Business Chief Canada Magazine – November 2019

CANADA EDITION NOVEMBER 20 19 canada.businesschief.com

DRIVING VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS WITH DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION How TELUS Digital is unifying teams through its digital platform BUILDING A SMART, SECURE FUTURE

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FOREWORD

W

elcome to the November edition

Elsewhere in the magazine, Red Hat

of Business Chief Canada!

discusses the potential of 5G

In our cover feature this month, we speak with TELUS Digital, a telecommunications giant based in Vancouver. This month, Steve Choi, Manager, Data Products, and Ryan Kerner, Manager, Digital Platforms Evolution at TELUS, discuss their

networks and multi-access edge computing bringing business and consumers together. We also take a closer look at the City of Ottawa and how it has transformed itself into the Silicon Valley of the north over the past decade.

experience in the field of digital trans-

In addition, there are interviews with

formation and how companies can

global thought leaders from Tivity

increase income whilst working with

Health, Qualcomm, LSG Sky Chefs,

their customers in mind.

Retail Business Services and Envoy

As the telecommunications market

Mortgage that you won’t want to miss!

changes, TELUS has been at the

If you want to be part of our next

forefront of multiple company’s

publication, please get in contact at

digital transformations. The company

ollie.mulkerrins@bizclikmedia.com

ensures that clients can stay connected and ahead of the technological curve without breaking the bank, allowing consumers and businesses to adapt to a rapidly evolving industry.

Enjoy the issue!

Ollie Mulkerrins

03

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CANADA EDITION

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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CONTENTS

14 INTEGRATING RESOURCES TO DRIVE CUSTOMER VALUE

30

42 The cloud playbook

54

THE YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER

MANAGING OPERATIONAL RISK IS KEY TO IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY

72 City Focus

OTTAWA

64 82

CONTENTS

96 WSP Canada

110 Hudson Resources

128 T5 Data Centers

146

162 Digital Realty

184 Tivity Health

Ahold Delhaize USA/ Retail Business Services

202 Qualcomm

220 Partners Behavioral Health Management

234 REC Solar

250 Unilever

264

276

LSG Sky Chefs

Envoy Mortgage

14

Integrating resources to drive customer value WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

NOVEMBER 2019

15

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T E L U S D I G I TA L

TELUS Digital, the digital transformation arm of telco giant TELUS, is unifying teams across the organization through a powerful Digital Platform

I

n the digital age, an increasing number of companies are establishing dedicated digital transformation arms to acceler-

ate the journey for themselves, their partners and their customers. A pioneer of this approach was Canadian telecommunications giant TELUS, 16

establishing TELUS Digital as a means to cement its position as a digital leader. “The journey started around seven years ago, and the foundation of the team was built around building up our web presence with TELUS.com,” says Ryan Kardish, Manager of the Digital Platform Evolution with TELUS Digital and experienced in the AI and analytics spaces. “In the modern world of telecom, you’re seeing customer demands and preferences, shift towards self-serve digital experiences, especially in the research and learn phase of their journey. The question was: how can we improve the customer engagement with the breadth of products and services that TELUS can offer through the digital channel? I see that as ground zero to the digital transformation story.” Steve Choi, Manager of Data Products at TELUS Digital, adds that catering to NOVEMBER 2019

17

1990

Year founded

CA$14bn+ Approximate revenue

59,000+

Approximate number of employees (TELUS International) c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

T E L U S D I G I TA L

“ We now have the ability this shifting landscape necessitated the birth of the dedicated digital arm. to build intelligent “In the past, we didn’t have the right systems and organizational structure to support the applications that really transformation,” he says. “That’s why there was this idea to spin off the digital take advantage of data group as a way to incubate new ways that we’ve had all along of working with an agile approach to but never had the means delivering value, iterating quickly, and being able to experiment.” to use effectively” Over time and along with shifts in 18

— Steve Choi Manager, Data Products TELUS Digital

NOVEMBER 2019

consumer expectations, particularly around mobile, TELUS needed to consolidate silos, technology stacks and

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION’ 19 simplify the path to production to cre-

because their needs are similar across

ate consistent digital experiences. The

the capabilities we’re building,”

solution, a recipient of the ‘Open Digital

explains Choi. “Every team is looking to

Ecosystem Platform of the Year’ award

expand and build their digital presence,

at the 2019 TM Forum Awards, is the

and use these technologies to better

Digital Platform - an ecosystem of tools

serve our customers.” Through the

and solutions that enable teams to

Digital Platform, TELUS has an

develop and deliver cutting edge cus-

exceedingly powerful tool that simpli-

tomer experiences in a seamless,

fies the developmental processes for

collaborative manner. “As all these

teams across the organization and rep-

teams spun up to develop new func-

resents an exciting new level of

tions, we recognized the opportunity to

collaboration. Through the compilation

start investing in shared capabilities,

of resources that can be used again

shared technologies and shared

and again, TELUS has a resilient outlet

resources across those teams

for scalability and reliability in its c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

T E L U S D I G I TA L

development processes. “I always struggled with how best to explain this,” admits Kardish. “However, I now think about it in the context of: what are the steps for building a modern digital application? It’s everything from sourcing the right data from your systems of record all the way to ensuring that you’re investing in the personalization and consistency of the content and design components a customer can see, and so on.” The Digital Platform’s integrated capabilities enable each of 22

these steps, as well as affording the opportunity for teams to contribute to the platform’s ongoing development.

“Any individual who wants to build on top of the tools and technologies we have built can do so,” Kardish adds.

Choi notes that the Digital Platform also solves a challenge experienced by

available on the Digital Platform, the

many large organizations: the segrega-

reuse of those resources drives con-

tion of data across different

siderable efficiency in the development

departments and teams. “A lot of

process of a new feature or application.

teams would go searching across the

Not only that, but the advancements

organization to figure out how to build

made to those resources through their

a particular experience, but there

reuse can then be used again in the

might be another group that’s already

future. It’s an incredibly organic pro-

tackled that challenge,” he says. With

cess, driving iterative, internal

the resources of that project being

collaboration that breaks down the

NOVEMBER 2019

“ We’re starting to truly recognize what it means to digitally transform, to collaborate and coordinate across the many teams and businesses TELUS operates” — Ryan Kardish Manager, Digital Platform Evolution TELUS Digital

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Steve Choi Steve leads the Data Products team at TELUS Digital, which is focused on building machine learning applications and reporting automation solutions within the digital ecosystem at TELUS. He is passionate about connecting data systems to generate new insights and drive incremental value.

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23

Building our customer’s business remains our primary focus.

Be it promoting their brands on stage, assisting their search for talent, providing them with essential digital marketing tools and service or celebrating their successes.

Congratulations to our friends on the digital marketing team at TELUS for their continued success.

