The Interview
-   DHL
-   toptable
-   ICAP
-   RollUp Media
-   BNY Mellon
-   TC Consulting
-   MarkitSERV
-   Pinesoft
-   IDBS
-   Vertex
-   LateRooms
-   Betfair  

I took Computer Science as a GCSE at school and came top of my year, so I think it was a natural progression from there.      I surmised that the IT industry had the potential for career growth and going into that field would provide longevity and stability.  I am quite risk adverse so these aspects were, and continue to be, important to me.

I enjoy shaping things up from the early stages by providing guidance and leadership based upon pragmatism and experience. The way I like to describe it, is if I was leading a team of people up Mount Everest I would want to be equipped for every eventuality.  By being appropriately equipped, it makes you personally more aware of the challenges and therefore more confident; plus it makes the people following you more secure in your leadership. 

For example, in a project or programme you need to determine what skills and resources are required and to set up the governance structure accordingly. I love tailoring things to ensure they are fit for purpose, learning how things fit together and watching people respond. Every project and programme is different and unique, so the way it’s initiated, developed and implemented will change each time - I enjoy approaching them with this in mind. Experience has taught me that communication is key so it is important to get this right whether it is for your team, the governance structure or stakeholders.

So in answer to your question; my favourite thing is spending the requisite time and energy at initiation and watching everything successfully fall into place in sequence (although you must expect the unexpected!).

There are always challenges in any role but even more so when technology is involved.  The easiest way to cover the variety of problems is to break them down - that way any one reading this can better understand what to expect and learn how to pre-empt the trials and tribulations of IT!

• The most challenging aspect (and the thing I am most involved in) is managing change.  IT needs to be heavily involved in the change agenda in order to ensure sustainability and this requires skills and capabilities traditionally beyond the remit of the typical IT person.  IT implementations are so much more than the technology. And although technology continually evolves (getting faster and smaller, more scalable with different ways of doing things, for example with cloud computing and business intelligence) I firmly believe the basic fundamentals of developing and implementing technology stay the same and you ignore them at your peril. 

• Convincing the business stakeholders to continue to invest in the current business environment; the temptation is to rein in spending that could then affect the business longer-term when the upturn comes.  If you fail to invest in infrastructure, systems and your people it can hand competitive advantage to your competitors and give a fillip to new market entrants.
• Keeping your people engaged and motivated is a common challenge regardless of function. There has been a lot written on this and I am still surprised how little understood, or worse ignored, this is. Understand what makes your people tick and what motivates and demotivates them. In some organisations I see too many people disengaged and they lack understanding of how their role contributes to the overall. This can be costly on so many levels.
• Organisations must continually question their effectiveness and efficiency. They must also innovate and ensure they reward/incentivise creativity within their workforce. Performance management systems can often stifle these aspects. Well established businesses can take a leaf out the book of newish companies like Microsoft and Google. Companies should be continually benchmarking themselves against their competitors and their peers - not only as a business, but as individuals.
• Some managers can become very insular.  I believe that learning to ‘lead’ rather than ‘manage’ whilst maintaining approachability is the key to the success both personally and within the business. Leaders must display key leadership traits and engage with their people and the business effectively. Leadership is not a menu that you pick and choose from as the mood suits! Too often good technicians are turned into poor leaders. Leadership development is key.
• The business stakeholders want to see a return on their investment – therefore it is necessary to understand the lifetime value of systems and infrastructure, as well as the actual impact technology can have both as an enabler and a constrainer. IT needs to work closely with the business on business cases and subsequently review objectively whether implementations met their critical success factors.
• Attracting and developing the right people can be a challenge; they need to have good technical skills as well as wider business awareness and have the ability to engage with the business itself.  As I mentioned earlier from a managerial standpoint (and it’s true of all levels) that people can become very insular (especially within IT) and it’s important to be seen as a business partner and customer focused. HR has generally adopted this model but it remains patchy across IT.
• The entire IT organization, especially when spread within a global company may contain various cultures, timezones and differences in the way people do business - it’s important to be aware of this and respectful of all people’s perspectives and learn how these considerations can influence what is, and is not, effective communication.
• Stringent adoption of methodologies can create a challenge in itself.  I’m certainly not saying that they can’t be useful, but I believe that from a pragmatic point of view, people should be able select what is appropriate based upon their experience and fit-for-purpose. Methodologies and structured practices should help enable and not constrain progress.
• Effective and appropriate governance is a key issue which I see including risk & issue management, scope management and change management.  It’s a challenge to ensure that all areas of the business are represented within the programme/project and governance structure. For example; Legal, Compliance and HR should be present from the get-go and not just be brought in at the eleventh hour. Because of its importance there should be a vested interest in IT from all aspects of the business from the point of initiation, whilst not guaranteeing success this helps mitigate risk.
• An active and engaged sponsor as ‘problem owner’ is key; I am still shocked by the number of projects and change programmes where this vital aspect isn’t in place. This needs to be someone constantly aware of the challenges and the status but has the seniority and influence to positively affect progress. A distant figurehead sponsor will simply not do! Never underestimate the power of having an ally whether it’s to bounce ideas off of, gain extra resources or just a shoulder to cry on!
• Security of data can be a challenge potentially overlooked - it’s very important to not only adhere to, but be seen to be complying with key legislation such as the Data Protection Act. I am a big advocate of giving the business access to (what is) their data but I also anticipate more high-profile instances of data loss with potentially irreparable negative impact to reputation and damage to brand – not to mention CIOs careers!
• CIO/IT Directors must have influence at board and executive level, too often they can be regarded as ‘techies’ as part as business support rather than fully engaged in the overall commercial wellbeing of the organisation.

