Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 35 | Page 103

GET TO KNOW... On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick. . . . Thomas di Giacomo, CTO SUSE What would you describe as your most memorable achievement? When I think about my most memorable achievements – aside from my PhD and the opportunities to take on exciting roles – the ones that stand out have been ‘ours’ and not mine alone. These are a result of the many diverse teams I have been a part of, where each person has contributed. Perhaps, then, it’s been maintaining good human relationships, during hard times and periods of crazy growth. Hopefully, though, my most memorable achievement is still to come. What first made you think of a career in technology? When I was around 8 years old, my father who, at the time, was working “ on sensors to enable robots to walk, bought me a computer. Although long before 3D, VR and AR, I became instantly fascinated by the images and animations displayed on the screen. I wanted to understand how they worked and be involved with coding real-time computer graphics. Therefore, I chose computer sciences – hardware, software, networking, cryptography etc – to allow me to study, and participate in, computer graphics research. Later, I moved into general infrastructure software for enterprise IT. Throughout my career, open source coding, software, people and mind-set have always been key drivers. What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position? Listening is fundamental and providing a healthy, open, community-like environment for the team to participate in and evolve with, is a top priority for me. Everyone should be able to communicate transparently and willingly, about the business and corporate direction. And, in turn, individuals should be given the context around the bigger picture to allow them to do so. LONG BEFORE 3D, VR AND AR, I BECAME INSTANTLY FASCINATED BY THE IMAGES AND ANIMATIONS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN. www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 103