves as they also have new thoughts and

users, what will make their lives easier and what will

insights to offer.

benefit them the most. He adds that the company has

“Read! Read! Read!” he concludes!!!

49

Key Traits that Separate Successful

Tech CEOs from the Rest

52

P

eople often think that they are either born with the potential to run a business successfully or not, but it is not the case. In many cases, the most prominent figures in tech history started from nothing.

They believed in themselves and the potential growth of the technology they were working on, and they worked relentlessly to achieve their goals. Effective leadership is the most crucial aspect of a company and its teams' success. The job of a chief executive officer is not an easy job to fulfil. A good CEO must be capable of juggling several critical duties, and also remain a trusted and reliable person, who is respected by the subordinates.

Leaders have to know what they lack and the traits that they have to overcome. They have to analyse the overall setting of the market and visualize their business goals accordingly. Here are the five key personality traits that successful CEOs should possess to set themselves apart from the herd.

Remain Authentic Several aspiring entrepreneurs wish to carve out their ways to success by using their skillsets, little do they know that they are just following the predefined paths that were taken by other leaders. Only authenticity will help them stand out from the crowd. Authenticity should not only be integrated at the inception stage of the business but also in the business models, strategies, and branding, Authentic business owners will know how to integrate the latest marketing trends in a way that is natural to them. Leaders do not have to pretend to satisfy their target audiences. Ÿ

Ÿ High Emotional Intelligence Tech CEOs of successful corporations know that the key part of success lies in collaboration. Great leaders strongly believe in building strong networks and know that doing so will forge mutually-beneficial relationships in the future. CEOs are not always extroverted but they have easily read their employees' minds. They should also be warm, approachable, and polite by nature. To score high on emotional intelligence, leaders have to focus on developing their core competencies, selfawareness, self-management, relationship awareness, and relationship management.

Promote Teamwork A smart CEO will never isolate oneself to perform a particular task, instead collaborate with several people whose inputs might help them see things from a different perspective. Most tech CEOs understand the importance of consulting with the C-suite team and even the employees who are in subordination. This is one of the traits of a CEO that involves posing the right questions, and asking for productive feedbacks, and often delegating the work to colleagues. It is crucial to build the team carefully. Being a team leader requires listening to what others have to say and spending most of the time in meetings, gathering information. Ÿ

Ÿ Have a Long-Term Plan Many businesses have the tendencies to focus on their daily operations or short-term goals and then scramble to attain the goals at the end of the year. A company's short-term goals should always be driven to reach the long-term ones. Planning the short-term goals accordingly will also present a clearer picture of the reasons behind not reaching the ultimate end-year goals.

Becoming a responsible tech CEO involves creating plans that are clear and specific, and defined measurably so that goals can be analysed.

Adaptability Adaptability is not only about optimizing business processes based on the market demands, or the digital revolution, it is also about adapting to the circumstances around. For instance, the frustration of the board of directors for the declining revenue, or the controversies that may appear occasionally. CEOs have to constantly adapt their strategies to ensure buy-in from the right people at the right time. This has to be one of the most important personality traits to become a successful CEO. Ÿ

Leading an organization is a complex job that demands all kinds of skills. The most important aspect is to seek out the feedback and advice that is needed to develop all critical skills that are required to become a CEO. Leaders have to think about the most unique and reliable things and keep on inspiring all the individuals related to the organization.

53

A Transformational Leader Paving the Wayto Innovation with Top-Notch Technologies

G

PS or Global Positioning System is a worldwide

times as a winner of the Superbrands Slovakia Award, the

radio-navigation satellite system that helps to

IT Company of the Year and the Most Profitable IT

navigate the destination you want to reach

Company of the Year. Sygic is also a part of the publicly

remotely. Sygic is a global, GPS-based offline navigation

listed W.A.G. payments solutions PLC (WPS.L), a leading

mobile app developer. Besides guiding drives from A

pan-European integrated payments and mobility

point to B point, it provides advanced functions like real-

platform that is focused on the commercial road

time traffic, speed limits, sign recognition, head-up

transport industry.

display, dashcam, lane assistant, and support for Android Auto and CarPlay connectivities. Sygic's dedicated mode

A Self-Made Intellectual Leader

for electric vehicles aggregates premium maps with

Martin Striga is the CEO of Sygic. He took up the position

smart routing, network of charging points with

in January 2018. He joined Sygic in 2015 as the Vice

integrated payments via the app, allowing drivers of EVs

President Enterprise Solutions from the international

to reach their targets with ease.

software company Asseco. He worked there in a senior management position and was part of the supervisory

Redefining Navigation with Disruptive Solutions

boards of subsidiaries. One of the Sygic co-founders is his

Sygic is one of the most successful mobile navigation

friend and classmate from university studies, and this led

solution companies in the world. Founded in Bratislava,

Martin to know the story of Sygic from the beginning.

