Change can be hard. What's the biggest change you've faced in your career, and what lessons did you learn?
The biggest change was when I started doing less hands-on team delivery roles and more of the strategic consulting side, working with executive teams and shaping large-scale transformations. I realised it’s about how you bring people with you and how you deliver the message. Building trust is critical, which requires you to be honest and direct, even when delivering an uncomfortable message, and to ensure you follow through by doing what you said you would.
Being able to ‘just listen’ is also incredibly important and something many people seem to struggle with. One thing I’ve learnt is that you don’t need to jump straight in with solutions. Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can do is create space for people to be heard. That’s when you start to learn about a person or their organisation.
What would you tell your younger self as you start your career?
To keep stepping outside of your comfort zone. When I look back, all the positive changes in my career are the result of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and taking a risk. I don’t think you can grow if you stay too comfortable.
I’d also tell my younger self that not only will you work with a lot of great people who will inspire and encourage you, but you’ll also work with some people who’ll make your life miserable - but dig deep and keep going, as it’s these experiences that shape you later on.
Change is also hard for our clients. What are your top 1-3 pieces of advice for clients facing change across their business and technology?
Change will always be uncomfortable, especially for our clients who are large and complex organisations, and when that change involves people, processes and technology. My advice is to focus on the outcome you’re trying to achieve, help teams understand why the change matters, and get the right people working together from the start.
You also have to be really honest about the situation and acknowledge what isn’t working, and then start showing a few visible wins to get people excited.
We're a team of doers, helping turn our clients' strategies into reality. What excites you about this? Is there a particular project that has challenged you or the team, and how did you approach it? Anything you'd do differently now?
What excites me the most is the shift from a PowerPoint slide to progress. We take a strategy that has been sitting on a slide deck and make it happen. It's this part that presents the real challenge, and it's also the most interesting part.
A project that stands out to me was with one of the world's largest travel companies. Crosstide was brought in to lead a large multi-supplier technology programme to replace end-of-life software with an immovable deadline. The client had been advised to procure a complete suite of SaaS modules, each requiring integration or customisation efforts from different parts of the business or suppliers.
It was clear that the business wouldn't realise value from a large part of this SaaS suite, at least not in the short to medium term, so prioritising the value that could be delivered within the deadline was critical. To help articulate this, I created an outcome-based roadmap, which shifted the conversation away from 'bits of technology' that the business would get to actual outcomes and the business value they would see.
What is your advice for tech teams facing the “it’s not how we do things” thinking? What personally helps you overcome this when you hit this blocker?
It’s about building trust and showing, not telling. I don’t walk in and dictate how things should be done, as that rarely works. Instead, I try to show that even small changes can lead to better outcomes, and I notice people’s mindset starts to shift when they see it working. I also make it clear that I’m open to being challenged. I don’t have all the answers, but together, we will work it out. I like to think that this mindset helps people work with me rather than against me.
What do engineering quality, speed to delivery and upskilling teams mean to you and your work?
Upskilling teams and speed to value stand out the most to me.
Upskilling teams naturally aligns with my collaborative approach, and the way I personally learn best is by being surrounded by great people, bouncing ideas around and learning by doing. This is exactly how we like to work with our clients.
Speed to value for me means delivering something of value to customers quickly and often, and using the data and learnings from that to change or tweak your approach or the product as needed. That can apply to custom software that we build, and also to our accelerated assessments, where our Principal Consultants and Directors will work with you over 3-6 weeks to understand the challenges your business is facing and deliver a detailed set of recommendations and a plan to achieve those.
What does 'Transformation through Delivery' mean to you? How does it transform our client's business? What one thing stands out for you on TTD?
We transform by doing and by bringing our clients’ teams along with us on the transformation journey. We’re constantly bouncing ideas around and collaborating, and that goes both ways; our clients are the experts in their domains, while we bring a different perspective and the expertise to execute.
We're all about amplifying connections. With one another, our clients, and partners. How have your connections shaped and influenced your career?
It’s fair to say that connections have shaped every part of my career. Whether it’s working with clients to cut through their complexity or with my colleagues at Crosstide to get a proposal finished, the best outcomes come from having strong connections and good collaboration. I’ve been lucky to have a few ‘guardian angels’ along the way, those who spotted potential in me and took the time to coach and guide me. Those particular connections have had a huge impact on my career.
What does 'the energy of change' mean for you?
For me, it’s that moment when things start to change for the better, such as when people shift from being resistant to being more open. It won’t always be huge or dramatic; it could simply be a team that slowly starts to communicate better, which gives them the energy to keep going.
How do you interpret a 'growth mindset'?What's the project you're most proud of and why?
A growth mindset requires you to take risks, try new things, and keep pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. It’s important to recognise that not everything may go to plan, and that’s OK as long as you learn from these situations. A big part of it is being open to feedback, however hard it may be to hear sometimes.
What excites you about technology right now and why?
I find the possibilities of AI fascinating, especially in areas where it can be used to genuinely improve lives. The fact that it can now help analyse X-rays or CT scans to detect certain conditions, such as cancer, is amazing. That is a proper use of technology that can really make a human difference.