Effects of Digital Transformation in Datacentres
20 Dec, 2024
When Harrington Starr approached me about the role of CMO at Gresham, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now, 18 months into my position and following the recent take private with PE firm STG, I can say with certainty: that this is exactly the kind of challenge I've been looking for.
The journey so far
Prior to joining Gresham, I worked in Crypto, Blockchain, and Web3. This fast-paced, hotbed of constant testing and learning was peppered with huge highs, with CEOs appearing on main stages and finance news broadcasts. However, in a bear market, these highs were mixed with lows of reduced funds and cut budgets.
Coming into the Gresham business I wore rose-coloured, start-up glasses and brought the ambition of sharing fresh perspectives to a listed software company working with the world’s largest financial institutions (not necessarily known for their pace of change). One of my early take aways working with CEO Ian Manocha and the leadership team is that change happens at multiple speeds – not all initiatives need to be rapid, some change is better with more time to develop, that people's appetite for transformation varies and not to push change for change's sake.
The view from a self-proclaimed change maker
Throughout my career in digital marketing, I have been at the forefront of an industry experiencing significant transformation. Change is built into your DNA when you spend your days convincing Marketing leaders to stop spending money in TV, Radio and Print and test a channel called 'digital'. In the early days of advertising across Google and Facebook, it was all about education, always left at the end of a media recommendation meeting, begging for budget to test search and social ads we had to build confidence the new could work.
Today in my role as CMO I'm applying those same educational nuances, helping educate people on change, but at a much larger scale. Working with the leadership team we are asking:
- How do we instil a challenger mindset without destroying the culture that made the company successful?
- Can we build capabilities that focus on both immediate wins and long-term sustainability?
- How do we optimise growth and performance while balancing structural improvements?
- How do we get the team aligned to bring everyone along on the journey?
As someone who's always been drawn to innovation and transformation, moving into a PE-backed environment feels like returning to my natural habitat. The mandate for rapid yet sustainable growth aligns perfectly with my drive to challenge the status quo and create a significant impact. However, as a leader, I recognise my responsibility to ensure this change is sustainable, supporting our people, guiding them with empathy, and ensuring everyone can successfully navigate this transition.
The perfect match
Sometimes, recruiters really do get it right. Harrington Starr saw what I couldn't initially see – that my natural inclination for driving change would be perfectly suited to a company at this precise moment in its journey. The organisation needs people who can both envision and execute transformation. My background in both marketing and consulting has taught me about building high-performing teams, however, working at Gresham has opened my eyes to just how critical sustainability is through periods of rapid growth. Every day counts when you're working with a defined horizon but you need your people on the journey to get you there.
Taking off the glasses to see through a new lens
What I love about this role is how it is reshaping my perspective. Serving the globe's largest financial institutions has expanded my understanding of what transformation truly means, revealing complexities and consequences that extend far beyond surface-level change.
Every decision needs to include:
Immediate Impact: What can we change today that moves the needle?
People Engagement: How do we maintain momentum while bringing everyone along?
Value Creation: Where can we unlock value for our clients as well as deliver our own internal innovation?
Scalable and Sustainable Solutions: How do we ensure these changes support long-term growth?
Looking Forward
This role has been about building something meaningful. I'm excited to see where this path leads and the transformation we can achieve both internally and for our clients.
For other change makers considering roles in FinTech or PE-backed companies, these environments are particularly exciting. There is a clear mandate for transformation and an opportunity to build something lasting. The business can gain access to the right resources supporting meaningful change and it will be your role to stay hyper focussed on delivering measurable results.
By Geneva Loader, CMO at Gresham
