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If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I ’ m not sure I ’ d change any – even the lowlights have been a learning experience to get me where I am today . I guess my only regret would be not moving into a startup earlier as I ’ ve learnt more about business in the last five years than I did in corporates in 20 .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in Europe ?
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Data protection can no longer survive as only an expensive insurance policy ; it needs to derive value from data and provide additional business value with security and governance risk and compliance at its core . My prediction is that security will move more to the data layer than at the perimeter in the network and we ’ ll see more investment as a result .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?
I have a young family ( twin boys aged five and a daughter of nine ) and I find spending time with them and my wife the best way to unwind . My daughter is learning to play golf and I ’ m keen to get the boys started too so we can have a four ball at the weekends . We live in a beautiful city where there is an abundance of different walks and places to explore . With lots of different restaurants , bars and cafes , we always make sure we stop somewhere different as our ‘ reward ’.
It ’ s interesting to see the adoption of technology across regions is vastly different . Cloud adoption in some parts of Europe , Middle East and Africa is still in early stages and as companies adopt public cloud , they need to consider data protection and security at all levels . There seems to be a perception that data in the public cloud is , by default , secure which simply isn ’ t the case and the customer is still liable for their data .
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 ?
Despite longing the customer and partner interaction that we enjoyed prior to COVID-19 , I honestly believe there are some large productivity gains and work-life balance we can benefit from as we return to some form of normality with a mix of face-to-face and remote working .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry ?
Technology in its nature is disruptive and driven by innovation , therefore being adaptable and having grit and determination in my opinion are the main attributes to success . Don ’ t assume that what made you successful in prior roles will make you successful again , and focus on continual improvement and self-development . p
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