SUFYAN SUBZWARI
CIO for DNAMIC AI
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
I believe that meaningful work and meaningful relationships are the essence of happiness. As Chief Information Officer for the software development services firm DNAMIC AI, which is powered by AI and Automation, I currently call San Diego, CA my home. The innovative and collaborative culture of Southern California aligns with our headquarters and primary delivery center of Costa Rica - "Pura Vida" as they say.
My passion is helping developing nations contribute to solving societal developmental challenges on the global technology stage. As a witness to the impact of technology on India's economy and delivery of the promise for upward mobility, I now extend that passion and promise to Latin America.
What path have you taken to your current position?
I began life as a C++ developer, crafting software to ensure communications are more reliable for first responders shortly after 9-11. In my career, I view two companies as pivotal in my professional development, Intel Corporation and Slalom.
At Intel, I transitioned to a quality-focused role developing my tester's mindset. Understanding the downstream impacts of developing software helped me gain insights into the importance of leveraging quality engineering as a holistic practice, rather than simply a stage within the Product Development and Software Development Life Cycle.
At Slalom, I learned about the cruciality of earning the trust of customers and becoming a trusted advisor. Having served as a consultant to a diverse set of Fortune 500 organizations, I also became adept in recognizing a company's culture and the importance of amplifying a vision as paramount to executing a winning strategy.
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?
My vision has never been to reach a certain position, but rather to earn a role that is influential in executing on my passion. I believe that wisdom is derived from experience and my colleagues and partners can discern between confidence from confidence and confidence from arrogance.
A role as an executive leader entails empathy, compassion and character. It demands responsibility for upholding immutable values that serve the common good. Becoming a leader should not be something you aspire to. In contrast, it should be appointed to you as someone who can be a servant for the greater aspirations of an organization, industry and the world.
Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey? (If you feel comfortable, please share their name and how they helped you)
Instead of seeking a mentor, I believe that everyone should have 3 figures in their lives - one person who clears the path ahead, one person who walks besides you as a companion on your journey, and one person to whom you reach behind and clear the path for.
Cultivating a mindset to be coachable should be held in high regard and this demands humility. Embracing a growth mindset and being humble will open the door for each of those 3 figures to enter your life.
My role model has always been my father. His dedication to his family, his kindness and patience with others, and his charity to those less fortunate than him has instilled values in me that guide my actions and beliefs.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
We have entered a stage in our world's development where the emphasis on delivering purposeful solutions is tantamount to success. I see the role of a technology leader evolving from defining technology stacks and managing costs to empowering teams, elevating future leaders and shaping team dynamics for organizational success.
Team topologies, organizational topologies, company culture and continuous learning are what distinguish successful companies from companies that fail to succeed. This alludes to values that an organization embraces and it will be important for leaders to understand their role in influencing these dynamics, defining and adopting those values in order to deliver impactful solutions.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
In order to thrive as a leader in the future, the ability to communicate a vision will be necessary in order to thrive. The ability to live the values of a company and lead by example, relating them to the company's vision is imperative and is a part of communication.
Another aspect of communication is active listening. Understanding how to deliver a message can help leaders inspire those around them, but it begins with active listening. Having the knowledge of how an audience receives a message will enable a leader to properly communicate with their team and create an environment for success.
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
As I continue on my journey, I aspire to encourage others to follow their passions and enable other founders to be successful in their life's mission. A part of this is providing guidance and resources to those who have a vision, or have a desire to progress the vision of people who inspire them.
I believe in the multiplier effect, not only from an economic perspective, but an behavioral perspective as well. If you can inspire and elevate those around you, they in turn will inspire and elevate those around them, resulting in an exponential growth for developing meaningful, purpose-driven solutions.
What advice would you give to aspiring technology leaders who are just starting their careers?
It is important for technology leaders to embrace failure as a means to learning and evolving. Helping their organization become a learning organization and achieving business agility is the greatest competitive advantage.
I often use SpaceX as an example of this. SpaceX had to fail many times in order to develop their reusable rockets. They experienced their rockets exploding before launch, failures in landing and miscalculations among others.
But what is important for us to understand is that any other company that aspires to achieve the same goals will have to endure past similar obstacles and challenges. They will have to experience and learn from the same failures on the path to their success.
"Embrace failure as a means to learning and evolving."
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 and Machine Learning have no doubt promised to be the largest disrupter to all industries. DNAMIC has been utilizing both for a number of years as part of our solutions for clients.
What is important to understand is with the emergence of these technologies also comes an ecosystem surrounding them. For example, developing Machine Learning algorithms for AI is a small part of the larger picture. It creates opportunities for additional research and development, but also integration into existing technologies and systems for enablement.
DNAMIC is a software development services company. While we have a number of years integrating existing AI technologies beyond LLMs, such as computer vision, into our clients' products, we also have completed projects for clients to orchestrate the infrastructure required to develop their own AI and ML solutions. Data is, of course, a big part of this and has led to the emergence of our Data Engineering practice. DNAMIC recently earned our place as a certified partner for Databricks which has allowed us to develop data strategies, data pipelines, enhanced ETL and ELT processes, predictive and prescriptive analytics capabilities for our clients, enabling AI and Machine Learning within their own organizations.
In the healthcare space we have helped clients develop the capabilities to utilize their massive amounts of data to provide customized healthcare and operational efficiency for hospitals. And we are currently pushing the boundaries for what is possible with Generative AI.
How do you ensure that you and your team stay updated with the latest technology trends and industry best practices?
Many organizations operate with telecommuting for remote positions. Due to this change in work dynamics, it is still important to connect in person to foster a collaborative culture and shared learning environment.
At DNAMIC, we routinely organize company events where we bring team members together physically in a central location. During these events, we host speakers, both internal and external, to allow for sharing and discussing technology trends that we see in the industry. Additionally, as part of my professional growth, I attend webinars and conferences to help me stay up to date with advances in the industry that I can share with my team.
We also encourage experimentation with new technologies amongst our teams with dedicated time for learning and earning certificates, which contributes to our organization staying at the forefront of technology trends.
A big thank you to Sufyan Subzwari from DNAMIC AI 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.
