Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 30 | Page 71

GET TO KNOW... On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick. . . . Neil Buckley, Managing Director at Apex BI What would you describe as your most memorable achievement? I have had many memorable achievements, some big and many small. There are, however, also a few great moments that stand out for me. The first was being awarded Employee of the Year and then quickly following that up by becoming the youngest manager at arguably South Africa’s largest independent Mobile Service Provider at the time when I was 21 years of age. The second was when my team and I achieved break-even status in our current business after funding it from a loan and starting it from a zero-customer base. What first made you think of a career in technology? In all honesty, I never chose technology as a career path. I ended up here by default. After completing a generic IT diploma, I was not convinced that the ‘IT’ sector was the place I wanted to call ‘home’ and as such I decided to do what any other wondering teen does. I took a gap year overseas. On my return I realised that I needed a steady job and fast. I was lucky enough to be successful on my first job application where I was offered a position as a call centre agent in a Mobile Service Provider. That was my first taste as part of a technology company. Twenty years later, here we are. www.intelligentcio.com What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position? I have a very hands-off style of management – I don’t believe in micro- managing people or teams. In our business by not forcing conformity on staff, as they join us, allows for boundaries to be positively pushed and more importantly, for innovation and creativity to thrive. What do you think is the current hot technology talking point? There are a few. Digital ‘everything’; Blockchain; IoT; AI; ‘as-a-service’ technologies such as software (Saas), platforms (Paas) and infrastructure (IaaS); and Technology Expense Management – if you can’t manage the cost of the foregoing, you won’t be able to control the expense At Apex BI, we provide a green fields platform for people to grow, learn and partake. It’s really up to each staff member how far they want to go in our business, and we encourage them all, irrespective of their designation, or position in the company to own their role and make it work. “ WHERE I AM TODAY IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE PATH I HAVE TRAVELLED THUS FAR. INTELLIGENTCIO 71