What has been your business/work highlight of 2024 so far?

Since I joined as CEO in the summer of 2022, we have described the transformation as an eight-quarter effort, and each Avayan can feel proud that we are ahead of schedule in successfully transforming the company. With our super strong financial foundation that emerged from our financial restructuring and recapitalization completed earlier in 2023, we have made enormous progress across the strategic, talent and operational execution elements of our transformation. Our customers and partners have been incredibly supportive along the way, and our future has never been brighter.

Who is your business hero and why?

I don’t generally think of a single business hero because “business success” is so situational. For example, I admire Steve Jobs’ uncompromising push for product perfection, and he led an incredible turnaround of Apple. Somewhat differently, I also greatly admire Satya Nadella because of the cultural transformation he engineered at Microsoft.

What’s the biggest business mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?

I’ve been fortunate to lead multiple organisations over the course of my 40-year career. My biggest mistakes and greatest accomplishments have both centred on my ability to hire and retain great talent and build successful, highly performant teams.

What’s the most inspirational book you’ve ever read and why?

The most inspirational “business book” I’ve read is Stephen Covey’s Trust and Inspire because it highlights the importance of leading with trust versus outdated “command and control” leadership styles. At Avaya, we have incorporated Mr. Covey’s lessons into our culture, giving every Avayan a sense of the importance of these principles. At its most basic, “high trust” cultures produce better business outcomes than “low trust” cultures.

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role in 2024?

The biggest challenge is leading the organisation through the remaining elements of our operational transformation. We have made great changes in a short period of time. And, while change management is challenging in every organisation, Avaya is large and globally distributed. In such large environments, it’s ever more difficult to implement sweeping changes.

What technology will have the greatest impact on your business this year and why?

It sounds cliché by this point, but AI is continuing to have a major impact on both the UC and CX industries. This year, organisations are looking at how AI investments must translate directly and tangibly to driving real business value. Many see the potential of AI to reshape productivity, workflows and cross-team collaboration. But managing the risks, privacy, security, and business ethics concerns associated with AI technology while still reaping the benefits of these innovations, will make the difference for the most successful businesses this year.