CXO INSIGHT chef that hired me was still there and became an employee which was wonderful .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I don ’ t think that it ’ s great in life to have regrets and that every decision , even if it ’ s a bad one , shapes you . Life ’ s too short to worry about whether you should have done something differently . You learn from your experiences and mistakes , they happen for a reason and they make you more capable , humble and smarter the next time around .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in Europe ?
In Europe versus the USA , there ’ s a much sharper focus on data protection and the rules and penalties around data sovereignty . In addition , when it comes to staffing , the social protections available to employees reduce the speed and agility that businesses have because you have long on and offboarding of people which tends to be slower and more expensive .
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 ? their boards . In order to do this effectively , IT management tools need to be real-time and this then generates loads of data which AI can be applied to so that issues are identified quickly and resolved even faster so that business performance isn ’ t affected .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
CEOs are under more pressure to deliver profit . We have the same expectations from our board regarding achieving continued growth , but there ’ s a lot more focus and scrutiny on generating money given ‘ cash is king ’. This is writ large as money is more expensive today . Furthermore , there ’ s real drive about whether we can we do more with less , do we really have to spend as much , can we be leaner and more efficient – ultimately it is to answer the question , what is the return on the investment from any expenditure ?
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry ?
The simple answer is AI , AI , AI . Everyone is talking about it and it ’ s the most common question I am asked : “ Jed , what ’ s your AI roadmap at ControlUp ?”
Business is about organising people to do something extraordinary and the best advice I ever received on this was from my grandfather . He instilled in me two things :
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?
I ’ m passionate about cooking . Every Sunday , we have a big family dinner and I work hard to surprise my extended family with something creative and delicious . It ’ s a great way to de-stress . Actually , I love being around and serving people . Between 2002 and 2005 , I took a four-year sabbatical away from the IT industry and bought a hotel / restaurant called MacCallum House in
Mendocino on the northern coast of California , my hometown . There ’ s a story here , too . When I was 15 , I got my first job there as dishwasher . Twenty years later , when I bought the business , the
1 . A strong work ethic as nothing in life comes easy . You need to find something you believe in and put your heart into it . 110 %.
2 . Teamwork , given nothing great is ever done alone . Find people who complement you , respect them , challenge them and empower them . Great things will happen .
My mother also once said to me : “ Leave things better than you found them .” I ’ ve always tried to do that in relationships in business . Living by that maxim , you ’ re always looking to help others and the world at large . It ’ s what I call a ‘ servant heart ’. Any aspiring C-suite executive should remember this as they climb the corporate ladder . x
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