Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
My current role is as CIO for Oxera Consulting LLP an international economics and finance consultancy headquartered in the UK that operates globally. I’m responsible for all the technology we used to deliver our services to clients, and this is increasingly evolving to cover things like data and compliance. Although I’m the firms first CIO, we’re still small enough that I also get involved in all sorts of other bits of the business. I joined at the start of March 2020, so for most of the past 2 years have been home based, but when I do go to the office it’s usually our London one.
What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?
My IT career began about 30 years ago – I completed an MBA and didn’t want to go back to what I had been doing before. I blagged my into some work setting up networks and providing support to small publishing companies, and then wound my way around some different firms, ending up with a legal publisher who put me on a programming course. From there I went into software project and programme management in law firms and then a stint freelancing around different PS firms. One of them clearly needed a full-time CIO – and I happened to be in the right room, with the right people, at the right time.
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?
No, my choices are driven by wanting to do interesting things with people I like working with. I found my niche as a project and programme manager which usually required some direction setting and leadership, and being the interface between technology and the business so I got plenty of practice at that and people seemed to think I was good at it. Ultimately I’m more interested in how a business works and how to make it work better, than technology per se.
I also think you need to be really careful about your motivations for taking on a leadership position, if you’re doing it for the glory you should probably think again.
Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?
Yes, several. Some for years and years, and others for short periods of time. Some have been formal coaching arrangements, others much more informal – just a social drink every now and then. It’s often about having a safe space to talk an idea out, or get something off my chest, rather than anything specific.
In my current role one of them is the ex-COO who is invaluable at helping navigate the maze of stakeholders that comes with an ambitious partnership, not by directing my actions, but by challenging my thinking.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
I don’t think “the role” will evolve as such. It is balance between what a business needs from its technology leadership at that time; and where the people providing that are on their own journey? What Oxer needs, and how my role at Oxera evolves will be very different from how it goes for someone else at another company.
Having said that, if you want to be credible around the business and in the board room, the core skills you need remain the same, you’ve got to look after the basics, and security and data management will play a bigger and bigger part in that.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
Communication, empathy, imagination, curiosity, adaptability – the same ones they have always needed, and probably the same across most disciplines. Many years ago a friend described me a “culturally robust”, which I took as a compliment and think has helped me – is that a skill or learned experience?
How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?
The usual mix: keeping an eye on webinars, social media, the news, colleagues, speaking to suppliers and industry reports (the free ones are usually good enough). There are various podcasts I look out for that can be very thought-provoking. There’s a weekly newsletter from IS survivor publishing, by Bob Lewis, called ‘Keep the joint running’. I’ve read that pretty much every week for over 20 years now – which is some sort of record for me.
What do you see as the next leap in technology that will impact your business or industry in particular?
The next leap will be enterprise-ready quantum computing.
In the meantime driving value out of machine learning/AI, big data, IoT, cloud computing and the like will keep us all busy enough, and has more than enough upside to make a major difference to any business.
The interesting thing about everything I’m seeing now is that pretty much anything someone touts to me as being ‘new’ I’ve seen in some way shape or form before. They all still come with the same challenges too – there is no silver bullet I’m afraid.
"The top two, in as few words as possible would be: Relationships outlive transactions, and choose your battles."
If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?
In how many words? The top two, in as few words as possible would be: Relationships outlive transactions, and choose your battles.
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
Plenty, but it probably all comes under the general heading of ‘stay curious and do interesting stuff with people I like.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
Right now it would be to get Russia out of Ukraine, two weeks ago it would have been something like identify the gene that makes people good critical thinkers and switch it on for everyone in the world.