Sanjay Brahmawar – CEO of Software AG – Responding to change and becoming agile
Published at : September 20, 2021
How to create the right environment in your organization? Did Software AG prove more agile or fragile during the pandemic?
In this #LeadershipDeepDive episode Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of Software AG, talks with Hendrik Deckers about becoming more agile and the new age CIO, who should support growth through technology and create competitive advantage. Sanjay elaborates on the importance of creating the right environment in an organization, in particular:
✅ Diversity
✅ Innovation
✅ Inclusion
✅ Bringing different perspectives to the table
Sanjay also reflects on the long-term Covid impact and how it changed the way we work: “The way forward will be a balance and a mix of what we have learned versus going back to some things we appreciated in the past, human interaction, having a coffee together.”
Table of contents:
01:08 | Introduction and Sanjay Brahmawar’s background
• Born in India, Belgian nationality, worked in several countries
• Master in Business in UK
• Worked with PwC who got acquired by IBM and stayed with IBM for 14 years
02:18 | Becoming more agile
• Changing business needs require an agile way of working and a new mindset
03:55 | The Role of the CIO
• “Technology is the biggest lever that organisations have”
o Flexibility, scalability and speed
• The new age CIO:
o Supports growth through technology
o Supports the company strategy
o Creates a competitive advantage
05:55 | Best Practices
• Smart City Dubai: using data to create the customer journey experience
07:19 | The role of Software AG products
• Hybrid integration
• API management
• IOT
• Help companies bring data together and break down the silos
09:15 | IOT
• Customers expect a truly connected experience
• IOT is the technology that helps deliver this connected experience
• Data from IOT can be fed into product design for enhancement purposes
• Subscription services
11:10 | Helix
• 50-year-old company that had to constantly reinvent itself
• Helix: 5 years roadmap to a sustainable, profitable growth
o New strategy around a truly connected enterprise
o Year 1: foundation
o Year 2: momentum
o Year 3,4 and 5: acceleration
• Cultural change – learning the culture
• Changes within the teams
o Understanding and growing the existing talent within the company
o Attracting new talent
17:15 | Sanjay’s team
• “Leadership should model the behaviors for change and transformation”
• Brought new leaders into the board
• Executive leadership team below the board
o New leaders from companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP, …
o Promotion of internal talent
18:26 | Sanjay’s leadership style
• Energetic and passionate
• Good listener
• Inclusive – to all voices
• Create an environment where the CEO is approachable and direct
• “Don’t just listen to the loudest voice in the room, try to encourage and bring different perspectives to the table”
20:02 | How is Sanjay perceived
• Clients: emphasis on the relationship and the delivery aspect, direct and straight communication
• Team: demanding, full of energy and passion, funny
21:26 | Digital leaders with Indian roots in top positions
• Ability to listen
• Humility
• Vulnerability
22:58 | Diversity is essential for innovation
25:21 | The Covid impact
• We learned about resilience
• Wake-up call for organizations who had not started their digital transformation
• Remote working through collaborative tools
• “The way forward will be a balance and a mix of what we have learned versus going back to some things we appreciated in the past, human interaction, having a coffee together.”
27:41 | Did Software AG prove more agile or fragile during the pandemic?
• More united as a team
• Resilient
• Continuity of operations
28:36 | Sanjay’s core values
• Family
• Humility
• Respect
• Learning and exploring
30:39 | Sanjay’s most brilliant failure
• When in Belgium, leading Federal Express, first experience of leading teams – a mix of white and blue collar – made a few decisions too quickly and suffered from the implications of those decisions
33:11 | Best practices for CIOs
• It is very important for CIOs to understand they are constantly on a learning journey
o Business needs change rapidly
o Technology is always evolving
• Be a true partner with the business
o What can help facilitate the company’s objectives
• Bring out the best of your people
• Knowing what motivates and inspires their teams
35:36 | Advice for future CEOs of technology companies
• Create the right culture and environment
In this #LeadershipDeepDive episode Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of Software AG, talks with Hendrik Deckers about becoming more agile and the new age CIO, who should support growth through technology and create competitive advantage. Sanjay elaborates on the importance of creating the right environment in an organization, in particular:
✅ Diversity
✅ Innovation
✅ Inclusion
✅ Bringing different perspectives to the table
Sanjay also reflects on the long-term Covid impact and how it changed the way we work: “The way forward will be a balance and a mix of what we have learned versus going back to some things we appreciated in the past, human interaction, having a coffee together.”
Table of contents:
01:08 | Introduction and Sanjay Brahmawar’s background
• Born in India, Belgian nationality, worked in several countries
• Master in Business in UK
• Worked with PwC who got acquired by IBM and stayed with IBM for 14 years
02:18 | Becoming more agile
• Changing business needs require an agile way of working and a new mindset
03:55 | The Role of the CIO
• “Technology is the biggest lever that organisations have”
o Flexibility, scalability and speed
• The new age CIO:
o Supports growth through technology
o Supports the company strategy
o Creates a competitive advantage
05:55 | Best Practices
• Smart City Dubai: using data to create the customer journey experience
07:19 | The role of Software AG products
• Hybrid integration
• API management
• IOT
• Help companies bring data together and break down the silos
09:15 | IOT
• Customers expect a truly connected experience
• IOT is the technology that helps deliver this connected experience
• Data from IOT can be fed into product design for enhancement purposes
• Subscription services
11:10 | Helix
• 50-year-old company that had to constantly reinvent itself
• Helix: 5 years roadmap to a sustainable, profitable growth
o New strategy around a truly connected enterprise
o Year 1: foundation
o Year 2: momentum
o Year 3,4 and 5: acceleration
• Cultural change – learning the culture
• Changes within the teams
o Understanding and growing the existing talent within the company
o Attracting new talent
17:15 | Sanjay’s team
• “Leadership should model the behaviors for change and transformation”
• Brought new leaders into the board
• Executive leadership team below the board
o New leaders from companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP, …
o Promotion of internal talent
18:26 | Sanjay’s leadership style
• Energetic and passionate
• Good listener
• Inclusive – to all voices
• Create an environment where the CEO is approachable and direct
• “Don’t just listen to the loudest voice in the room, try to encourage and bring different perspectives to the table”
20:02 | How is Sanjay perceived
• Clients: emphasis on the relationship and the delivery aspect, direct and straight communication
• Team: demanding, full of energy and passion, funny
21:26 | Digital leaders with Indian roots in top positions
• Ability to listen
• Humility
• Vulnerability
22:58 | Diversity is essential for innovation
25:21 | The Covid impact
• We learned about resilience
• Wake-up call for organizations who had not started their digital transformation
• Remote working through collaborative tools
• “The way forward will be a balance and a mix of what we have learned versus going back to some things we appreciated in the past, human interaction, having a coffee together.”
27:41 | Did Software AG prove more agile or fragile during the pandemic?
• More united as a team
• Resilient
• Continuity of operations
28:36 | Sanjay’s core values
• Family
• Humility
• Respect
• Learning and exploring
30:39 | Sanjay’s most brilliant failure
• When in Belgium, leading Federal Express, first experience of leading teams – a mix of white and blue collar – made a few decisions too quickly and suffered from the implications of those decisions
33:11 | Best practices for CIOs
• It is very important for CIOs to understand they are constantly on a learning journey
o Business needs change rapidly
o Technology is always evolving
• Be a true partner with the business
o What can help facilitate the company’s objectives
• Bring out the best of your people
• Knowing what motivates and inspires their teams
35:36 | Advice for future CEOs of technology companies
• Create the right culture and environment
cioChief Information OfficerDigital Leader