CIO interview: Petra Tesch, Vizrt

Why Vizrt?

“I’d been thinking about joining a real product company that was software-based,” says Tesch. “When I was contacted by Vizrt, I was intrigued by the opportunity.”

Is she confronted by the acquainted problem of a CIO working in an area with different individuals who have a powerful technical understanding and subsequently their very own opinions as to how IT must be run?

“What I sense is that it’s actually easier, as people know the importance of the correct handling of data,” says Tesch. “It’s a continuing change, and rising applied sciences are making my life simpler, however in the long run it’s additionally about individuals, setting the scene and getting [product people] you’re employed for aligned and on top of things. It’s loads, however there are new alternatives for cloud, machine studying and synthetic intelligence, and the velocity isn’t altering or slowing down.

“I’m humble but I have a need to take on business challenges and to have a positive impact. I’m also quite brave in managing people’s expectations and taking decisions. It’s a very techie company and a very development-driven company. I haven’t been here very long, but we are driven by being at the forefront of this technology.”

Tesch sees her function as a hybrid of offering the info and evaluation to make Vizrt actually data-driven with managing on a regular basis IT operations. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, her function is international, and Vizrt has a bodily presence in 27 international locations. As for many people, the Covid pandemic necessitated an adjustment in favour of distant working, however she now enjoys being again within the workplace.

“I like the possibility to be in the office again” says Tesch. “It’s easier when you sit in the same office to reach out and interact.”

She reviews to the corporate chief monetary officer (CFO), and says constructing relationships with all stakeholders is vital. “It’s extra about [developing an understanding of] the individuals, their help and the funds you get. Storytelling and creating a superb story to again up your plans is extraordinarily necessary to get traction and help.

“It is so necessary to have respect, shared goals, commitment, ambition, skills and determination, from both the business and IT sides of an organisation, alongside a willingness to sit at the same table to drive things forward in order to succeed.” 

The rise of public-facing applied sciences comparable to generative synthetic intelligence (AI) is “undeniably” an help in selling the IT enterprise case, Tesch provides. And, in contrast to many CIOs, she has no ambition to swap sides and turn out to be a CEO or different chief.

“I think I’m a devoted IT person and will continue to work in IT,” she says. “The CIO role is a lot of fun to me. I can dive into any area of it and I want to continue to learn. I’m curious about further developments and I’m not striving to become a CEO.”

Tesch can be not bothered about sitting on the board, saying that “the governance model and the people involved are more important than the actual position in my experience”.

She says cloud has had a significant impression in making areas comparable to outdoors broadcast much less hardware-intensive, and anticipates one other massive wave of change. “I see potential in evolving AI and machine learning in products, but also in being better at the customer-facing side of what we do,” says Tesch.

She relaxes by benefiting from Sweden’s outside and doesn’t look like the sort to get slowed down by the psychodramas that may accompany any senior function.

“I’m not very easily stressed,” says Tesch. “I have dogs, and enjoy being outside with friends, family, horses, as well as downhill skiing. This may be controversial, but I find stress [to be] something positive. [It] helps me focus and produce better outcomes. If it becomes obviously too much to handle, I try to deal with it in a transparent way with my team, so we are all aware of the elephant in the room and [we can] agree with how we deal with it. I want and expect my teams to do the same with me. Honesty helps us all do our best and communicate when we need time or a step back to ensure we recover so we can do our best.” 

The energy of mentoring

Tesch is an enormous believer within the energy of mentoring, and counts herself fortunate to have been guided by robust people.

“I have met many fantastic people that have influenced me positively, including many professionals within the industry,” she says. “A couple of them that have been instrumental in how my journey has been shaped are Lars Wijkman, a management consultant that mentored me and opened me up to a world of inspiring opportunities, and Mats-Olof Wallin, who was an insightful manager and impressive CFO to work under. Without these two people in my life, my career would be drastically different than it is now – mentorship and management are two integral pillars in any strong career trajectory.” 

In hiring, Tesch seeks out a mix of complementary qualities. “I look for high-performing talents that bring something we need to the team,” she says. “It could be anything from specific expertise to generalists, with the aim [being] to create an inspiring workplace where people thrive and feel like they can make a difference. We should never underestimate the ability of positive and optimistic personalities in a team, and how they can influence the culture and productivity of the team and the workplace.” 

Tesch presently has lots on her agenda as Vizrt makes a transition to a brand new income mannequin. “A big focus for us right now is transforming our business model from perpetual to subscription-based with more SaaS [software-as-a-service] offerings,” she says. “This is no simple undertaking … we must tailor our business systems on all fronts to support that fully, and [we] need to look at our own tech stack and upgrade it in areas to be more agile, efficient and modernised.” 

Tesch’s no-nonsense strategy is refreshing, however, when requested that previous chestnut about what retains her awake at evening, she admits that one space presents a continuing problem.

“Right now, I think one thing on many CIOs’ minds is security threats,” she stated. “We can provide all of the coaching on this planet, and usher in many modes of safety, however finally, hackers are getting smarter and extra artful, so continuous training and innovation are key to vigilance.

“But exciting things also keep me up, like planning and executing major projects or new strategies.”