PROFILE
We’ll also be launching a new product
called Hermes Play which starts to introduce
real personalisation to someone sending
a parcel as a gift. It personalises a label by
introducing Augmented Reality onto the
label, so customers can record a video and
upload it into the cloud and then we pass
that video along the parcel journey and let
the recipient know it’s there for them.
We’re even allowing people to choose their
safe place – we have another product called
MyPlace which will be launching soon. It
allows people to choose their safe place,
drop a pin in the map, put a photo of that
safe place in the app, choose their preferred
neighbour to leave the parcel with, and the
offering ultimately provides customisation
around safe places.
Changes companies/CIOs should
be making to improve the current
technology threats across the region
You don’t know what’s coming, so we
are trying to make our infrastructure as
cost-effective and as agile as possible. It’s
not rocket science, but the digitisation
of a business is absolutely fundamental.
We’ve always got to keep our cost margin
low and so moving onto a more modern
www.intelligentcio.com
infrastructure helps. Cloud computing
compared to traditional computing is so
much more cost-effective, particularly
when you start to think about scaling and
non-production environments. I think we’ve
managed to decrease around 50% of our
hosting costs.
So, I think getting onto modern technology,
keeping your cost base low but also retaining
that agility. There’s a lot that’s changing
and markets are getting more and more
competitive – if somebody comes out with
something that’s a bit of a game-changer,
you’ve got to catch up.
You’ve got to constantly keep innovating so
having an agile infrastructure gives you that
flexibility to compete.
A final component is to get your data
sorted. I think data’s a real differentiator,
whether it’s about managing yourself
better and more efficiently with
exceptional-based reporting and
ultimately, moving on to data-driven
decisions and even using AI and decision
engines to drive you forward. Data is
massive for operational efficiencies and
also for monetising and adding value-
added services.
Advice to CIOs
From a personal perspective, I try to find a
project and company that resonates with
me. Everyone is different and everyone’s
value increases if you find the right
company, culture and project. So, I would
always advise to know your strengths, know
what you’re good at, what you aren’t good
at and look for a project and company that
fits this. If you do that, you can only enjoy
the journey, have fun and add some value
and that’s all I try and do. So far, I’m really
enjoying it. n
WHEN YOU LOOK
ACROSS EUROPE,
A LOT OF OUR
COMPETITORS ARE
CATCHING UP BUT
THEY’RE NOT QUITE
WHERE WE ARE.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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