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

I grew up in various parts of the United States, with a Research Scientist father and a School teacher mother...I was always encourage to ‘explore and tinker’ so indirectly, I was always around an assortment of technologies even from a young age.  I was disassembling lawnmowers, model aeroplanes and very early forms of computers at home, and then got to go to work with my Dad and play around with mainframes.  During high school I was the proud owner of my first computer, a Commodore 64 and then later on in my college years, was using the early stage Apple IIe.  You could say I have always been interested in the evolution of things and how things work, so in answer to your question, I chose IT as a career but it chose me from the get go.

There is no such thing as a typical day for me.  There is a famous quote “the best laid plans of mice and men...” go wrong!  I tend to find that if I plan things and prioritize, within the space of an hour all those priorities can shift and I have to adapt and structure myself around what is happening at that precise moment.  I enjoy the challenge of the unexpected; being able to adapt and react to situations is certainly key in this job.

The challenges.  I really enjoy solving puzzles and creative thinking; being able to take a problem, a lot of the time with incomplete information, and find a solution.  I also really love that I get to be around so many different types of people, and bring them all together.  It makes a great team when people with different views and ideas come together, it shows strengths and weaknesses not only in the people, but in the business and its projects.  I like the exchange of information, and really love encouraging people to be creative instead of just telling them what to do.

The problems incurred are a challenge, but are also part of the fun of it all.  If something is working correctly, you never hear about it, but when it starts to go wrong, the whole world has something to say!  A part of the job of a CTO or any leader for that matter, is to learn when to shield your team from the harsh reality of the outside world and it’s problems, and when to let them see when their work has potentially affected something or someone.  You can’t be the master of everything, you have to learn to delegate and trust the people in your team, whether that’s four or four hundred people.

You really need to ask yourself, are you an IT person or a people person?  For example, I have met some brilliant engineers during my career who have the glimmer of the ‘CTO’ position in their future and when they shoot for it and obtain the position, they often miss the ‘hands on’ approach as you tend to be a lot more in the boardroom and less in the operating room.  You have to learn to pick out your weaknesses, for example if you are an introvert by nature, learn to get out more and be more confident!  The CTO needs to understand the business and the way it runs, and appreciate that the people saying ‘no’ to you are not saying no to you...it is an ‘economic no’ because you need to realize the reality of the cost of x-number of engineers and their time.  So always be prepared with multiple alternatives!

I was a professional programmer throughout high school, and upon leaving, I had the amazing opportunity to work within the medical sector and forge the first step into DNA sequences.  I am one of very few people who get to say that when the scientists were reading out the DNA sequences, I was inputting them into a program I helped design, to make the first steps in learning more about genetics.  I studied computer systems engineering, learning the core technologies of things like chip design and operating systems.  I then moved to team leadership and discovered the amazing invention of the Internet when I worked at Lycos.  I moved to Europe where I have now been for around fifteen years, and have mostly been involved in start-ups where I enjoy the challenge of wearing multiple hats, and doing more than I perhaps would get to do if I worked in a larger Company.

I remember one project that looked as though it was doomed from the start!  We had people leave, people off ill, things breaking...basically, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.  We had to change around and lose so many things from the initial plan and right when it looked as though we were going to fail, my team brought it all together, with the original plan no less and we were on time, on budget and the functionality was great.  There is such a sense of relief and pride when a project comes together, and when all the odds are against you, it’s an even better feeling when you pull it off!

I think this varies from CTO to CTO, but on the whole I would say you have to play to your strengths.  I like organization and structure and trying to motivate my team.  You have to be able to see the bigger picture and bring people together with one common goal.  Tenacity and certainly another key characteristic, never give up!  There is a creed among inventors; “never be satisfied with how things work” - there is always room for improvement!  And if you don’t do it, someone else will come in behind you and create something even better.  I remember a story I heard once about a car body spray painting manufacturer, who brought in a team of consultants to help with their excess wastage of paint - out of a staggering one hundred litres of paint, only one litre actually made it on to the car itself!  The Company wanted to improve these figures to meet the industry standard of 95% wastage.  The consultant thought this was complete madness, and created a new system whereby the new industry standard was set of only 8% wastage.  Thus proving the point that you should never just do what’s expected and then rest...keep pushing the envelope.

I think by showing them the challenges and the fun that’s involved in creating solutions.  Of course there’s hard work and number crunching involved, but the end results can be so rewarding.  We need teachers in the education systems to not just teach from a text book - put what’s in the books, into practise and make the connection for students between words and the real life.  By bringing connections together, it might just inspire graduates and get them thinking about solutions to problems.

Johnny Depp - he is a great versatile actor.  Somehow I don’t think it would be a Hollywood blockbuster though!

Testing Circle would like to thank John Eikenberry for allowing us to conduct this interview. Interviewed by Ashleigh Ace, Testing Circle Marketing Manager.