A DAY IN THE LIFE
GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry-
experts what makes them tick…
Clinton O’ Leary,
Director at Yvolv
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
In life – My most memorable achievement which never ends,
is watching my daughter grow up from birth to the mature,
intelligent and beautiful 13 years old girl she is today. I am very
proud! In business – I have sold a few regional first Cloud solutions
in the Middle East and Africa which has helped my customers
achieve their own objectives in short timeframes, representing
various multinational companies. One of the biggest deals which
ultimately led me to Dubai was closing one of the largest Client,
Server and Virtualization deals in EMEA with South Africa and
Africa’s largest Financial Institution.
What made think of a career in
technology?
Being an avid sportsman after leaving school, technology never
appealed to me at all. I read a newspaper advert while looking for
a more permanent position while working part-time as a waiter
and bar man. Its title said, “Are you interested in Computers”, I
thought at the time that Computers are the future and suddenly
was interested. After applying with little hope of a call back, I
received the call and interviewed to work in sales in a new retail
Computer Superstore. The rest is history, but, I am forever thankful
for those retail sales lessons I learned from a brilliant branch
manager and my sales skills in selling my personality to the new
receptionist whom I am married to today.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with your
current position?
I give a lot of freedom when it’s due and guidance when it’s
necessary. I want my direct reports to always grow beyond
their potential and shine. I learned most of my leadership skills
from great mentors and sports, which also makes me extremely
competitive. I identify quickly which co-workers or partners that
have an attitude and ethic for hard work, teamwork and winning.
The business then builds itself.
www.intelligentcio.com
What do
you think will be the hot technology
talking point with be of 2017-2018?
Cloud – All this new technology talk about IoT, Artificial
Intelligence, Big Data, Virtual Reality, Security of Things,
Ecommerce, Mobility, Blockchain, Smart Cities and Governments,
all of these technologies cannot add value to organizations
without first having a truly scalable, elastic, self-service, secure
Cloud Platform to support these technologies which cannot
work on legacy infrastructure. Unfortunately, many vendors in
our market has over sold and under delivered on their Cloud
enablement to customers whether it is Private or Public Cloud.
The Middle East and Africa market is now more knowledgeable
and companies that embrace a Cloud first adoption
methodology will lead in their respective vertical and industry.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
My family and I love the outdoors, the odd getaway and movies. I try
not use my smartphone and PC on weekends too.
If you could go back and change a
career decision, what would it be?
I have made a few career changes where certain promises were
not fulfilled by certain managers. That said, I have never had to
apply for roles as I have always been referred or headhunted.
It has only helped me learn quicker and take better calculated
risks where necessary. The one career decision that sticks in my
mind was when I was offered a GM role in my early twenties.
I underestimated myself at the time and admitted I was too
young and having fun to take on a serious management role. If
I look back and stayed, it would probably be my 17th year in the
company, I would be complaining about the share price and all
the youngsters coming into the company that are more up to date
than me on new technology trying to take my job.
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