Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

15 October 2024

Estimated Read time

6Mins

Read in brochure format

Our cover story reveals the digital transformation journey at global insurance services company Innovation Group using InsurTech advances to disrupt…

Our cover story reveals the digital transformation journey at global insurance services company Innovation Group using InsurTech advances to disrupt the industry.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

We’re excited to be publishing the biggest ever issue of Interface this month. It’s packed with insights from the cutting edge of digital technologies across a diverse range of sectors; from InsurTech to Travel via eCommerce, Banking, Manufacturing and Public Services.

Innovation Group: Enabling the Future of Insurance

“What we’ve achieved at Innovation Group is truly disruptive,” reflects Group Chief Technology Officer James Coggin.

“Our acquisition by one of the world’s largest insurance companies validated the strategy we pursued with our Gateway platform. We put the platform at the heart of an ecosystem of insurers, service providers and their customers. It has proved to be a powerful approach.”

Leeds Building Society: Tech Transformation Driven by Data

Carole Roberts, Director of Data at Leeds Building Society, on a digital transformation program driven by the mutual power of people and culture.

“We’ve made the decision to move to a composable architecture. It’s going to give us much more flexibility in the future to be able to swap in and out components rather than one big monolithic environment.”

AvePoint: Securing the Digital Future

Kevin Briggs, Vice President of Public Sector at AvePoint, discusses pioneering data security and management transformation in the global public sector.

“We ensure the security, accessibility and integrity of data for customers with missions from everything from finance and health services, through to national security, innovation, and science.”

Saudia: Taking off on a Digital Journey

Abdulgader Attiah, Chief Data & Technology Officer at Saudia, on the digital transformation program towards becoming an ‘offer and order’ airline.

“By the end of this year we will have established the maturity level for data technology, and our digital and back-office transformations. In 2025 we will begin implementing our retailing concept and the AI features that will drive it. The building blocks will be in place for next year’s initiatives where hyper personalisation for retailing is a must.”

Publicis Sapient: Global Banking Benchmark Study

Dave Murphy, Financial Services Lead, International – gives Interface the lowdown on the third annual Global Banking Benchmark Study and the key findings Publicis Sapient revealed around core modernisation, GenAI, data analytics transformation and payments.

“AI, machine learning and GenAI are both the focus and the fuel of banks’ digital transformation efforts. The biggest question for executives isn’t about the potential of these technologies. It’s how best to move from experimenting with use cases in pockets of the business to implementing at scale across the enterprise. The right data is key. It’s what powers the models.”

Habi: Unleashing liquidity in the LATAM market

Employees at Habi discuss its mission to help customers buy and sell their homes more effectively.

“At Habi, you can talk with the AI agent and you can provide information that streamlines the whole process.”

USDA FPAC: Achieving customer experience balance

Abena Apau and Kimberly Iczkowski, from USDA FPAC on the incredible work the organisation is doing to support farmers across America.

“We’ve created a new structure for ourselves, based on the fact that the digital experience is not the be all and end all, and we have to balance it with the human touch.”

Adecco Group: Digital Transformation driven by business outcomes

Geert Halsberghe, Head of IT, Benelux, at Adecco Group, talks transformation management, cultural consensus, and ensuring digital transformation starts (and stays) focused on solving business problems.

“It’s very crucial to make sure that we aren’t spending money on IT transformation for the sake of IT transformation.”

La Vie en Rose: Outcome-focused Digital Transformation

Éric Champagne, CIO of La Vie en Rose, on ensuring digital transformations are defined by communication, vision, and cultural buy-in. 

“I don’t chase after the latest technology just because it seems cool… My focus is on aligning technology with the business strategy and real needs.”

Breitling: Digital Transformation and the omnichannel experience

Rajesh Shanmugasundaram, CTO at Breitling, talks changing customer expectations, data, AI, and digitally transforming to deliver the omnichannel experience.

 “The CRM, the marketing, our e-commerce channels — they’ve all matured so much… we’re meeting our customers wherever they are or want to be.” 

Read the latest issue here!

  • Digital Strategy

Author

Kevin Davies

Published

7 January 2020

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Continuing unprecedented growth in the datacentre sector is centre may be at risk due to increasing concerns around scarce resource…

Continuing unprecedented growth in the datacentre sector is centre may be at risk due to increasing concerns around scarce resource and rising labour costs according to the latest industry survey from Business Critical Solutions (BCS), the specialist professional services provider to the international digital infrastructure industry.

The Winter Report 2020, now in its 11th year, is undertaken by independent research house IX Consulting, who capture the views of over 300 senior datacentre professionals across Europe, including owners, operators, developers, consultants and end users. It is commissioned by BCS, the specialist services provider to the digital infrastructure industry.

