Companies need to perceive information technology as a strategic asset, rather than simply as a cost factor. That’s according to Insight’s President of the EMEA region, Wolfgang Ebermann, who believes that by allowing IT solutions to form part of a business’ tactical plans it will result in greater success for all parties. To address this situation, Insight has recently undergone a total rebrand of its identity and it is focusing on empowering people inside and outside of the organisation. The CEO Magazine had a chat to Wolfgang about where the industry is heading and what role Insight will play in that.
The CEO Magazine: What was your professional background prior to becoming President of Insight’s EMEA operations and how has it influenced your leadership style?
Wolfgang: I have had 25 years in the IT profession and I started my career after university working for Hewlett-Packard. The reason why I joined Hewlett-Packard was a very distinct one. At that time, the company talked about ‘the HP way’ and for me, in a very simple way, ‘the HP way’ was all about allowing people to realise their potential.
They gave employees, even when they started as newcomers, a great empowerment framework coupled with accountability. It was based on teamwork and trust and an ethical principle.
I was very much intrigued by that value system because it is very much linked to what I was looking for in terms of my professional career. So I was really excited to join HP and then I had an opportunity to become part of the international marketing centre. In that role, I was responsible for managing the strategic software alliance partnerships.
Microsoft was one of those partnerships. It had a similar value system to HP—very people centric, and a great strategy and vision. They offered me the opportunity to join them and I spent the last 22 years before I joined Insight at Microsoft.