Blake Williams

CIO/CISO at Williams Cancer Institute

Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself

I'm from Louisiana and am based currently in Ecuador where I work as the CIO and CISO of my company.

What path have you taken to your current position? 

For 15 years I've been working with computers and also worked in the medical field so once I got my education in cybersecurity I was selected to work at a private medical company in charge of IT and cybersecurity.

Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?

It was my vision for quite a while and I'm impressed that I was able to achieve it at a young age.

Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?

John Mcafee was always a role model for me because he took cybersecurity quite seriously and was willing to innovate as well as promote the advancement of all things technological.

How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?

It's going to change significantly. Artificial intelligence will alter the space and people will become far more reliant on technology. I think that eventually, technology is going to be massively integrated across various industries. 

What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?

You have to adapt. This field changes constantly and you have to be willing to learn. There's no comfortable spot in this industry

Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?

I am exploring other avenues in tech such as AI but I would like to revolutionize IT in some way it may take a while and it's not at the top of my list right now. 

What has been your most significant achievement or proudest moment as a technology leader?

The biggest challenge I've faced is working at a small company where the budget isn't infinite and the acceptance of change isn't all the way there.

There are lots of challenges in that kind of environment but I enjoy it as someone who likes to go down to the development level so that I can implement strategies that benefit the company. 

"You have to adapt."

What role do you see emerging technologies (e.g., AI, machine learning, blockchain) playing in your industry, and how are you preparing for them?

AI at the moment is a massive help to me but AI is also going to be implemented not just in my field but the medical field as well so we are also trying to be on the frontline in that aspect as well. 

How do you ensure that you and your team stay updated with the latest technology trends and industry best practices?

This is a very important part of my job because most of the other employees aren't aware of it but that is ok and I like to help guide them because there is a lot of benefit in allowing technology into our jobs and its also important to be aware of the dangers as well so I make sure that our technology is built on a good foundation and also I teach awareness on how people try to take advantage of that because we've witnessed it multiple times in such a short span of time. 

A big thank you to Blake Williams from Williams Cancer Institute for sharing his journey to date.

If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.