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opportunity to elevate
automation of mundane tasks so that
people have more time to spend on the
things that really matter. While routine,
repetitive tasks are automated, AI is being
introduced to help analyse massive volumes
of data from social media, connected
sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), public
data sources such as government databases
and internal systems.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
When I want to relax, I cycle. I particularly
enjoy long races and completed the
Joburg2C race, covering 900km in nine days.
Alternatively, I enjoy trail running to destress
and unwind.
If you could go back and change one
career decision, what would it be?
I wouldn’t change anything because
every experience in my past, good or bad,
helped to prepare me for my current career
and challenges.
data analytics
also allow us to
interact with data
in new ways, while
the IoT enables
us to instantly
and automatically
capture information.
This information can
be presented visually,
to provide new insights
into the business and
to help you make
better decisions.
Blockchain works as
a global and public
ledger without a central database that can
be tampered with. What this means is that
we can begin to really start digitising and
automating financial transactions that today
require manual control mechanisms, checks
and balances. Blockchain could also alter
how companies record transactions with
each other, streamlining invoicing, payments
and other business-to-business transactions.
What changes to your job role have
you seen in the last year, and how do
you see these developing in the next
12 months?
It’s not a new trend that has emerged over
the past year, but one that has accelerated.
The pressure is on for business leaders to
innovate in the pursuit of customer value.
Sage is developing a culture that embraces
experimentation and a two-way dialogue
between customers and our company.
Our internal culture fosters collaboration,
open honest dialogue and colleagues feel
connected to our vision.
“
THE TECH
INDUSTRY
CONTINUES TO
INVEST IN THE
TRANSITION
TOWARDS THE
CLOUD BECAUSE
WE NEED
CLOUD-NATIVE
INFRASTRUCTURE
TO POWER THE
NEXT WAVE OF
INNOVATION.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain C-level
position in your industry?
There are two important qualities in the
technology industry today, irrespective of
the role that you play. The first is that you
need to be ready to learn, adapt and change
at high speed to keep up with the evolution
of technology. The second is that you need
to take a customer-centric approach to
everything that you do. Constant, customer-
led innovation is a core part of our business
model and my personal approach. Be
ready to be a lifelong learner. And put
the customer experience at the heart of
everything you do. Get that right, and the
rest will follow. n
What do you currently identify
as the major areas of investment
in your industry?
The cloud. The tech industry continues to
invest in the transition towards the cloud
because we need cloud-native infrastructure
to power the next wave of innovation.
It remains a priority area for us because
cloud-based business solutions are the key
to helping our clients achieve the levels of
automation, operational efficiency, scale
and flexibility they need to keep pace
with a fast-changing world. Big Data and
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