Slovakia, in 2004, Sygic is a Deloitte Fast 50 Company.

Martin says, “I have never focused on my career path too

Sygic became a winner as a result of public voting for a

much.” He felt that everything came naturally. Martin

Global Champion prize, which was awarded by the

studied management and information technology,

Emerging Europe platform in 2021 amongst many other

worked as a developer, team lead, solution and

international awards and prizes. The real-time Traffic

enterprise architect, project manager, IT director and so

Lights add-on for Sygic GPS Navigation has been

on. He helped M&A teams with successful acquisitions

awarded by the jury of leading technology experts as a

and post-merger integration and was part of top

top CES 2020 innovation. Sygic was recognized multiple

management and supervisory boards. “Becoming a true

54

Martin Strigač CEO Sygic 55

“

There are many standalone digital solutions for various transportation challenges, but not reflecting the needs of fragmented, small fleets, without integration possibilities.

I believe the commercial transportation industry is still waiting for a proper digital

“

revolution and uberization.

Martin Strigač CEO Sygic

www.sygic.com

56

leader, who inspires teams, requires skills that one can

computing or big data today. Just recently, Sygic became

only acquire over time through hard work,” opines

the first mobile navigation to detect traffic signs using AI,

Martin.

machine learning and collection of our big data. Its

“When we have a job that fulfills us, the challenges are

awarded Traffic Lights Add-On for the Sygic GPS

something we expect as a daily routine. I am a lucky

Navigation used IoT integration of smart cities

person in my professional life because I always had work I

infrastructure and AI prediction algorithms. “We use

love,” adds Martin.

disruptive technologies to primarily improve road safety and help to reduce carbon emissions by using accessible

Transparency, the Best Quality of Leadership

technology. Our collaborative routing algorithm has

Speaking about the vital attributes for every leader,

become one of the Top European Innovations by

Martin says that he always tries to lead by example. He

Innovation Radar Prize, appreciating the potential to

adds that he respects transparent leaders working hard

reduce the time spent in the traffic by more than 20

with their teams, presenting their leadership and success

percent, significantly lower costs and contribute to CO2

through inspirational products and innovations which

reduction in cities. Sygic also participates in the

help people around the globe.

development of a universal European AI platform called Everest, focusing on smart mobility in cities,”adds Martin.

Spearheading Innovation with Market Best Products Martin believes that innovation plays a crucial role in any

Building a Seamless Digital Ecosystem

business. “Innovation is one of our core values; it is in our

Martin believes that monopolies heavily paralyse the

DNA and our lifestyle. In 2004 we started in an office

navigation industry. He highlights that Apple and Google

with 25 square meters as a small start-up, and we still

dominate the consumer market due to unfair advantage

keep the start-up culture with a flat organisational

and governments are very slow to put appropriate

structure, lean and understandable processes, regular

policies in place. Martin asserts that Sygic focuses on

hackathons, all-hands meetings, joint breakfasts, and

commercial transportation. Together with the other

dinners. We also listen to our broad and diverse beta-

group teams, the company have the vision to

testers community, who provide continuous feedback on

democratise the on-road mobility industry through a

the new products and inspire us for new challenges,”

technological revolution. Sygic wants to give every road

asserts Martin.

transportation company – however small it is – the

Martin claims that more than 200 million users

access to the benefits of digitization at scale. The

worldwide trust Sygic products, which are constantly

company is building a seamless, integrated digital

ranked as the best and most innovative on the market

ecosystem with the potential to revolutionise the middle

globally. He adds that, unlike the giants that have

mile. This benefits the planet and its customers, and

changed the market rules by providing pre-installed

everyone wins, claims Martin.

navigations in smartphones for free, Sygic has always relied on its agility and continuous innovations.

The Secret Mantra to Success Martin advices emerging CEOs to be themselves and

Bequeathing the Key to Success with Disruptive

follow their passion. “Love what you do. Don't be CEO, be

Technologies

a colleague. Work hard with your teams and never forget

According to Martin, almost all the innovations are

about your customers. And always try to lead by

somehow related to artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud

example,” he concludes.