#buildingourcustomersbusiness

“A lot of teams would go searching across the organization to figure out how to build a particular experience, but there might be another group that’s already tackled that challenge” — Steve Choi Manager, Data Products TELUS Digital

barriers that have traditionally limited team-based development cycles.

With the mantra ‘automate all the things’ being easy to spot on its website, it is no surprise that the expedition of the developmental groundwork for new applications at TELUS Digital is further accelerated by a robust automation strategy. Aside from the well-communicated benefits to businesses ranging from increased efficiency and accuracy to adding value to the daily tasks of staff, automation has also been deployed at TELUS Digital to gain a grip on ever-shifting customer trends. “As we look across the traditional channels at TELUS, specifically within our field tech and call

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Ryan Kardish Ryan is a passionate leader and intrapreneur, leading the evolution of TELUS’ award winning Digital Platform.

With a dedicated focus on delivering our customerfirst promise, he is driving forward our digital transformation mandate, and working hard so that anyone (customers and team members alike) can build a ‘Digital TELUS.’

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

25

T E L U S D I G I TA L

PART N ERS Adobe “Adobe has been a key partner in our journey towards turning the data we collect into insights and action. They have evolved their solutions in ways that integrate well with the technologies we use. As a result, we’re able to deliver experiences that enable our customers and drive business value for our organization”

26

teve Choi, Manager, S Data Products

center experiences, what we’re starting to see is that both our customer and team member demands and preferences are changing quicker than ever before,” says Kardish. He adds that the challenge is mitigated by the shift towards chatbots, conversational interfaces such as smart speakers, unified agent desktops, and interactive voice response (IVR) tech which offer opportunities for accruing insight-rich data whilst necessitating a scalable NOVEMBER 2019

Red Hat “Our digital platform is hosted using OpenShift a Kubernetes orchestration platform by RedHat. OpenShift allows us to focus on delivering value to our customers while the infrastructure that supports and enables hundreds of applications is managed by RedHat. This relationship means that we don’t need to focus on managing, patching or scaling our infrastructure and we can focus on building great products.”

Aron Reid, Director, Technical Operations & Infrastructure

and reactive approach to their implementation in new offerings.

That being said, TELUS’ approach to data is not solely focused on current data accrued through its various customer-facing solutions. Through the cloud-based unification of different systems within the organization, TELUS Digital is unlocking the value of data that Choi says can even be decades old. “Historically, there’s always been a separation of what I consider operational data systems and analytical data systems; traditionally, the latter were second-class citizens,” explains Choi. “That was a practicality issue because, in the past, your compute and storage would be relatively expensive.

With cloud, that’s changed. We now have the ability to build intelligent systems and applications that really take advantage of data that we’ve had all along but never had the means to use effectively. The scale of data, the velocity of data, it’s always been there, but now we have the means to keep up with it.”

The key takeaway from TELUS’s transformation efforts, and indeed of the development of its staggeringly c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

27

T E L U S D I G I TA L

28

“As we look across the traditional channels at TELUS, specifically within our field tech and call center experiences, what we’re starting to see is that both our customer and team member demands and preferences are changing quicker than ever before” — Ryan Kardish Manager, Digital Platform Evolution TELUS Digital

NOVEMBER 2019

effective Digital Platform, is that unifying technology reaps dividends.

Across an organization as large and internally diversified as TELUS, the value of a platform that brings together the expertise and resources of each of them for the benefit of the company, its partners and customers cannot be overstated. “We’re starting to truly recognize what it means to digitally transform, to collaborate and coordinate across the many teams and businesses TELUS operates,” enthuses Kardish. “Recognizing that a lot of great work has been happening across the entire organization, taking the best of each world to create a set of solutions, best practices and standards that help define the guiding principles of how we can work and operate better as an organization, that’s when you get the big wins.”

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29

LEADERSHIP

The evolution of IoT and 5G technologies

30

Business Chief USA speaks with Ian Hood, Chief Technologist, Global Service Provider at Red Hat, to discuss IoT technologies and the potential of 5G WRITTEN BY

NOVEMBER 2019

GEORGIA WILSON

31

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LEADERSHIP

I

an Hood, Chief Technologist, Global Service Provider at Red Hat, is an “engineer and problem solver at heart.” Throughout the last few

decades of his career, Hood has worked in the

telecommunication sector designing hardware, software and networks, for governments, banks and global providers.

Hood was drawn to Red Hat just over three years ago, finding the “open source way of life quite intriguing.” From software development, 32

to marketing, sales and support, the open source “approach is applied to every aspect of the business,” says Hood. He goes on to say that “being able to work together with customers to solve complex technical and business challenges around the world and being able to share that knowledge with other customers, partners and industries,” is a key aspect of his role at Red Hat that initially led him to the company in the first place.

Day to day in his role, Hood primarily engages with telecommunication, media and digital service providers to architect and optimize the efficiency of next generation 5G, MEC and edge infrastructure as well as the innovative cloud-native services and applications that the technology may be combined with.

NOVEMBER 2019

33

“ The key to securing any system is to design with all aspects of security in mind. This means everything in the entire supply chain” — Ian Hood Chief Technologist, Global Service Provider, Red Hat c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LEADERSHIP

“ Everywhere around the world, communications service providers are aggressively testing 5G innovations and multiaccess edge computing (MAEC) technology” — Ian Hood Chief Technologist, Global Service Provider, Red Hat

“Our customers are already demonstrating innovations in their 5G and Edge labs that use drones with high definition camera recording for public safety and firefighting; healthcare is making use of data sharing for brain scans between hospitals and clinics; manufacturing and mining sites are using innovations to control heavy equipment,” says Hood.

Current trends that are exciting Hood the most relate to “the intelligent use of data streams and telemetry for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine

34

learning (ML).” Many examples of

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘NEW SOLUTIONS FOR A NEW PARADIGM OF EDGE SERVICES, WITH IAN HOOD, RED HAT AND RAJESH GARDIYAR, INTEL CORP’

this can be seen in healthcare and

“Everywhere around the world,

customer services, but Hood sees

communications service providers

“a broad potential to combine AI and ML

are aggressively testing 5G

with software-defined infrastructure

innovations and multi-access edge

and cloud native applications deployed

computing (MAEC) technology,”

at the far edges of networks, to bring

says Hood. While he believes many

these services beyond urban centers

connected IoT business applications

and improve lives everywhere.” Key

can run on current Long-Term

industries that Hood feels will benefit

Evolution (LTE) networks “those that

most from the adoption on IoT

require consistent low latency, high

technologies “to affect our quality of

bandwidth and large-scale distribution

life” for the good include: healthcare,

of end points will gain a significant

manufacturing, agriculture,

boost from 5G and perhaps be

transportation and automotive.

impossible without it.” c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

35

LEADERSHIP

Hood believes industries that stand to benefit from 5G include: Manufacturing “Monitoring and reporting low data streams in real time – machine operating data like temperature or air pressure, for example – is already a central component of plant management,” says Hood. However, the development of 5G will continue to “evolve manufacturing by making much higher data streams possible, 36

creating a ‘factory of the future,’ where networked machines will be able to respond efficiently to tasks, whether they are issued by human commands or through AI and robotics.”

