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What do you think will emerge as the
technology trend of 2020 and why?
COVID-19 is clearly taking the centre-stage,
so it’s quite likely 2020 will be its year. But,
as with any crisis, I’m sure it will generate
some amazing innovations that will form
part of its legacy.
They used to say that we need to pollute
the earth as travelling is essential for
business. People used to say that it’s very
difficult to change our lifestyles quickly.
People also used to say office work is
essential. Now, many of these assumptions
are being thrown out of the window. It’s
taken five weeks to adapt to a new reality
that if it wasn’t forced, would have taken
well over five years to achieve.
True, people still need people to function,
but I hope we never come back to the
status quo as it was before COVID-19.
We should learn and evolve into a better
species that cares for the environment
much more. I’m sure technology will help
make that a reality.
What are the region-specific
challenges when implementing new
technologies in Europe?
It used to be that Western Europe had
significant advantages over Eastern
Europe. This is clearly no longer the case.
We see a balanced set of advantages and
disadvantages in both. When it comes
to innovation adoption, apart from the
UK, Eastern Europe has leaped the rest.
And I believe it will continue on this path.
Experience and talent are still a very
important asset in Western Europe but it’s
no longer that black and white.
My prediction is for Eastern Europe and the
Baltic states to start leading innovation
in Europe.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside of the office?
Being social is important to me, as is having
hobbies. The COVID-19 reality has actually
helped me rekindle some of my old hobbies,
such as music and gaming, that I had
forgotten over the years.
If you could go back and change one
career decision, what would it be?
I don’t think there is anything significant,
yet. There are always things that could have
been done better in hindsight, but in general
I would say I am pretty content with my
choices so far.
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?
The biggest change has been the focus on
strategy over tactics. I now have to be one
or two steps ahead of where we are today.
Spending more time on thinking rather
than doing. I think this will continue to
be a larger part of my day-to-day as
TransferGo continues to scale quickly.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain a
C-level position in your industry?
Be ready for the long-haul as it is certainly a
marathon. Quick flips or overnight successes
“
I THINK
IT’S A VERY
MEANINGFUL
PLACE TO
MAKE THIS
INVESTMENT,
THOUGH, AS
IT CAN CHANGE
PEOPLE’S LIVES.
NONETHELESS, IT
TAKES TIME
TO INNOVATE
HERE.
are very rare. Be ready to invest a significant
amount of your life. I think it’s a very
meaningful place to make this investment,
though, as it can change people’s lives.
Nonetheless, it takes time to innovate here.
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
Automation, Machine Learning and AI
in general should further improve user
experience at scale. Compliance and
RegTech as well. I can see these being the
main innovation-enablers, especially in the
FinTech and remittance space. •
82 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com