57

Giving Life to Old IT Hardware through Sustainable Recycling

R

enew IT is an ITAD (Information Technology

customers nationally. With 7 processing facilities

Asset Disposition) company that provides

throughout Australia and New Zealand, a facility soon to

lifecycle asset services for IT hardware. The firm

open in Vietnam, and over 300 employees across the

offers asset lifecycle fleet management for smartphone

globe, Renew It is one of the largest ITAD companies in

devices, laptops, desktop PCs, and DataCentre

the Southern Hemisphere.

deinstallation work along with the provision of sustainability reports to go towards the company's

A Leader Re'NEW'ing and Recycling Since 1990's

carbon zero goals. The main focusof Renew IT is laid on

James Lancaster is the CEO of Renew IT. He started his

zero-landfill e-waste and creating innovation around

journey with Renew IT in 2007 from his kitchen table.

sustainability.

The purpose was to promote the reuse of used

The company buysredundant IT hardware when

equipment and avoid it finding its way into the landfills. “A

companies replace their existing fleet and ensure that

lot of the equipment which was disposed by the

the data is sanitized by NIST 800-88 standards by making

peoplehas served its purpose for them, but still had

sure that the hardware finds a new home or in the other

another life to be had in the hands of another user,” says

case, it is made sure to be is broken down with all the

James. He has been doing this since the 1990s when

metals and plastics responsibly, which is later separated

sustainability and responsible recycling wasn't even a

and fed back into the supply chain for remanufacturing.

thought. It was clear to him as to how many waste

Renew IT works with SMEs, large corporate clients,

companies were contributing to the impact on the

Schools and Universities globally, ensuring they get a

environment and the most obvious thing to him was “the

higher return on investment for their redundant IT

best form of recycling is to reuse”.So, he created a

hardware whilst not compromising the security of their

business model around it. Today James oversees the

data. The company is Australian owned and founded in

running of all the facilities, engaging with all his team

2008 where is has organically grown over the last 13

members daily. James loves to play by his hands, not just

years. In 2021, Renew IT acquired one of its leading

in the senior management but also on the kit in the

competitors, Verser Technology Lifecycles. This

warehouse with the tech guys too.

acquisition has expanded the firm's service offering and capability. With more feet on the street, thecompany

Multi-Tasking to Support Every End of Business

provides more Renew IT staffed field services to all its

When James started his journey in the industry, he was

60

James Lancaster CEO Renew IT 61

“

We, as a society are still at the very beginning of solving the problem of ewaste. Through collaboration with the UNSW that we have been able to get SurfaceMine off the ground and begin to realize the value in feeding the supply chain through e-waste in our industry.

“

James Lancaster CEO Renew IT

www.renew-it.com

62

cleaning equipment in the warehouse by handling all the

Renew IT has been able to assist in this process by

equipment as it rolled in through the doors that's fresh

deinstalling, securely destroying the data, and by

off someone's desk. When James began the business, it

breaking the unsaleable equipment down responsibly.

was just him, wearing all the hats for many years, he

“Of course, we still realize a lot of value in reselling most

would go out to the customer sites and do the collections

of the equipment, especially, if it's less than five years old,

himself like doing the data destruction, cleaning, packing

but for some of the older legacy equipment that's

and shipping it out. In fact, James saysthat he doesn't

shipping costs outweigh the value, our work with

think there is a job within the organization that he hasn't

SurfaceMine and the UNSW is invaluable,” James adds.

done himself because he has always been very hands-on, he has a very granular understanding of what a customer

F a c i n g P r i m a l C h a l l e n g e s w i t h Te n a c i t y a n d

wants, even sometimes when they don't. “Once you

Perseverance

understand every facet of your business, you're in great

James believes that starting as a small player in the

shape to pick the right team around you and build out

industryis both a blessing and a curse. He struggled at

from there,” claims James.

first to get a foot in the door as no one had heard of him but through sheer tenacity and perseverance, the

Being Personable: The Ideal Quality of a Leader

opportunities slowly presented themselves, which

James believesthat leaders have to be personable so that

allowed him to show his point of difference and provide a

the employees can approach and communicate. If they

greater more flexible level of service.

are not approachable, James notes that one cannot find out about problems, often until it's too late. So, he asks

The Road Ahead

emerging leaders to be positive and to inspire people,

For Renew IT, James mentions that the focus is on

park their ego and show humility.

listening to their customers' needs and servicing accordingly. He notes that the customers are heading

Entwining Collaboration with Innovation to Create

towards carbon zero objectives and Renew IT wants to

Great Products

help them in this process. “We have increased our service

James mentions that working very closely with the

capabilities, including break-fix to assist in this process.