Additionally, “the consistency of lower latency rates enabled by 5G distributed architectures enables improved reliability of remote applications and processes, reducing risk.”

Transportation “Transportation of the future will benefit greatly from a hybrid of distributed 5G and MEC architectures and the dynamism of softwaredefined networking,” says Hood.

NOVEMBER 2019

Implementation of this hybrid technology will “enable efficient and reliable delivery of applications at massive scale anywhere on the planet.”

Smart cities In order for a city comprised of interconnected solutions to function, millions of sensors must transmit data simultaneously, making a smart city essentially a blended workload bringing together upwards of 20-30 or more IoT devices each with different requirements,” says Hood who believes “the seamless connectivity, telemetry, security and analytics capabilities offered by 5G can ensure every sensor and device work together effectively.”

Hood does however, acknowledge that with these 5G innovations there are challenges and risks, in particular – cyber threats. “The key to securing any system is to design with all aspects of security in mind. This means everything in the entire supply chain,” says Hood. Key implementations to stay ahead of cyber threats include “organisation-wide commitment, risk management, clear governance, and c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

37

LEADERSHIP

“ Our customers are already demonstrating innovations in their 5G and Edge labs” — Ian Hood Chief Technologist, Global Service Provider, Red Hat 38 accountability, with requirements for

deployed, these applications may be

consistent, repeatable processes and

deployed across a collection of open

best practices. Being secure means

edge clouds,” says Hood. “We also

maximizing the confidentiality,

expect to see applications of AI, ML,

integrity, and availability of the systems

blockchain, AR, VR and the advent

and infrastructure that comprise the

of serverless computing across

5G, MEC and IoT environment.”

healthcare, automotive, agriculture,

Looking to the future, Red Hat looks to continue towards its vision of an

manufacturing and finance.”

Going forward, Red Hat – while

open hybrid cloud enabling customers

retaining its independence and

to deliver any application or service

continuing to build and expand all its

on any infrastructure. “We are already

partnerships – will look to continue its

seeing many deployments of hybrid

relationship of over 20 years with IBM,

cloud for enterprise as well as service

“working together to solve compelling

providers, and with the expansion of

business challenges for customers.”

the 5G, MEC infrastructure being

IBM and Red Hat share a common

NOVEMBER 2019

39 objective to drive innovation across

Red Hat are leading global providers

the hybrid cloud with choice and

of open source solutions to help

flexibility. As well as giving customers

companies in all industries and regions

the opportunity “to take advantage

to digitally transform and become

of Red Hat and IBM’s modular agile

better interconnected. Red Hat’s open

integration and business intelligence

source portfolio covers: hybrid cloud

and open API management tools to

infrastructure, middleware, agile

accelerate their time to revenues.”

integration, cloud-native application

“The key focus for us is how to help them expand and evolve their current

development, management solutions and automation solutions.

environments in a practical manner while providing compelling business benefits along with improved customer experiences - quite an exciting time for all of us.”

Established over 25 years ago, c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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TECHNOLOGY

THE CLOUD 42

PLAYBOOK Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA at software company Pivotal, on the factors to consider when planning a cloud migration strategy WRITTEN BY

BAS LEMMENS

NOVEMBER 2019

43

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TECHNOLOGY

T

he execution of a cloud migration strategy can be an anxious time for business leaders.

Not only are the core aspects of moving to

the cloud often shrouded in technical jargon (public vs private; hybrid vs multi; containerisation; XaaS; etc.), but also, the diversity and complexity of IT infrastructure varies widely from business to business,

44

making the risk of disruption difficult to determine.

Imagine a business’ IT infrastructure as a bus speeding along the motorway. The vehicle must transport assets and information according to a strict schedule, otherwise mission critical processes are subject to disruption, resulting in the loss of precious time and money. In this analogy, an attempt to execute a cloud migration strategy is akin to climbing under the bonnet, swapping out the old engine and fitting a new one, all while the bus is still travelling at speed.

Much to the relief of business leaders, the process of cloud migration is far too incremental to be comparable to a Hollywood-style stunt. In fact, a more useful analogy is to think about moving to the cloud as something much more relaxing – chess.

NOVEMBER 2019

45

“CLOUD-NATIVE APPS RUN BETTER, FASTER AND MORE RELIABLY THAN THOSE HOSTED IN ON-PREMISES DATA CENTERS” — Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA, Pivotal

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

TECHNOLOGY

RE-IMAGINING CLOUD MIGRATION IN BLACK AND WHITE

piece forward has the potential to

Modern businesses run on a number of

while creating a set model for success

different apps, each with a specific set

is rendered almost impossible by billions

of services or processes that enable

of different potential arrangements.

different aspects of business to func-

46

increase the vulnerability of others,

What does this have to do with the

tion. Like pieces on a chess board,

cloud? Put simply, cloud-native apps

these components achieve their pur-

run better, faster and more reliably than

pose by operating in a variety of differ-

those hosted in on-premises data cent-

ent ways to achieve a common goal.

ers. Moreover, the distributed nature of

The way in which these components

cloud computing makes it more difficult

are configured can impact how effec-

for apps to be targeted by cyber-attacks,

tive they are in achieving their goals,

while the flexibility it affords organisations

creating a delicate network of interde-

means that cybersecurity protocols can

pendencies that is not always obvious

be rapidly adapted to the shifting cyber

from an initial assessment. Moving one

threat landscape. Most importantly,

“RUNNING APPS IN THE CLOUD ALLOWS BUSINESSES TO BECOME MORE AGILE – A CRUCIAL CHARACTERISTIC TO HAVE IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD” — Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA, Pivotal NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HOW PIVOTAL HELPS YOU BECOME A MODERN SOFTWARE COMPANY’ 47

however, running apps in the cloud

BRING IN THE CAVALRY

allows businesses to become more

The external perspective of a third-

agile – a crucial characteristic to have in

party organisation is especially useful

a rapidly changing world. Apps run in

during migration projects. This will help

the cloud benefit from both increased

to overcome the tendency for cloud

portability and scalability, which helps

migration projects to suffer from tunnel

businesses adapt their products and

vision and offer an expert opinion to

services to changing levels of demand,

assist difficult decisions. For example,

or to more closely align with customer

an organisation may have modernised

needs. This is how value can be gener-

its enterprise application structure to

ated as a direct result of migrating apps

run in the cloud, launched new micros-

to the cloud, while also saving costs by

ervices and started adhering to a new

only using as much of the IT depart-

architectural style, but neglected to

ment’s resources as needed at the time.

