2020 saw organisations globally ramping up their digital transformation strategies wherein their leaders were at the helm of driving this change. The 2nd Middle East edition of “Digital Talent Ecosystem Dialogue” thought leader Yahyah Pandor, Chief Information & Digital Officer; Fine Hygienic Holding, UAE talks to us about how to adopt to this change:
How is technology revolutionising “Future of Work” and what are your views on how tech leaders are preparing and leading their workforce for digital acceleration and future disruptions?
In terms of the workforce, the demands of the employee have changed dramatically. When we look at the past, people had fixed office hours wherein they completed their tasks within that period. The new way of working is flexible where most people want to work at anytime, anywhere and from any device. You need to cater to different ways of working, and that requires technology. Because that means you must have systems that are 24×7, that are secure, updated at all times and allows you to work from everywhere which requires a VPN to secure your data. That is the change in how you manage the IT department from that perspective. When it comes to tech leaders preparing for this digital acceleration, it varies from industry to industry; but we need to look at cloud computing because then you are relying on the cloud and you need your servers in store. They need to look at security which is a big thing now because if people want to work remotely in the new HR world, then security and access becomes a big, big issue. So, you need to look at your VPN, your security, etc.
The role of tech leaders has evolved in this dynamic post-pandemic era. What are the new approaches to strategic decision making when it comes to bridging the digital talent gap, digital workplace and digital experience?
It comes down to several things. For example, people aren’t interested in working on on-premise technology. So, if you are still using on-premise technology, then you still a vacancy. The smart person would say “I’m more interested in that, I want to learn the new stuff, the cloud stuff.” So, you have to have the right technology in place in order to cater to those new employees. A lot of tech people demand flexible working- which is very, very important, autonomy & for them to be able to get on with their job so you must cater to their skills and what they need. That is just the way it is, to have good staff.
Tech leaders are now actively reviewing and exploring new digital business models and ecosystem partnerships. What are your views on how tech leaders can ensure they are effectively leveraging technology for organisational advancement and competitive advantage?
Each industry is very different. So, if you are in telecommunications for example, you have to move towards data- data revenue. A lot of companies globally are becoming technology companies. If you work in retail, you must have a very defined B2B/B2C strategy to get to the customer. In the FMCG industry, we must have the right distribution sales network, but also, we must have the right manufacturing processes and systems in place so that we can optimize the way we produce and manufacture products. It all depends on the industry really. Each industry has a different way of working.
Fine Hygienic Holding is currently undergoing its cloud transformation journey, and as a leader at the helm of it, how do you ensure such changes are embraced by the entire organisational unit for a smooth transformation?
People don’t like change; you have to remember that. It’s human nature. People don’t like to change a car, people don’t like to move houses, people do not like to change things in their house. Once you understand that, then it’s easy to understand why people sometimes resist change. Because you get in a comfort zone. When you are doing an IT transformation project, you are talking about complete transformation of people and processes. So, you drive change by 2 main things- One is by convincing the business of the business benefits that this will produce. If you cannot explain that or articulate that in the right way, why would someone adopt that change? So, you must always show the business benefits or the technical benefits of that change. Another thing is leadership. You must have good leadership from the IT department, as well as from the business.
What are you most looking forward to at Digital Talent Ecosystem Dialogue 2023?
In technology you have a lot of hype technology. A lot of people like to talk about stuff that is 10 years away- that never happens. It is always good to see what is happening on the ground. What are people really doing? That is what I find interesting. The Digital Talent Ecosystem Dialogue is all set to welcome you back in Dubai on 2nd Feb’2023 at the Address Marina, Dubai, UAE. Join the #dtecosystem for an opportunity to learn and discuss with like-minded peers in an all-new edition. For more information https://digitaltalentdialogue.com/middle-east/