University of New South Wales has helped him start his

As offices have moved to more hybrid environments we

journey in sustainable solutions in e-waste.From this, he

have adapted. Now providing 24/7 services so no matter

states to have started SurfaceMine. The innovative work

what time of the day someone needs to speak to us, they

that comes out of this collaboration to magnify on a

can,” James said.

larger scale in the facilities, that way he says the customers can see first-hand how by working with

A Piece of Advice for Emerging Leaders

Renew IT they are now part of the solution when it comes

Jamessays that he improves his performance by asking,

to solving the problem of e-waste.

“How can I best be of service to my company and team?”

He says the answer will involve, leading by example, not

Moving from Data Centers to Cloud: A Disruptive

being afraid to get your hands dirty, and not letting your

Initiative

ego overshadow your humility. James adds if leaders can

In particular, for Renew IT, James has seen a large

show people that, then people will want some of what

number of corporations which have been moving to the

they have.

cloud by clearing out their data centers. He affirms that

63

Making the Digital Experience Straightforward with Disruptive Technologies and Innovative Ideas

H

learning, and advanced software.

iQo Solutions is a global software company

that specializes in machine learning, Edge AI,

IoT Engineering and Embedded Systems.

Ÿ

High-functioning teams that are aligned with a culture of technical innovation.

Founded in 2007, HiQo is a US-based company with its

Machine Learning– HiQo's advanced teams are experts

headquarters in Atlanta, GA. It has operations around

in machine learning, deep learning, and mathematical

the world including in the US, Canada, Poland, Belarus,

data processing along with various programming

and Russia. The company's clients range from Fortune

languages and frameworks that help to assist the

500 companies to well-funded Silicon Valley Unicorns.

company's clients make real-time decisions. HiQo's

They are in a wide range of sectors including finance,

teams consist of highly qualified mathematicians,

industry, insurance, health care, agriculture, and many

statisticians, and advanced software engineers. This is a

others.

core competency and growing rapidly.

IoT Embedded Engineering– HiQo's IoT engineering

Focusing on IoT and ML for Better Customer

team has experts in all aspects of embedded systems

Experience

designed by its hardware engineers, RF (Radio

HiQo has several key X-Factors:

Frequency) specialists, serverless cloud technologies,

Ÿ

64

World-class technologist in IoT engineering, machine

statistical mathematicians, and diverse software

Mathew Garver CEO HiQo Solutions 65

“ Our culture is aligned with our company values top-to-bottom. 'Do The Right Thing' is our hallmark. It's our approach to all things: our colleagues, team members, clients, stakeholders and beyond.

“ Mathew Garver CEO HiQo Solutions

www.hiqo-solutions.com

66

engineers, and notably network security. The company

practical experiences Mathew faced in life, he mentions

works with high-calibre global brands by designing and

one-of-a-kind experience i.e., “Learning from mistakes”

integrating IoT solutions of all kinds. This core expertise

“I have had a lot of success over the decades; however, I

is in great demand and growing significantly.

learned the most from my mistakes. Learning quickly and adjusting courses is hard to do – but fundamental to real

A Well Accomplished Leader

success in today's fast-changing world” claims Mathew.

Mathew Garver is the CEO of HiQo Solutions, Inc. w o r l d w i d e . H e h a s 2 5 ye a r s o f ex p e r i e n c e i n

An Ideal Leader's Checklist

international business, focused on private equity,

In Mathew's view, a leader must drive with a strategic

finance, strategy and operations for growth companies.

vision, and maintain technical competence and personal

Mathew served in key executive roles for Liberty Street

integrity. In his words, this is called an authentic

Capital, DLA Piper, CGL Engineering and others

leadership. Along with this, he mentions some other

including Chairman, CEO, and CFO. His role at Liberty

attributes as follows,

Street was focused on investing and managing growth

Ÿ

High-functioning team – According to Mathew, a

companies in software, technology, systems integration,

leader must be able to recruit, manage, build, and

engineering and infrastructure sectors for family offices

inspire high-functioning teams. “This is very hard but

and institutional investors. One of the favourite roles as

crucial for today's environment,” he pinpoints.