retire its legacy infrastructure. Such c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

TECHNOLOGY

ground and end up wasting money and

ONE SMALL STEP FOR IT, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR BUSINESS

slowing down systems – despite effec-

A game of chess is lost when all the

tively being redundant in cloud-based IT

most important pieces are brought

environments. Instead of hiding, these

to the frontline simultaneously.

blind spots can be easily identified and

Accordingly, nowhere does it say that a

safely eliminated by granting visibility

business must shift all of its apps to the

to an unbiased third party to rigorously

cloud in a single move. Even with just

check the assumptions initially made.

a small portion of apps running in the

problems can easily fade into the back-

The surging popularity of cloud-native

48

cloud – often only 10-20% of a total

enterprise applications has also chal-

estate – businesses will notice the ben-

lenged conventional wisdom on how

efits of the cloud begin to manifest in

to keep systems safe and secure. From

areas such as value-added services,

infrastructure to application development,

enhanced customer experience and a

there is a sharp contrast between legacy

greater capacity to innovate.

cybersecurity tools and a more modern, cloud-native approach to protecting IT resources. Organisations must reimagine their cyber defences to adapt to the needs of the cloud-native era. As a result, organisations moving to the cloud must be bold and invest in the innovations, patterns and practices in order to be successful, such as establishing a DevOps culture, engage in the continuous delivery of new apps and updates and adopt a microservices architecture. These are the tools that are needed for cloud-native security the way in which major risks can be mitigated.

NOVEMBER 2019

It is paramount that businesses

businesses can embark on a journey of

planning a cloud migration strategy

learning and adapting to a new cloud-

focus first on moving the apps that are

based environment, and ensure that

best positioned to reap the benefits of

cloud migration projects are successful.

the cloud. Which apps deliver the most value to customers? Which apps are

MAINTAINING ENGAGEMENT

the most important in ensuring the

The usefulness of technology partners

people within the business can achieve

does not stop at the technology itself.

their goals? Which apps drive the most

Perhaps, one of the most important

traffic? Identifying which apps are core

aspects of cloud migration projects is

to the business and moving them to

to maintain stakeholder engagement

the cloud, it can be assured that the

throughout the process. Technology

maximum outcomes of the technology

partners can be instrumental in

are being achieved with minimal

espousing the benefits of technical

change. By taking incremental steps,

projects to members of the executive

“THE BEST MIGRATIONS HAPPEN WHEN INDIVIDUAL TEAMS WORK TOGETHER, FROM DEVOPS TO IT” — Bas Lemmens, VP EMEA, Pivotal

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

49

TECHNOLOGY

board, such as tangible ROI and new opportunities to compete, scale and grow. It’s important that it’s not just the customers that go on and benefit from this journey. Teams within the organisation must understand the technology and concepts being deployed and be shown the value of having existing systems changed.

As with any major cultural change, resistance is to be expected, especially when executed in parallel with a large technology project such as a 50

cloud migration. Making sure teams are on board with change is foundational to success, and establishing processes for introducing them to new solutions and software is crucial.

The best migrations happen when individual teams work together, from DevOps to IT. Again, this is where an incremental approach is fundamental, as each step leads to new insights which require continuous course correction and adaptation. The often technical way in which cloud is described means that the crucial human factor of cloud migration is forgotten. A people-centric approach must be taken, one which rigorously NOVEMBER 2019

questions any assumptions regarding individual teams’ reactions to the change involved. Only then can a project become successful.

WINNING THE GAME No one ever won a game of chess without sacrificing pieces along the way. Equally, no cloud migration project is flawless. Even with the best tools and people at their disposal, organisations will find themselves making certain trade-offs and facing unexpected circumstances. Moving to the cloud, however, isn’t a leap of faith; it’s an incremental and strategic reconfiguration of IT resources that requires evaluation every step of the way. The outcome? An IT offering that is fit for purpose, futureproof and capable of serving the needs of both clients and employees alike.

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51

Transform Build Innovate Build New Relationships.

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December 4 - 6, 2019 Metro Toronto Convention Centre

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PEOPLE

54

THE YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER In every industry, the need for companies to provide their customers with seamless digital experiences is growing more and more pressing, and those unwilling to adapt to a new class of consumer run the risk of being left behind WRITTEN BY

NOVEMBER 2019

HARRY MENEAR

55

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PEOPLE

A

cross every industry in every market, one thing has become clear in 2019: this is the year of the customer.

Ubiquitous advertising, economic discomfort in a shrinking middle class, more ways than ever for people to self-determine the companies they deal with, a hunger for on-demand and personalised products and services, and a younger consumer class grown increasingly distrustful of an unfair capitalist system, are all conspiring to firmly put the ball back in

the court of corporations when it comes to 56

attracting and retaining a customer base.

Back in 2018, James Paine, the Founder of West Realty Advisors wrote, in a piece for Inc, that “twenty years ago, if you paid for a product or service and you weren’t happy with what you received, the best you could hope for was that if you sent in a letter of complaint, you’d eventually receive a refund. You could tell a couple of friends and maybe they’d tell their friends, but that was about it. Nowadays, though, if a customer has a bad experience then they can post about it online, and if they post about it online then it can go viral and even seriously damage the overall value of your brand. After all, all it took was one tweet from Kylie Jenner to knock US$1.3bn off Snapchat’s valuation.”

NOVEMBER 2019

“ People expect improvements at a pretty fast clip these days” — Victoria Holt, CEO, Protolabs

57

The message from consumers is clear: “treat us right or perish.”

This month, we explore explores the strategies being adopted by companies that want not simply to survive this age of seamless consumer experience, but to thrive in it.

Victoria Holt, CEO of digital manufacturer Protolabs, agrees that customer expectations in her industry have changed over the past decade.

“People expect improvements at a pretty fast clip these days. So, being able to very quickly design, prototype c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PEOPLE

58 and launch products is a critical suc-

transform to offer products that are

cess factor for manufacturers today,”

more personalised and readily availa-

she explains, adding that “there’s more

ble, and in return, this drives customer

mass-customisation too, which is

expectations and the standards are

another thing that not only requires

becoming more exacting every year as

rapid innovation, but the capacity to

the customers take more and more

produce products in lower quantities

control.

as you customise them for specific end

“For the last 50 years, software

uses. Again, this lends itself to a more

development has been specification-

digitalised manufacturing process.”

centric. Teams created software that

This emphasis on harnessing the

complied with a specification. That just

power of digital transformation is part

doesn’t work anymore,” says Antony

and parcel with the ouroboric relation-

Edwards, Chief Operating Officer of

ship between the company and

artificial intelligence, analytics and

customer. Companies digitally

software solutions company, Eggplant.

