Walk us through your CTO path. How did you decide to pursue a career in technology, and how did you progress to your current organization?
My passion for technology began early. When I was nine, I asked my parents for a game console for Christmas. My father refused and instead offered me a computer, a Thomson MO5, with no games. He told me that if I wanted to play, I’d need to code the games myself. That’s how I started learning BASIC! and I’ll forever be grateful to my father for that gift and for the many other lessons he taught me.
I then pursued a Master’s degree in Computer Science in France and Canada. I began my career as a software engineer in startups in Texas during the dot-com bubble and Y2K. Over time, I gravitated towards leadership roles, first as a technical leader at Iron Mountain, and then as a technical manager at TripAdvisor. I was drawn to the challenge of not only building great products but also building and inspiring high-performing teams.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working at industry leaders like TripAdvisor, Wayfair, and now Wanderu. Each role has allowed me to refine my skills and gain experience in different company stages, startup to enterprise, and technology sectors – security, travel, retail, and travel metasearch, respectively.
What do you think are the biggest issues facing CTOs in your industry?
As a CTO, I find the biggest challenges to be:
- Rapid Advancement of Technology: Staying up-to-date with the fast-changing pace of technology is always a challenge. Generative AI is just the latest in a series of technology breakthroughs throughout my career.
- Cybersecurity Threats: Safeguarding customer data and addressing cyber threats remain top priorities, especially as attacks become more frequent and sophisticated.
- Talent Acquisition and Retention: Finding and retaining top tech talent in any market is crucial for success.
How do you decompress from your role as a technology executive?
I love building things, both in tech and in real life! My hobbies include baking, gardening, and beer brewing. My Instagram is full of cakes, veggies, and beers!
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important to me, and I stay active by boxing a few times a week, it’s a great stress reliever.
Taking time to disconnect is equally essential, and I enjoy traveling with my wife, son, and daughter, who might love traveling even more than I do. I’m naturally curious and always eager to learn. Recently, I’ve been diving into the world of generative AI, exploring its potential for both professional and personal projects.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be a CTO?
1. Develop a Broad Skillset: A successful CTO requires a solid technical foundation paired with leadership, communication, and business acumen. While ambition is valuable, I often recommend that software engineers spend time as individual contributors before transitioning into leadership roles. This experience helps build the expertise and perspective needed to excel in leadership positions.
2. Embrace Continuous Learning: The technology industry is constantly changing, making it essential to stay current with new trends and innovations. Even as a CTO, I remain hands-on, for instance, by reviewing code. This commitment to learning isn’t just for CTOs but for their entire tech organization. Building a culture of continuous learning is critical to driving business success.
3. Focus on Building Strong Relationships: Building trust and prioritizing collaboration with stakeholders across the organization is essential for success. In a tech leadership role, it’s crucial to first understand the organization as a whole, its challenges, opportunities, and needs, to ensure that technology aligns with and supports its goals.
When developing a tech vision, I always start with the business vision. This requires learning from and collaborating with other functions, even those less familiar with technology, to create a shared foundation for success.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks: Innovation thrives on calculated risks. Embrace opportunities to push boundaries, test new ideas, and iterate along the way. Experimentation is essential to achieving success. As an executive, it’s important to create a culture that supports this mindset, for example, by implementing blameless retrospectives after major incidents to focus on learning and improvement rather than assigning blame.
Can you list the top book that you would recommend for a technology leader to have on their bookshelf/Kindle?
The following books focus less on technology and more on leadership principles.
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin emphasizes the importance of taking full responsibility for your team’s success or failure, with no excuses. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith highlights the need to identify and eliminate the behaviors that have held you back in the past in order to achieve continued success. Finally, Wardley Mapping, The Knowledge: Part One, Topographical Intelligence in Business by Simon Wardley provides a valuable framework for navigating complex systems and driving innovation.
When it comes to technology books, I have a particular soft spot for The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford. This fictional story illustrates the challenges faced by IT organizations and highlights the benefits of adopting DevOps principles to enhance efficiency and deliver value.
Can you share a specific quote that is a source of inspiration for you as a leader?
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Peter Drucker
This quote perfectly encapsulates the proactive and impactful essence of true leadership.