 Distinguish the right balance between technological knowledge and business awareness.  You need to understand on a more global level how best to assist the business and the people in it - learn about your competitors, the various regions, the business environments; and as I mentioned before, learn about the assortment of cultures that make up the company and be aware of them.  Find out how technology can better the business, figure out why and then work out how to overcome the problems!

I started off as a programmer, moved onto systems design, and then was a project leader.  From there, I went into a more managerial role, and then moved on to be an IT Director.  I enjoy the fact that I started from a lower level position, it allowed me to understand more about the business, and how each person and each role helps the greater functioning of the company.  It gave me a wider understanding, taught me how projects are completed and the aptitude to learn the differences between a well executed project and a badly executed one.  The way I describe my position now, is similar to the pilot of a plane - I should be able to witness things that are going on from 37,000ft and see the ‘bigger picture’; whereas starting from the lower levels e.g. the ‘baggage handlers’ has allowed me the perspective from the ground up.  When you are focussed on one thing e.g. a project, there is a tendency to have tunnel vision; whereas the job of a leader is not to get so involved in the day-to-day intricacies of the projects, yet oversee everything and still have an idea of what’s happening around you.

There is a definite case that springs to mind - I was leading a team who were developing a new system and we were about to demo it to a group of senior leaders who had come in from various parts of the UK.  Ten minutes beforehand, the system (which up until this point had worked perfectly!) ceased to function due to a connectivity issue. After a few minutes attempting to correct the problem, I excused myself to the bathroom to allow my team some breathing space and to gather my thoughts as to how I was going to explain this! However, upon my return my team had corrected the issue with moments to go.  The demo went exceptionally well, and best of all none of the attendees knew the scare we had five minutes previously!  However the greatest part came when the system was actually implemented and is still being used today many years later.

You definitely need to be level-headed, as well as creative, empathetic and objective.  You also need to have good business acumen, be client-focussed and if you’re not already, learn to be a good listener!  As cheesy as it sounds, people want to do business with people they like doing business with; so the more you enjoy your job and work hard at engaging with people, the more it will come through in your every day performance!

I believe we need to promote the aspects of being a ‘partner in the business’ (as per the HR model) and less the thought that IT is an ‘ivory tower’ in a business support role.  IT is a key enabler for the organising both internally and commercially and I think if graduates had a greater understanding of this, then we may get a higher influx of new talent.  The perception of IT is that it tends to be quite male-dominated, which to an extent is true but there’s no reason for it to be that way.  The great thing about IT is that it doesn’t discriminate; if you’re good at your job then you’re good at your job!  I believe organisations like the British Computer Society (BCS) have a key role of developing IT as a profession and it is incumbent upon us all to inform graduates of the potential career development IT can offer them and help them realise that it doesn’t just have to be just a fallback option.

A combination of Tom Cruise, Steve McQueen and George Clooney – men of style and gravitas!