NOVEMBER 2019

CORTEX Social media is the most visible, immediate and effective medium

Small, Boston-based AI startup Cortex touches

through which companies can interact

more lives on a daily

with their customers. These three

basis than most major

startups are using AI to revolutionise the customer experience online.

advertising firms.

Founded in 2015, the company owns and operates a

“ Software teams need to use customer analytics to become user-centric and create software that delights users and drives business outcomes” — Antony Edwards, Chief Operating Officer, Eggplant

proprietary AI platform that reportedly eliminates the need for a dedicated social media data analyst.

“Cortex learns what makes better marketing content and offers creative direction, social media insights, and competitive benchmarking based on this data analysis.”

Trusted by diverse global brands like Heineken (achieving a 39% increase in engagement with the beverage giant’s Dos Equis property) and band

“Software teams need to use customer

Maroon 5, Cortex uses its algo-

analytics to become user-centric and

rithmic analysis of social trends

create software that delights users

to “know exactly what to post,

and drives business outcomes.”

when, how often, and instantly

Edwards’ observations are backed by

add the most effective photo

a recent white paper from Adobe.

or video. No more guessing,

Noting that the most successful mod-

no more searching. Done in no

ern companies are the ones that have

time at all.” c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

59

PEOPLE

digitally transformed themselves, Adobe warns that “transformation needs to be driven with a purpose.

For top businesses, that purpose is customer experience”. Companies that place customer experience at the top of their list of priorities are more successful than those who adopt a ‘push’ mentality.

But what do those customers want?

High level concepts like “customisability” and “on-demand” are a good start, but to better understand the specific 60

things consumers want from them, successful companies are doubling down on analytics and diverting more and more resources, both to under-

purchases. They then feed this auto-

standing their consumers and to

matically back into their software

providing a seamless experience. “Fast

development to optimise revenue.”

food stores are employing user analyt-

Across the board, industry leaders are

ics to understand how their staff are

moving as one towards a more

using point-of-sale terminals and then

informed company-customer relation-

using this information to update the

ship. In Gartner’s recent Customer

point-of-sale terminal so that custom-

Experience Trends Survey, it was

ers are served faster,” says Edwards.

revealed that, in 2018, two-thirds of

“Retailers are using a combination of

companies increased their customer

user and technical analytics to under-

experience technology investments,

stand how technical factors such as

with 52% reporting that they intended

website speed and design factors such

to increase spending further in 2019. In

as high-resolution graphics, impact

last year’s survey, Gartner found that

NOVEMBER 2019

DRIFT Another Bostonian firm, Drift was founded in 2014 and has since become the world’s leading conversational marketing and sales platform that helps businesses connect with their customers.

With a focus on immediate revenue generation for its clients, Drift has undeniably displayed the trend with regard to its own development.

After just two years on the market, the company has become one of the fastest growing SaaS companies of all-time and was named to the Forbes Cloud 100, LinkedIn 81% of companies expect customer

Top 50 Startups, Entrepreneur’s

experience to be the most important

Top Company Cultures, Boston

competition metric by 2020.

Business Journal’s Best Places to

Seeking to perfect the customer experience is going to become an even greater point of differentiation for com-

Work, and SaaS Company of the Year by the NEVCA. “Using Drift chatbots you can

panies in the next few years. Social

answer common questions in real

media is a valuable tool for companies

time, route qualified leads to the

to understand, sell to and interact with

right sales reps and start conver-

their customer bases, but the sword

sations with prospects in real time.

swings both ways. Debacles like Fyre

Rep in a meeting? No problem,

Festival and Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat

leads can book a time that works

Tweet prove that brands have nowhere

for them and your rep in seconds

to hide anymore; the customer

flat,” according to the company. c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

61

PEOPLE

INVOCA Founded in 2008, Santa Barbara-based analytics firm Invoca has spent over a decade selling the idea of relationship insights as direct value creation. The company is centered around its AI-powered call tracking and analytics platform that helps marketers get campaign attribution and actionable data from inbound phone calls.

The approach is a less common one, given the focus of most social media solutions on internet engagements over social media apps. However, with the US outbound telemarketing market predicted to reach higher than $12bn annually by 2025, the application of AI to gain greater 62

insight into the space has its appeal.

In an interview in 2017, Invoca CEO Gregg Johnson said: “With the massive rise of mobile, which is driving 85 billion calls to businesses globally and influencing more than $1 trillion in US consumer spending, it’s becoming even more important for marketers to integrate call intelligence with their marketing automation solutions. As consumers increasingly combine their digital interactions with voice interactions, live conversation has become the new competitive battleground for customer experience. Call intelligence allows marketers to connect digital consumer interactions (clicking on paid search ads, browsing websites, etc.) to the voice experience (talking to a human), to have a holistic profile of the customer.�

NOVEMBER 2019

experience must be seamless, curated and on-demand. Companies that want to succeed in what may become the Decade of the Customer need expert help – a fact that means the global Customer Experience Analytics Market is expected to grow to around $12bn by 2023 – and to embrace the power of digital. Vinod Muthukrishnan, co-founder and CEO of customer experience management software company CloudCherry, lives this reality every day. “Customer retention is lower than it ever has been. The millennial audience is actually much more conscious of business ethics, the

IN 2018, TWO-THIRDS OF COMPANIES INCREASED THEIR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS THE GLOBAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ANALYTICS MARKET IS EXPECTED TO GROW TO AROUND $12BN BY 2023

environment and corporate social responsibility than the two generations before it, mine included,” he explains.

When asked about the key to a great customer experience, Muthukrishnan says: “We’re going back to the basics.

In many ways, the more digitisation we do, the more humanisation the customer demands. You can use machine learning, you can use bots – you do whatever, as long as it’s aimed at actually giving that customer a more personal experience.”

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

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NOVEMBER 2019

MANAGING OPERATIONAL RISK IS KEY TO IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY Bill Zuurbier, co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib, discusses the importance of resilience within new structures and the need for clear communication when addressing sustainability

WRITTEN BY

BILL ZUURBIER c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

65

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

66

T

here is an increasing focus on

in the construction sector and other

incorporating resilience into new

industries to prioritise sustainability.

structures, as well as updating

In setting this new target to reduce

existing infrastructure. However,

carbon emissions, the UK is the first

addressing sustainability requires vision

G7 nation to align with the Paris 2015

and clear communication to ensure it

agreement, but others already have

gets the attention it deserves prior to

plans to follow.

and during delivery.