Just over two-thirds of respondents believe that the next year will see an increase in demand, up on the 55% from our previous summer survey. This is supported by over 90% of developers and investor respondents stating they expect to see a further expansion in their data centre portfolio over the coming year.

However, concerns are being raised by many Design Engineering and Construction (DEC) respondents around general shortages amongst design, construction and operational professionals with four-fifths expressing resourcing concerns. DEC respondents identified build professionals as being subject to the most serious shortages – 82% stated this view compared with 78% for design professionals and 77% for operational functionality of data centres.

When asked to rank the impact of this our respondents highlighted the increased workload placed on their existing staff (96%),  rising operating/labour costs (92%) and over 80% indicating that this has led to an increase in the use of outsourcing options over the past 12 months. The increased workload for existing staff had in turn led to problems in resourcing existing work, with just over 70% stating that they had experienced difficulties in meeting deadlines or client objectives.

James Hart, CEO at BCS (Business Critical Solutions) said: “At BCS we are currently doing the round of careers fairs looking for candidates for next year’s graduate and apprenticeship scheme. When we are talking to these young people we often find that they either haven’t even considered our sector and/or they have misconceived ideas about what this career path involves. We can address this by going into universities, colleges and schools telling STEM graduates about the data centre industry and how great it is. Without action, this these issues will  become more acute, so the rallying cry for 2020 is that the sector is an exciting place to be and we have to get out there and spread the word!”

Author

Kevin Davies

Published

4 January 2020

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Leading underrepresented talent specialist, MyKindaFuture, has announced its new strategy which will see the company widening its offering to support…

Leading underrepresented talent specialist, MyKindaFuture, has announced its new strategy which will see the company widening its offering to support all overlooked talent in the UK and help employers reach these diverse talent pools using digital solutions.

The company, which previously specialised in equipping young people with the employment opportunities and experience required to succeed, will now work to connect underrepresented talent from all walks of life with employers, including individuals from diverse backgrounds and those returning to work after parental leave or long term sickness.

The new strategy, dubbed ‘Project Elevate’ has been devised to help businesses achieve their diversity and inclusion goals, access these valuable pools of overlooked talent and ultimately boost their bottom line. The proposition is also designed to improve attrition rates which can offer businesses huge savings – an average of £125,347 a year for SMEs[1].

The manifesto, which is built on MyKindaFuture’s belief that ‘talent has no limits’, was unveiled to a group of senior HR decision makers from some of the UK’s largest organisations at a breakfast panel held at The Globe in London on Wednesday 11th December. The event began with an announcement from Will Akerman, Managing Director at MyKindaFuture, which detailed the company’s plans for expansion into new markets, before guests were treated to a packed agenda of expert insights and mini roundtable discussions run by some of the company’s thought leaders.

Joining the event for the keynote session was guest speaker CJ Bedford, Associate Director, People Advisory at Grant Thornton. Building on MyKindaFuture’s own insights into overlooked talent, CJ shared her experience in engaging diverse pools of people and best practices for achieving this, in her talk ‘How D&I is influencing the talent agenda’.

Commenting on her involvement at the event, CJ said: “MyKindaFuture has lead innovation around enabling diverse entry level talent to access and succeed in quality roles. Diversity doesn’t stop there and Project Elevate will help organisations to review talent pools at every level. It’s a real game-changer for the market.”

MyKindaFuture used the event as an opportunity to launch the latest version of its award-winning online platform, connectr, which will drive the company’s new strategy by offering a digital solution to the challenge of accessing and engaging people from diverse backgrounds. Tobin Murphy-Coles, Head of Commercial at the company, took to the stage to explore how technology can be used to bridge the gap between talent pools and employers, before giving an interactive demo of how the updated digital platform can be used by employers to attract, engage, upskill and mentor diverse talent.

Will Akerman commented on the new developments: “There are thousands of brilliant, ambitious and diverse people being overlooked by employers every year. For those who do break through this disadvantage, they’re undervalued and made to feel like they don’t belong once they are in the job.

“We know from experience that no amount of employee benefits will make someone feel like they belong, and therefore be compelled to stay in a role. What employees are looking for now is a relationship with their employer, a sense of connection. They are looking for a company that offers them the opportunity to be their best self and live their best life. That’s where MyKindaFuture comes in. Our new ‘Project Elevate’ proposition, driven by our connectr tool, is designed to transform the relationship between employers and underrepresented talent and can provide tangible business benefits, as well as offering valuable opportunities to the best and brightest overlooked talent. We are so proud to be pioneering in this space and today’s launch is just the beginning.”

For more information about MyKindaFuture, visit https://www.mykindafuture.com/

[1] Oleeo’s See the Unseen report, 2019