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

The fruition of pillar two within the AUKUS trilateral security pact between Australia, United Kingdom and the United States. Announced in 2021, with the first pillar focusing on the delivery of advanced submarines to Australia.

Pillar two is centred on advanced technology and deeper integration of security and defence-related science, technology, industrial bases, and supply chains. This pillar aims to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced military capabilities and foster closer collaboration on various technologies crucial for national security, including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, cyber capabilities and undersea capabilities.

AUKUS Pillar Two represents a significant step in technological and industrial cooperation among the three nations, aiming not just for immediate defence gains but also for maintaining long-term strategic and technological superiority.

Who is your business hero and why?

Warren Buffett, having worked for a Berkshire Hathaway owned organisation for over ten years. His influence and presence was never far away. One quote of his which has always stuck with me whether in my personal or business life.

“Never do anything in life if you would be ashamed of seeing it printed on the front page of your hometown newspaper for your friends and family to see.”

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

Very early on in my career, I started work at an internal IT helpdesk. I accidentally emailed a vendor a list of all staff credentials. Fair to say it didn’t go down very well. Luckily, my colleague was a wizz with powershell and changed all of the passwords in a matter of minutes.

I learnt to re-read every email and attachment I sent, something which I still do this day!

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

The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.

This really brought home the idea of working smarter, not harder. 15 years ago, success was measured by how long stayed in the office after hours, and how many emails you sent over any given weekend.

The Four Hour Work Week, helped me redefine not only my own working patterns, time management etc but that of my teams over the years too.

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

For myself and most likely many other CTO, CIO, CSO’s its the ever-evolving realm of cybersecurity, which is fraught with challenges. As technology advances, so too do the methods and tactics employed by cybercriminals, leading to an ongoing arms race between attackers and defenders.

The proliferation of connected devices has expanded the attack surface dramatically, offering numerous entry points for malicious actors. Moreover, the sophistication of cyber threats is continually increasing, with state-sponsored attacks and advanced persistent threats becoming more common. These adversaries employ a range of techniques, from ransomware to social engineering to breach defences. The dynamic nature of cyber threats complicates the development of effective, long-lasting security measures.

I imagine this will be my biggest challenge in 2025, 26, 27 etc.

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

Without a doubt Artificial Intelligence, we have already seen wholesale changes within the tech community in 2024. We are still early in the journey of AI. It is my responsibility to ensure AI is used with great care and only used to enhance the more repetitive tasks.

There is still no better replacement than humans when working within the intelligence field. That being said, I feel the next stage of AI and machine learning will lead to the widespread use of Quantum Computing which has the potential to revolutionise industries by solving complex problems far beyond the reach of traditional computers.