To assist those responsible for the

Increased public awareness of the

design and development of new

impact of climate change and the UK

buildings and infrastructure, the

Government’s recent decision to set

sustainability assessment methodology

a legally-binding target to reduce

– BREEAM – has been rolled out to

greenhouse gas emissions to net zero

more than 70 countries around the

by 2050, are driving decision-makers

world. Used to measure and certify

NOVEMBER 2019

“At any stage of delivery, if whole-life costs are not properly considered, the risks associated with the project can increase dramatically� — Bill Zuurbier, Co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib 67

the environmental performance of

environmental or societal benefits.

new and existing buildings, those with

As a result, those responsible for

a rating of Excellent or Outstanding are

designing new projects are specifying

deemed to be sustainable environments

sustainable materials and operational

that meet a high standard in terms of

equipment, usually justified by

their environmental, social and corporate

whole-life cost considerations, which

governance (ESG) performance.

prove their efficiency over time.

Certification schemes and bench-

Operational risks are among the

marks clearly have an important role

biggest risk factors for any major-scale

to play in driving sustainability perfor-

infrastructure programme or construc-

mance. Their use is certainly helping

tion project, and successful mitigation

to attract investors and other stake-

starts at design stage, when sustain-

holders, who increasingly expect

ability is closely considered. At this

projects to deliver measurable

stage, a complete cost plan for the c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

“Building in sustainability and forward planning at design stage can help to make projects more attractive to private sector investors and public sector sponsors� — Bill Zuurbier, Co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib 68 project is prepared, incorporating both capital costs, which are associated with the build itself and operational costs, spanning the expected life of the structure. If capital expenditure is low at design stage, but operational costs, such as those incurred when using or maintaining the asset, seem excessive, there is an opportunity to address this by specifying a more sustainable solution.

Once building work gets underway, costs can start to increase and if not properly controlled, some of the sustainability benefits of the structure NOVEMBER 2019

69 could be eroded. From the project

make projects more attractive to

manager’s perspective, if budgets are

private sector investors and public

not being met, there could be pressure

sector sponsors. For this reason, many

to cut corners and decisions might be

designers are focused on reducing

taken to swap sustainable equipment,

both embodied and operational carbon

which comes with a higher price tag,

emissions. This typically involves the

for cheaper, less eco-friendly alterna-

specification of energy-efficient

tives. While this could help to reduce

lighting or microgeneration technolo-

capital expenditure, the longer-term

gies, such as solar panels or wind

impact of such decisions on the life-cycle

turbines. Such equipment may increase

performance of the building could

capital expenditure but has the potential

be considerable, particularly if the

to drastically reduce operational costs

replacement costs more to maintain.

over time, making the building more

Building in sustainability and forward

efficient from a cost and environmental

planning at design stage can help to

perspective. Increasingly, designers c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

are being challenged to future-proof structures to ensure their sustainability by allowing changes to extend their functionality or capacity further down the line, in lieu of significant refurbishment or rebuilding.

At any stage of delivery, if whole-life costs are not properly considered, the risks associated with the project can increase dramatically. An example of this can be seen in the award-winning Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which became home to West Ham 70

Football Club in 2016. Forward-thinking designers and their sponsors were keen to develop a multi-storey asset which could bring diverse benefits to the local area for many years to come.

Their decision to incorporate dual

“Keeping an eye on operational risks at all stages of delivery is vital to ensure that construction projects deliver on their sustainability promises� — Bill Zuurbier, Co-founder and Managing Director of risk management consultancy, Equib NOVEMBER 2019

it is important that stakeholders at a senior level encourage adherence to the right processes and controls from the start. Once a project is underway, decisions made onsite must be communicated to all stakeholders and endorsed where necessary. As projects can often take many years to complete, these processes and controls must also be robust enough to stick even when there are significant changes of personnel or multiple specialist teams are involved.

Wider application of BIM or Building Information Modelling, which involves the creation of a detailed digital description of every aspect of a building or project, can also help to improve data management and visibility across the life of the project. The ability to integrate 3D models with time and cost data means functionality by allowing the structure

risks can be identified more readily and

to double as an athletics track was

used to inform decision making.

inspired, but the operational costs

Keeping an eye on operational risks

attached to switching from one use

at all stages of delivery is vital to ensure

to the other have since become a bone

that construction projects deliver

of contention.

on their sustainability promises.

To assist in de-risking construction projects and infrastructure programmes and delivering sustainability benefits, c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

71

C I T Y F O C U S | O T TA W A

OTTA

City Focus 72

Ottawa’s revitalisation of its commercial landscapes through leaders of high-tech developments and unbridled innovation WRITTEN BY

NOVEMBER 2019

OLLIE MULKERRINS

AWA c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

73

C I T Y F O C U S | O T TA W A

O

ttawa is the capital of Canada, standing on the South Bank of the Ottawa

River in the eastern portion of south-

ern Ontario. With a metropolitan population of 1,323,783 as of the 2016 census, making

it the fourth largest city in Canada. Founded under the name Bytown in 1826 and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, it has expanded to become a national hub of trade, commerce and culture. The city is named after the Ottawa river which translates from Algonquin, meaning “to trade.”

74

It’s home to a number of post-secondary, research and cultural institutions, including the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery and numerous museums. It also holds the national record for the lowest unemployment, with only 5.9% of the population currently out of work. The city’s GDP growth Rate is 2.7%, the fourth-highest of any Canadian major city and provides an average gross income in the region of just over CA$40,000, up from 2018 by 4.9%, with the public sector being the largest employer in the region.

Ottawa also has the highest concentration per capita of citizens holding PhD’s in Canada and plays host to two leading public

NOVEMBER 2019

“Ottawa was once, infamously named, ‘the town that fun forgot’

by Jonathan Allan Fortheringham” 75

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

C I T Y F O C U S | O T TA W A

“During the 1990s and 2000s Ottawa became one of Canada’s largest tech industry led cities, nicknamed the Silicon Valley North”

universities, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. This, combined with the draw from the high-tech industry in the region, makes for a highly skilled workforce with a solid income. All of this contributes to it being one of the highest-rated cities when it comes to its occupants’ quality of life, according to Mercer.

CULTURE Ottawa was once, infamously, named ‘the town that fun forgot’ by Jonathan Allan Fortheringham and since the

76

Greber plan was implemented in 1950,

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘A ONE MINUTE FOOD TOUR THROUGH OTTAWA’ 77

the city centre has certainly undergone

granted space in the city centre to

a kind of sterilisation. Many services

bolster the social atmosphere and

deemed disruptive to urban city life

foster an environment of cultural and

were decentralised and taken out of

economic development.

the city; factories, train stations and imposing high rise blocks were demol-

INDUSTRY

ished or repurposed to make way for

During the 1990s and 2000s Ottawa

green space. Although this has seen

became one of Canada’s largest tech

Ottawa become the second cleanest

industry led cities, nicknamed Silicon

urban space in Canada, it has distanced

Valley North. Federally assisted research

the population from the city itself, with

facilities like the National Research

many having long commutes to work.

