Eliminate, simplify, automate: Catching up with Expereo CTO Kristaps Petrovskis

Eliminate, simplify, automate: Catching up with Expereo CTO Kristaps Petrovskis

What was your first job?

I’ve always been in the internet service provider (ISP) industry, my first job was helping retail cable internet customers. Back then, the stability of cable internet wasn’t what it is today, which often led to unhappy customers. It certainly provided me with early training on how to be patient!

Did you always want to work in IT?

I’ve always been fascinated and loved travelling the world and exploring new cultures, there was a point where I could see myself as a travel guide. My career in IT/telecoms actually happened more by chance, but I am very happy to be part of an exciting and ever-growing industry.

What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they?

My education is perhaps not what you would think for someone in my job role, during my early years in education I really wanted to travel. So, after leaving secondary school, I took a gap year, which ended up turning into multiple gap years, and I don’t have a formal bachelor’s degree. Everything I know today I learnt by trade, I taught myself up until 2016 when I was accepted for an MBA.

Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss.

I wouldn’t say I have taken many detours on my career path. I have done some unrelated temporary work, and had a short stint in IT support, but as aforementioned, I have always been comfortable working in an ISP environment.

What type of CTO are you?

This is where one should say something visionary. For me it’s about a pragmatic approach to balance the needs of our customer, the needs of the business and those of our people. At the end of the day, your engineers need interesting problems to solve, and as long as those are aligned with your business direction, you can achieve magic that delights our customers.

Which emerging technology are you most excited about the prospect of?

I am excited about the prospect of AI, though not necessarily Chat GPT, which there is so much hype about at the moment. What does excite me is the developments around Empathy AI and I believe it will make a huge difference to a range of social groups in society.

Are there any technologies which you think are overhyped? Why?

Without sounding inconsistent with my previous answer, probably AI. While exciting and unknown, everyone calls everything AI now when often it’s simply not. AI is now being used in everything. There are instances where the AI label is put on an old system that isn’t particularly ‘intelligent’, that can lead to confusion and perhaps even buyer’s regret. That’s not me saying it’s all fake, but there is definitely a lot of noise out there, and it can be difficult to cut through it.

What is one unique initiative that you’ve employed over the last 12 months that you’re really proud of?

Over the last year, we set out to build a new enhanced internet solution, or internet on steroids if you will. We see that with the enterprise shift from legacy networks like MPLS to internet, there is always some concern about reliability and security. Our new solution ends this discussion, it simply works better than anything else.

Are you leading a digital transformation? If so, does it emphasise customer experience and revenue growth or operational efficiency? If both, how do you balance the two?

Through both our automation and transformation initiatives, our goal is that our employees have more one-on-one time with the customer, so instead of pushing buttons or filling in the forms, they are spending more time with our customers and providing the human touch that is required. Ultimately, this leads to happy customers, reduces manual work and helps drive revenue growth and efficiency.

What is the biggest issue that you’re helping customers with at the moment?

We are seeing a lot of customers enforcing full blown network transformations from their legacy systems to next generation networks. For many, this change can be very daunting, so it’s our role to take them by the hand, understand what their problems are, and find the right solutions for them.

How do you align your technology use to meet business goals?

My view is that you can only meet business goals if you meet and exceed customer needs. As long as you listen to what the market wants, find an optimal technology use to address that, it will always align.

Do you have any trouble matching product/service strategy with tech strategy?

No, I wouldn’t say so, we have been very focused on what we want to achieve. Since day one, we have been very internet-centric. We live and breathe the internet ecosystem and you could even say it’s in our DNA, so every tech decision we enforce is built to support this.

What makes an effective tech strategy?

Eliminate, simplify, automate. Simple as that!

What predictions do you have for the role of the CTO in the future?

I think in whatever direction we look; all products and services are now technology driven. Your local laundry service is probably on an app. This means that CTOs will have an increasing role within the wider business decision making and will be under increased pressure to innovate against competition like never before.

What has been your greatest career achievement?

Not necessarily the ‘greatest’ but throughout my career, the ability to bring on board a very talented team is something I am proud of. Without them I’m just a guy with crazy ideas. It’s the people around me that have made these things become a reality. I’m prouder of that than placing a specific achievement on myself.

Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently?

Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything. One can quickly get lost in ‘what-if’ scenarios and it usually doesn’t lead to any productive outcomes.

What are you reading now?

At the moment I am reading Marcus Aurelius. It certainly isn’t an easy read but stoicism as a concept and as a way of life is something that interests me and I try to adopt it in some aspects of my routine. But as they say, all good things come in moderation.

Most people don’t know that I…

As the question suggests, most people don’t know so they will continue to not know.

In my spare time, I like to…

I don’t do anything too extravagant. Life is short and work keeps you busy but when I can, I like to travel to spend time with those I appreciate the most. I like to travel to more obscure places not necessarily the usual tourist spots and have now visited over 60 countries.

Ask me to do anything but…

Leave for the airport at the last minute. I will always arrive at the airport with ample reserve, so the travel plan doesn’t get disrupted. I prefer to spend an extra hour in an airport, than an extra day in an airport hotel.

Biography

Kristaps is Chief Technology Officer of Expereo. Joining the company in 2008, he spent two years as a Senior Support Engineer based in Amsterdam before moving to Singapore with the company. Progressing from Director of Global Operations to VP of Technology and Services, he became CTO in 2018.

Throughout his career Kristaps has been passionate about enabling customers through the various phases of digital and network transformation. The acceleration of SaaS and Cloud in recent years has placed global connectivity firmly at the heart of global organisations efficacy, efficiency and business success. Whether it be navigating the increasingly complex security landscape, ensuring maximum performance of global networks, managing the advent of 5G or the continual drive of AI and ML, Kristaps is committed to proving that Expereo know the Internet better than anyone else.