At the intersection between business and technology
When Justin Clarke asked the big ‘What should I do with my life now?’ question as he prepared to leave school, it didn’t take him long to answer. IT business analysis was where his interests lay. The reason for choosing this line of study has carried through 19 successful years in enterprise software.
“All the time playing around with old computers and gaming consoles as a kid turned into an interest about what the intersection between technology and business actually looks like – all the possibilities. I wanted to be right at the middle of that intersection,” he says.
Journey from IT consultant to analyst
Clarke’s desire to be able to analyse a business’s requirements and translate these into IT software and solutions propelled him through a BTech in IT Business Analysis. With a short stint travelling in the United Kingdom to experience the ‘university of life’, he kicked off his career as a junior consultant for a startup.
His next step took him to a risk software business where he could work at the rockface as a business analyst. He was propelled into project management after successfully implementing an enterprise software solution at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies while working in the United States.
“I then joined a global professional services organisation as a senior project manager and entered the SAP world (systems, applications and products) and started a project management office for that business.
“At that time, I did my MBA at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg. This led to a promotion to a senior operations role. That company was bought out by EOH and I had the opportunity to gain experience as a business unit head in early 2016.”
The road to redPanda Software
Clarke and his family moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town where he rejoined a previous employer, a software company, as a regional head.
Then came the opportunity to join redPanda Software. “I knew redPanda Software from my internal network and had heard great things – that they were a forward-thinking software company – and I jumped at the chance.”
As operations general manager, he drives business growth through strategic goals and operational improvements with the aim of enhancing efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction.
“My vision is always centred on the actual processes that can be put in place, and the right people, to be able to execute strategy. Our purpose as redPanda Software is to rapidly deliver innovative technology solutions – at the speed of retail, as we put it.
“What fascinates me is combining my vision as a professional: to execute the redPanda Software strategy while delivering to our retail customers solutions that are tailored to the fast-paced nature of retail. The way these two points meet has given me a great opportunity to enable us to execute on both fronts.”
Building customer success
In a complex, fast-paced ecosystem, Clarke’s north is always customer success. Managing customer expectations matters deeply to him.
“At the end of the day, the customer moves your business forward. If you can’t enable success in customer engagement and the solutions you provide, you have a bleak future ahead. We make sure our customers are successful. This creates sustainable growth for both redPanda Software and our customers.”
And this is where we find him once again at the intersection between technology and business. Customers aren’t always in a position to know which technology solution is best for their business. Whether they have a vague idea, a key term or new concept like artificial intelligence they’d like to incorporate, the right understanding of their business is crucial. Only then can a particular business need be translated into the right software solution.
“What excites me most is when you reach a particular understanding of your customer to the point where you can actually put that into a document and you can put the right verbiage around that, then translate it to a solution that meets the exact requirements of the customer.
“But to do that you need to build those deep, meaningful relationships. And that takes time, honesty and integrity. You have to embed yourself with the customer, be on an almost subconscious level with them, to understand what they’re looking for.”
It’s an ethos that applies not only to redPanda Software customers but to their internal workings, too.
Playing a part in others’ success
“We understand, as the senior management team, that culture is driven from the top – the impact is enormous. We are driven by our values: pride, harmony and accountability. Coaching and mentoring are important. When I see talent, drive and ambition, I’ll always put myself forward to mentor or coach. My door is always open,” says Clarke.
“Once you’ve put the right processes and the right vision in place, it just takes that extra 10% of mentoring or coaching to make sure the person is on the right track. It’s a great feeling to see you’ve been a small part of their journey in creating success within that role and beyond.”
redPanda Software is invested in the future of IT talent through its support of the redAcademy initiative. redAcademy trains work-ready young people, who learn theory while also getting on-the-job, live and relevant IT training. redPanda Software has also run a successful intern programme for more than 10 years. With the job skills shortage in the IT industry worsening, this is a time-critical initiative.
The success matrix
While career advancement is dependent on skills acquisition, hard work and strategic decisions, every individual’s success is part of a wider matrix. Clarke’s starts with his mother.
“My mother has always been a strong leader, not just at home but also at work. She didn’t have the opportunity to do a degree after school, but she started her degree when she was 50 years old. That determination and being able to commit to her lifelong journey has taught me a lot from a leadership point of view.
“Throughout my career, I’ve had good leaders, starting with my first company where the head of operations used to print out our reports and mark them with a red pen. That taught me attention to detail. At redPanda Software, Gerhard Nortjé, our MD, has been instrumental in taking all the little factors, components and skills sets from different people, and turning them into real-world solutions that work seamlessly. I try to learn wherever I can and put it into my own wheelhouse.
“If I could change just one thing about my career so far it would be to slow down, not to rush to the next thing. To always be present and enjoy the journey.”
