Tereza Demetriou

People & Culture Manager, NetU

How many years NetU been in the business, and can you share more about its operations and vision?

NetU is a leading IT solutions and services organization in the Eastern Mediterranean region with offices in Cyprus and Greece. Our vision is a world transformed by digital innovation that serves people and organisations in a sustainable way. Since our founding in 1991, we have consistently been selected by medium and large organizations to be their IT business partner. By designing solutions to seamlessly integrating business processes and technology, we empower our customers to digitally transform and achieve their objectives; whether investing for the first time, upgrading or optimizing existing systems. With a prestigious client list, projects in more than 40 countries and numerous awards, NetU is recognized as the leading Systems Integrator. Our success comes down to our talented people and our dedication to our clients. I am proud and honoured to be part of such a great company!

What is the biggest challenge in the ICT sector today?

With the rise of digitalization in our personal and professional lives, cyber security is the biggest challenge of the ICT sector. The loss suffered from data breach is immense and can be catastrophic. From an employer perspective, talent shortage is by far the greatest challenge we face in the industry. As digitalization spreads, tech skills are sought after, not only within the tech industry but across all sectors simultaneously, while the supply of new ICT professionals is diminishing. In 2020, ICT graduates in the EU constituted merely 3,9% of the total graduates (DESI, 2022). Furthermore, issues such as gender representation in ICT specialists continue to plague the industry, reducing the talent pool even further (DESI, 2022).

What is the future of the financial sector, how will it evolve and how is ICT supporting this industry?

The financial sector has become digitalised by moving towards digital money, such as online banking, smartphone apps, e-wallets with contactless payment functionality and other money transfer platforms. Money does not need to be tangible and exchanged physically. Also, consider that just in the last 30 years more than 600 currencies ceased to exist and digital currencies (cryptocurrencies), have emerged. This digital transformation has brought innovation in the finance industry, has made transactions agile and seamless, it has given us more options in how we save, invest, transfer, manage or even spend our money. It has altered our relationship with money and the reliance or trust we place in the traditional banking sector. Also, our personal data is now more heavily linked with our money, giving rise to GDPR and cyber security issues. It’s a fact that technology goes hand in hand with finance, forcing the sectort to evovle even more agressively, broadening its scope and possibilities and giving rise to new specialiasations within the labour market.

Which powerful woman do you admire the most?

Jacinda Ardern, who served as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand and the leader of the labour party from 2017 to 2023. At the age of 37, she was the world’s youngest Head of State and less than a year into her tenure, she became a mother, challenging the status quo of being a leader and a mom. She served through unprecedented times with many challenges to overcome and de- livered remarkable results. I admire her for leading with compassion and staying true to herself, her values and priorities throughout, her tenure and even at her resignation.

What are you most proud of?

The consistent feedback I receive from people I have worked with is that I added value in anything I have taken on, leaving my positive ‘mark’ along my way, and that to me, is my greatest achievement and reward.

What is your view on motherhood and career?

It is a challenging journey and I am still learning from it. The disruptive feeling I battle with, is that of guilt. Wanting to do more in all aspects of my life but having to set limits and be ok with that. For me, motherhood and career are about mastering the art of balance, being able to enjoy the journey and feel enough in both. I strive to be a role model for my kids and demonstrate in practice attributes I value, such as being hard-working and ambitious. The fact that I have a supportive and caring spouse, relieves some of the buren in my daily struggles.

What advice would you give to young women who wish to enter the ICT world?

Absorb as much as you can, align with your manager’s expectations and deliver, show initiative and take on additional tasks, put in extra time and effort to accelerate your learning curve, be resilient to change and see the bigger picture!

Who is Who | Tereza is the People and Culture Manager in NetU, whereby designs and deploys hands-on people strategic initiatives. Tereza is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and her academic background in Organisational Psychology. Her HR journey started 14 years ago from start-ups to global multi-asset companies, across six industries.