Council became major contributors to

This reputation has begun to turn around

Canada’s technological revolution,

though, as more small businesses are

pushed the city into the future as c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

C I T Y F O C U S | O T TA W A

78

high-tech private companies surpassed

which was delivered on schedule.

the public sector to become the larg-

The rail line connects 13 stations with

est contributors to GDP in the region.

Ottawa’s city centre with a view to

In October 2012, the city council

increasing this by a further 16 stations

approved the final Lansdowne Park

during its Stage 2 development. The

plan which would oversee the con-

project will have cost a total of $4.67bn

struction of a new stadium, as well

across both stages of its construction,

as expanding green and residential

with Stage 2 aiming to be operational

spaces. Two Months later in December

by 2025.

the council voted to move the completion date of the Confederation Line

PUBLIC SECTOR

light rail service to September 14 2019,

As a single-tier municipality, Ottawa

NOVEMBER 2019

79

is responsible for the running of all municipal services such as emergency services, parks, transportation, water and infrastructure and is governed by a 24-seat city council led by Mayor Jim Watson. As Ottawa is the national headquarters for many federal departments it isn’t beholden to any county or regional government. The public service sector, the largest employer across the city, is responsible for over

“Home to the most educated population among Canadian cities and is home to a number of postsecondary, research and cultural institutions”

110,000 jobs and 18.2% of the city’s GDP. c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

C I T Y F O C U S | O T TA W A

HEALTH SECTOR Ottawa has 4 active general hospitals and a health sector responsible for 180,000 jobs and 7.5% of the city’s GDP. Specialised facilities in cardiovascular treatment, mental health and paediatrics combined with the National Research Council of Canada account for the growing life science presence within the city and Canada as a whole.

Ottawa’s has made strides to shake its reputation as ‘the city that fun forgot’.

Hosting some of the country’s largest 80

developing commercial and municipal powerhouses, with a population that is saturated with some of the best educated and most content workers in the nation. The city centre continues to open up to the wider region, with new rail lines bringing in consumers and a thriving commercial landscape keeping them there. The revitalisation of Ottawa has long since begun, with new objectives for education, technology and government coming to the forefront daily. There is always something on the horizon in Ottawa.

SHOPIFY Shopify manages an e-commerce NOVEMBER 2019

CA$4.67bn infrastructure investment

2.7%

platform to rival the likes of Amazon.

More than 800,000 businesses across 175 countries have signed up to use the platform, which grants traders ease of control over payments, marketing and customer engagement.

With a growth of 2036% since 2014, and the recent acquisition of 6 River

GDP growth

Systems to automate their warehouse

94.1%

their trend of exponential growth as

employment rate

operations, Shopify is set to continue it takes control of its own fulfilment network, empowering small business with the reach of gigantic retailers.

MARTELLO TECHNOLOGIES Martello Technologies, founded in 2009 have achieved a growth of 2,231% since 2014, making it the 28th fastest growing business in Canada. Through developing performance management software for communications systems, Martello ensures confidence in real-time business communication technology such as video conferencing and streaming. Its software is used in over 5,000 networks across 175 countries.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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T O P 10

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NOVEMBER 2019

Busiest

airports in the US We explore the Airports Council International’s (ACI) 2018 world airport traffic rating, covering passenger traffic, to bring you the top ten busiest airports in the United States by passenger footfall WRITTEN BY

SHANNON LEWIS

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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T O P 10

84

10

Orlando International

Situated in Orlando, Florida, the Orlando International Airport saw an annual footfall of 47,696,627 passengers in 2018. According to the ACI, this brings its traffic up 6.9% from 2017. 34th in the world, it is the 11th busiest airport in North America, with the airport code MCO. Operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, it employs almost 800 full-time employees, according to the airport website. Daily, it sees 135,839 passengers pass through and 636 flights scheduled.Â

NOVEMBER 2019

85

09

Seattle-Tacoma International

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reached a passenger volume of 49,849,520 people in 2018, up 6.2% from the previous year, according to the ACI. Owned and operated by the Port of Seattle, which has been operating since 1911, it is located in Seattle, Washington. The 9th busiest airport in both the US and North America, it ranks 30th in the world.

With the airport code SEA, it sees 540 flights every day.Â

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T O P 10

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08

McCarren International

Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the McCarren International Airport saw a 2018 passenger volume of 49,863,090 people, according to the ACI, up 2.7% from its 2017 figures. With the airport code LAS and 477 daily flights, it is the 8th busiest airport in the US and North America and the 29th busiest airport in the world. June and July of 2019 saw McCarren’s passenger count climb, up 3% from the previous year.Â

NOVEMBER 2019

Š Andrew Choy/Wiki

87

07

San Francisco International

With 57,738,840 passengers in 2018, San Francisco International Airport is the 7th busiest airport in the US, according to ACI figures.

Its passenger volume went up 3.4% from 2017, making it the 25th busiest airport in the world. It has 468 daily flights, according to Flights From, and was awarded the Environmental Achievement Award for having the world’s first zero net energy airport facility, which it built in 2015.

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T O P 10

88

Š Brandon Van Acker/Wiki

06

John F. Kennedy International

Based in New York, New York, John F. Kennedy International Airport is the 6th busiest airport in the US and North America. Its 2018 passenger volume if 61,623,756 customers is up 3.6% from the previous year. With an airport code of JFK, it is the 22nd busiest airport in the world. According to Flights From, it is the 22nd busiest airport in the world, with 528 flights touching town and departing every day.Â

NOVEMBER 2019

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05

Denver International

Denver International Airport is located in Denver, Colorado. With 64,494,613 customers in 2018, is the 5th busiest airport in the US and North America, according to the ACI. Up 5.1% from 2017 figures, Denver International is the 20th busiest airport in the world.

Generating USD $26 bn for its surrounding region, according to the airport website, it is the 4th busiest airport in the world by daily flights. According to Flights From, it sees 828 flights every day.

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04

Dallas/Fort Worth International

The 4th busiest airport in the world, Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport saw 69,112,607 passengers pass through it in 2018, according to the ACI. Located in Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas, its passenger volume is up 3% from 2017. The 6th busiest airport in the world by passenger volume, it is the 3rd busiest by daily flights. According to Flights From, it has 946 passenger flights scheduled every day.

It was voted the 2019 airport of the year by Air Transport World.Â

NOVEMBER 2019

© Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine/Wiki

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03

O’Hare International

Located in Chicago, Illinois, with the airport code ORD, O’Hare International Airport is the third busiest airport in the US and North America, according to the ACI. Up 4.3% from 2017, O’Hare International’s passenger volume in 2018 was 83,245,472 people.