mentioned by Mathew was co-leading DLA Piper's

Ÿ

Strategic Vision– Mathew mentions that leaders

Global Infrastructure Steering Committee, which at the

must have the ability to set clear and strategic goals.

time was the world's largest law firm. He served as a C-

And they should inspire teams to achieve them. This

level executive driving business strategy across North

sounds cliché but is critically important. Real leaders

America, Europe, and LATAM.

are more than managers, they must push the boundaries – they must inspire others. They must also

Learning Life Lessons from Mistakes

communicate it, consistently, and in an inspiring way.

Mathew says that continuous learning is the best experience that drives the future. He mentions, “I'm a

Innovation and Right Solutions at the Core of HiQo

student of life, philosophy, economics, international

Mathew reveals that innovation is the DNA of HiQo

markets, innovation, technology, global trends, and

Solutions. He says, “It's what we do, who we are, and it's

more. My educational background was formative -

why clients hire us.” He adds that innovative technical

graduating from Oxford University Said Business School

problem solving is at the heart of the company. It

and serving as a Fellow at Harvard University in

permeates every level of HiQo's core areas of IoT

international economics. These experiences were deeply

engineering and machine learning. Mathew asserts that

impactful in my journey.”

as a high functioning technology team, they have

Talking about global macroeconomics, Mathew asserts

extremely high demands. Employees come to HiQo

that his training as an economist was quite critical. This

because they want to be part of an elite team. They want

methodological approach to problem-solving has been a

to be challenged and work at the forefront of technology,

foundational skill in his life. He often fell back upon his

says Mathew. “Embedded within the fabric of our culture

macro-micro approach to align and harmonize complex

is a pride of quality in all that we do – in our relationships,

issues. Mathew highlights that it's a great background for

processes, standards, protocols, value delivered – it is

a world yearning for data analytics. Amidst many

layered throughout the firm. Our culture is aligned with

67

our company values top-to-bottom. 'Do The Right Thing'

He adds that the 'Arms Race for Talent' is growing more

is our hallmark. It's our approach to all things: our

acute in core areas. This isn't just software, but highly

colleagues, team members, clients, stakeholders and

advanced mathematical data science and integrated

beyond,” claims Mathew.

embedded engineering -play an indispensable -role. This talent level is multi-disciplinary and cross-functional,

Incorporating Modern Technologies into Business

which is hard to acquire, train and grow, he says. Mathew

Models

reveals that Industry 4.0 is in full bloom. HiQo is all set to

Mathew believes that leaders must stay agile to adjust to

be at the forefront of this wave of technology innovation.

an ever-changing world. He adds that to say that the

This market demand surge is driving a search for

world is changing radically is an understatement. Old

autonomous systems for IoT and machine learning

industry leaders are scrambling to figure out how to

solutions. He highlights, “We live at this nexus of global

harness the power of IoT and machine learning. And how

trends.”

to incorporate these technologies into new business

According to Mathew, strategic growth is the key.

models to create value. Staying at least one step ahead is

Growing wisely and sustainably, over the long haul is

a critical role for a leader today. “AI, machine learning and

crucial, despite the market fever. -Mathew says,

IoT are fast becoming ubiquitous general-purpose

“Experience and wisdom, borne of a larger perspective;

technology. This is a reality and growing every day.

teach you the need for a strategic approach in the face of

Leadership teams need to adjust in real-time to client and

feverish market conditions.”

market demands to implement at the edge. In my view, we are just beginning the implementation phase for

Word of Wisdom for Emerging CEOs

these technologies”, he opines.

Mathew believes that leaders are readers. Their expertise and experience matter, but the world is too

Sailing into New Horizons

complicated and changing too quickly to rely solely upon

Mathew states that HiQo is thriving with major tailwinds

personal experience alone. He advices emerging CEOs to

behind them. -. The company's key markets have a strong

focus on 'Human Capital' as the digital age is fuelled by

demand to innovate where the expertise intersects. “Our

innovation, not financial capital. Mathew insists them to

unique differentiation is human capital, and how we have

aligning company goals from macro-to-micro: interlock

forged IoT engineering and machine learning expertise

governance, strategy, finance, culture, human capital,

into high-functioning teams for clients,” claims Mathew.

team building, and recruiting for better.

68