We’re thrilled to welcome Cristobal Viedma to Pretty Technical as our Chief Operating Officer. Cris joins us with over a decade of experience in the tech industry, bringing a wealth of knowledge in operations, process improvement and software/applications implementations across a wide range of sectors and businesses. His expertise and passion for innovation make him a fantastic addition to our team as we continue to grow and evolve. We asked him a few questions to gain insight into his experience in tech, what led him to join Pretty Technical, and what excites him most about the journey ahead.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to a career in the tech industry?
I went to University in Spain and studied for a Masters in Engineering. At the very beginning of course I didn’t particularly enjoy the IT related subjects. Fast forward to today, and I have spent more than a decade delivering IT projects and transformations in all the companies I have worked for. From a software company similar to Pretty Technical back in Spain, to an IT consultancy company delivering IT solutions for customers across different sectors, where I oversaw the operations across all of our customers and projects.
I believe the real reason why I started to enjoy technology is for all the other non-technical factors that impact those projects. The processes, the change management aspect and the people involved in a technology project.
What attracted you to Pretty Technical, and what excites you most about your new role as Chief Operating Officer?
I actually worked with Tom, our CPO, at a previous company, and we have kept in contact ever since. He explained to me the plans, the growth, and the future vision of Pretty Technical. After spending some time with him and the exec team at PT, it was very exciting for me to be able to form part of the team. On top of that, seeing the products we deliver in action (and the ones to come!) have solidified my beliefs that PT has a bright future ahead.
From my first week at PT, I can clearly see how motivated and excited everyone is to make the future vision and growth plans a reality. I see that we have a very talented team here and being able to work them towards our targets is something that I very much look forward to.
From your experience, what do you think are the key factors in building a successful and high-performing tech team?
There isn’t a simple answer for this but through my experience I can say that providing the right environment for each individual to excel is one of the most important factors. I like to think that if we can provide the right environment to our teams here, the rest will follow.
Some other important factors I believe are important (but not all of them!):
- Environment – ensuring they have the right tools, systems and processes to do their jobs
- Talent attraction/retention – providing the right benefits and flexibility to our team
- Culture and collaboration – being able to work and collaborate with different teams and practices, and having the right tools to make collaboration easy
- Clear goals – coming all the way from the vision and target of the company, making them see how their work impacts the company
- Structure and communication – having the right organisation structure and communication strategy makes it easier for everyone to feel supporting
On top of all of that it’s also the technology. Working with the latest tech stack and trends will enable our teams to enjoy what they do and feel they are working on the newest technology, which will inevitably support progression in their careers.
The tech industry is constantly evolving – what trends or innovations do you think will shape the future, and how should companies adapt?
It is hard to not mention AI. Nowadays it is everywhere and I think it will play a big part in any company where they work with software/technology systems. Being able to find the right balance between AI, both for internal (development processes, automation) and external (chatbots, automation, etc.) use, and current practices and products will enable any company to excel against their competitors going into the future.
There are a lot of other innovations taking place in the iGaming space and I can see that our CPO has built a roadmap to tackle some of those and many others, so I hope our customers get ready for what is to come within our products and services.
As you step into this role, what are your main priorities for the coming months, and what impact do you hope to make at Pretty Technical?
My role as Chief Operating Officer will have a dual focus, internal and external. I want to spend time with our customers and ensure our projects are being delivered successfully. We have a very talented team and quality is one of our key pillars and values as a trusted partner for our customers, so I want to ensure we continue delivering on that. I also want to collaborate with both customers and internal teams, so we continue to drive innovation to the products and services for our customers.
Looking inward into PT, we are an organisation that is looking to grow significantly in the next few months and years, so I also want to spend time looking at our processes, internal systems and culture as we grow and evolve. I hope I can help and support that growth and get closer to the vision that PT has for the future.
If you’d like to work with Cris and our team why not take a look at our Careers page and send an email to [email protected]. If you’d like to find out more about Pretty Technical products and services please use our Contact Form.
