A LARGE PART OF OUR JOB IS TO ALIGN THE BEST TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION TO THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT AND COST STRUCTURE SO THAT IT WORKS OPTIMALLY FOR BOTH THE COMPANY AND ITS PEOPLE .
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What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Mobile technology .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in Africa ?
About 87 % of employees globally are disengaged in their work and we find a similar situation in Africa . Often when implementing the Wyzetalk solution , we come into environments where employees ’ level of trust is low and for a number of reasons . In addition to overcoming this and some legacy issues in how companies have typically connected with their workforces , we also have the physical technology challenge .
Connectivity plays a large part in implementing a technology solution in
Africa . Specifically , the cost of mobile data that makes smart mobile applications limited to who they ’ re most useful to , Wi-Fi is the next best option but is also limited in its reach and then we have USSD , which in SA is a great option for companies to connect with their workforces , but it ’ s also not without its challenges .
Shifting to Africa , each country and region has a unique mobile footprint , infrastructure , systems and cost structure and so a large part of our job is to align the best technology solution to the operating environment and cost structure so that it works optimally for both the company and its people .
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 ?
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A LARGE PART OF OUR JOB IS TO ALIGN THE BEST TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION TO THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT AND COST STRUCTURE SO THAT IT WORKS OPTIMALLY FOR BOTH THE COMPANY AND ITS PEOPLE .
As our team grows we ’ re investing more in strategy , defining roles and responsibilities , looking at career progression , which is particularly important for millennials , and forging an internationalisation strategy .
Although I ’ m still very focused on customer relations and acquisition , empowering our leadership team and looking at future strategies is likely to occupy my thinking in the next few years .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry ?
Get as much experience in all aspects as business as you can , it ’ s important to always have a balanced view , to understand the numbers , learn to work with people and never underestimate the importance of leveraging teams and individual skills . Read and continually improve your knowledge , network with people from all walks of life ( local and international ), take advantage of networking organisations ; it ’ s important to also balance your work – life with family , friends , time out and experiences . •
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