Intelligent CIO North America Issue 15 | Page 80

GET TO KNOW
I ’ m mostly collaborative until a decision is made . Then I hold myself and my team to that decision .
more money . Or if I ’ d left sooner , I would have taken a different job . Every one of those decisions along the way got me to where I am today , and I ’ m very proud of it . So , I wouldn ’ t choose anything to change .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Easy integration and workflow . I say that because if you ’ re collecting customer data , it really isn ’ t useful unless you have a way to do something with it . You can collect a lot of information about your customers , but you have to act on it if you want them to feel heard . You need to easily integrate their feedback into your existing systems and workflow it so you can close the loop .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in North America ?
This is less technical and more to my legal background . When creating software throughout my career , when California ’ s rules on collecting data get tight then New York ’ s get tight , and places like Alabama really don ’ t care that much . You really need to watch the very tightly regulated areas of the country to understand how you can collect , store and retain data as it relates to our platform . It ’ s less about the AWS region than it is about the legal posture of the region .
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 ?
Specific to me and my role , I really enjoy a culture that I can be directly engaged with on a daily basis . I like talking to the developers at their desks and walking through the office to understand who on my team is having a challenge , so I can help . In the last year , I ’ ve had to adapt my leadership style and find new ways to carry my message across the organization to get everybody on the path to doing something great . To be honest , it ’ s a lot harder for me that way . However , I see that in the technical market , people don ’ t have to go back to the office , and anyone who leads like I do has to find a way to get that level of engagement without being physically near somebody else .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?
The best way to become a C-level position in the Voice of the Customer industry or technology in general is to really understand business and how business works . Because unless you do , you will always be creating a product or technology that is based on what you can technically build . But that doesn ’ t do anybody any good unless it suits the needs of a business or what you ’ re trying to be as a business . A C-level leader needs to understand the different facets of a business before they can be effective at the C-level . p
80 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www . intelligentcio . com