In the modern business world, where firms are evolving faster than ever before, the role of the CTO in any company has become critical to achieving success. Sandy Fliderman is the perfect modern CTO. He blends a unique understanding of technology, disruption, and entrepreneurship with problem solving and operations excellence to represent what today’s firms require in a modern CTO.
Traditionally, the role of the CTO was limited in scope to executing the technology road map. However, today as all companies rely on technology as part of their core, the role of the CTO is now equivalent in importance to the CEO, CFO, and CMO. It’s not easy for companies to find the perfect modern CTO as that person now needs to be equally proficient at understanding technology as well as operations, finance, and business development.
Sandy brings his unique skill set to this new world CTO role. He has been a successful entrepreneur, launching multiple companies in various fields over the past twenty years. He has also been a cutting-edge technologist, being awarded multiple patents, and has been disruptive in financial technology, digital media, and others. And, he has been an effective operations leader managing many companies and hundreds of employees, vendors, and partners throughout his career. In addition to having an integrated skill set across multiple facets of any company, Sandy has also been responsible for driving revenue growth in his firms. This has been the result of developing new products, new markets as well as new strategic partnerships.
“Industry FinTech, Sandy has leveraged all of his skills and expertise to now help other companies achieve success. He has developed modern platforms that support private companies and funds to raise capital, execute their investment plans, and better manage investor relationships.”
At Industry FinTech, Sandy has leveraged all of his skills and expertise to now help other companies achieve success. He has developed modern platforms that support private companies and funds to raise capital, execute their investment plans, and better manage investor relationships. He has created a model that many entrepreneurs and CTOs strive to achieve – building a business that succeeds as its clients realize success as clients use the technology platforms Sandy has designed from his years of business successes.
Sandy is driven by his desire to develop technology that can be disruptive and transformative. It is core to his vision as a corporate leader. He utilizes a three-step model in his approach, developed over his career, to help ensure that he focused on using technology to achieve success:
1. Evaluate the opportunity. Is there an inefficiency that not only can be disrupted and improved but can also bring benefits to users, clients, and market participants?
2. Understand the scope and requirements for a real-world implementation. What will it take to build the new thing, s upport it and roll it out to market?
3. Objectively measure and quantify that marketplace value proposition.
Does the marketplace realize significant value from this new technology and are they willing to implement and pay? “While this three-step approach seems simplistic, it is a critical methodology to ensure outcomes from efforts. Too often, brilliant CTOs can build fantastic new and innovative platforms yet fail to achieve success. It’s usually not due to a lack of technological skill, but of appreciation of the market’s inclination to adopt a new approach,” he says.
Sandy works towards success by using his tried-and-true approach. It sometimes means that he does not implement some interesting ideas. But it does mean that he has a high probability of overall success and positive outcomes. He believes in a key piece of advice to other future CTOs – don’t focus on how the technology can make things more efficient, focus on how technology can fundamentally change the business. “It’s only through transformative efforts do companies today realize true success able to keep them competitive in a new world where there is no barrier for any company to access cutting-edge technology,” says Sandy. “Also remember to maintain a proper work-life balance and also to take time out for yourself so that you can concentrate on your well-being.”
Posted in CLF | CTOs Magazine 2021, Sandy Fliderman, Chief Technology Officer of Industry FinTech Profile