It is the 6th busiest airport in the world by passenger volume, and the number one busiest airport in the world by daily flight schedule, with 1,189 flights every day, according to Flights From.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

T O P 10

02

Los Angeles InternationalÂ

Los Angeles International Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in the US and North America by passenger volume, according to the ACI. Based in Los Angeles,

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California, 87,534,384 passengers passed through in 2018, 3.5% up from 2017. It opened as a site for military flights in 1928, expanding to commercial airlines 1946, according to Airport Technology.

772 flights are scheduled to pass through it every day, making it the 5th busiest airport in the world by daily flights, according to Flights From.Â

NOVEMBER 2019

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T O P 10

01

Hartsfield-Jackson International

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the US and in the world. According to the ACI, it had

94

107,394,029 passengers pass through in 2018, up 3.3% from the previous year, when it was also the busiest airport in the world. The state’s largest employer, it provides 63,000 on-site jobs and generates $3.4bn in revenue for the metro Atlanta area, according to the airport website. It schedules 1,098 flights every day.

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘IT’S GAME TIME (WELCOME TO MY CITY)’ 95

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

96

Inside WSP’s mission to bring digital integrity and smarter buildings to Canada’s property space WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

JAMES BERRY

NOVEMBER 2019

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WSP CANADA

Sharyn Gravelle, National Vice President, Telecom and Technology, and Terri Govang, Director of Technology for Western Canada for WSP talk IoT, 5G, cybersecurity and the future of smart property development

T

oday, more than half of humanity lives in cities. The United Nations predicts this proportion will rise to 68% by 2050,

adding 2.5 billion people to the world’s urban areas.

To promote successful coexistence within these 98

increasingly congested jungles of glass and steel, city planners and developers in the public and private sectors are increasingly turning towards cutting-edge technology for solutions.

“We’re standing at the dawn of another technological revolution, and keeping up with the speed of the coming change is key,” says Terri Govang, Director of Technology for Western Canada at WSP and an expert in smart building security systems.

Govang, who started her career as an electrician and progressed from roles in integration and manufacturing to design and consulting services, joined WSP in November 2018. With 60 years at the forefront of progress in the professional services space, WSP in Canada is now a leading supporter of the companies engineering our hyper-urbanized, interconnected, Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G-powered future.

NOVEMBER 2019

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$1,053.6mn Approximate revenue

1959

Year founded

8,300

Approximate number of employees c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

WSP CANADA

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘WSP FUTURE READY’ 100

“At WSP, we have a Future Ready®

is reshaping the smart building space

program that offers our clients a clearer

and how WSP is positioning itself to

understanding of what the future will

lead and benefit from the coming

look like,” adds Sharyn Gravelle,

technological revolution.

National Vice President of Telecom and Technology at WSP in Canada.

CLOSE CLIENT PARTNERSHIPS

“We look at four different pillars: climate,

Commitment to continually improving

society, resources and technology.

the quality and effectiveness of

We strive to make our designs ready,

processes, by educating both her

both for current design codes and for

team and her clients, is at the heart

the future we envision. This is where

of Govang’s role.

we add value for our clients.”

Gravelle and Govang sat down with us to explore the ways in which technology NOVEMBER 2019

“The overall industry and the technology it employs has seen several changes over the last decade,

101

and I’ve personally worked with hundreds of clients to educate and support them through these transitions,” she explains.

“WSP has a long history of providing technology and telecom specialty services to an established client base.

We strive to understand our clients’ business. Before commencing any design, it’s crucial to sit with the client in conversation about how they envision their building operationally.”

Working closely to develop a clear

“ Ensuring end-to-end encryption between all devices is increasingly important. In fact, I’d say it’s crucial” — Terri Govang, Director of Technology for Western Canada, WSP

understanding of client expectations c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

WSP CANADA

102

for everything from aesthetics to

As technology evolves, the demands

core system functionality is a key

of the market do as well. “Clients are

differentiator for WSP.

more educated now than they’ve ever

“Our clients are competing to provide

been,” Govang explains. “They have a

elegant buildings, packed with ameni-

greater understanding of technology,

ties and world-class technology,” says

and these pioneers are ultimately

Govang. “Our focus is on offering the

seeking overall improvement in

kind of strategic advisory services that

building performance, operational

support design and project manage-

efficiencies, and improved user,

ment of enterprise security technolo-

employee and guest experiences.”

gies and programs, with an emphasis

Working with a team of seasoned

on intelligent infrastructure in high-

technology professionals, Govang is

performance buildings, digital adoption

at the heart of WSP’s efforts to both

and technological improvements.”

increase the interconnectedness and

NOVEMBER 2019

technological capabilities of its clients’

all over a building, campus or city, the

buildings, and ensure that those clients

vulnerability points for potential attack

remain safe in a rapidly-evolving threat

increase drastically, so ensuring

landscape. “With more devices being

end-to-end encryption between all

connected to your network, security

devices is increasingly important.

and integrity are often overlooked.

In fact, I’d say it’s crucial.”

With the digital era and the increasing adoption of IoT, yes, we can converge

A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE

intelligence systems, capture analytics

Alongside the evolution of intelligent

and connect buildings across the city.

business systems, the need for

But as exciting as this may be, the

integrated security has grown, to

technological revolution has brought

the point where Govang argues it

with it a changing threat landscape,”

is no longer a technological issue,

she says. “If we disperse IoT devices

but a managerial and strategic one.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Sharyn Gravelle Sharyn Gravelle is the National Vice President of Telecom and Technology at WSP in Canada. She is a strategic leader with strong acumen and progressive career experience spanning over 30 years with start-ups and large corporations. Having begun her career as a Radio Frequency Design Engineer in 1988, Gravelle has held diverse roles shaping the wireless industry from early analog to the current 5G landscape and continues to help shape Canada’s telecom and technology infrastructure.

Over the last 6+ years, she has led a unified national team of 200 employees at WSP.

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103

WSP CANADA

104

NOVEMBER 2019

“ We use technology to create open and secure spaces, improve the flow of traffic or people and deliver a more sustainable, reliable solution” — Terri Govang, Director of Technology for Western Canada, WSP

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105

Great minds think together.

Your business has unique design, security and operational needs.

Axis Professional Services provides personalized advice and customized expertise to help you optimize existing surveillance systems and be able to meet the demands of tomorrow. There, when you need us.

Visit us at www.axis.com/professional-services-us or call us at 1 800 444 AXIS, option 1

In the past, Govang often encoun-

experience, reduce waste, reduce risk,

tered organizational tendencies to

increase compliance and drive efficiency

sacrifice technology and security

through new and emerging technologies.”

investment for the sake of perceived

The driving capability behind all

convenience and cost. Today, that

these improvements that WSP is

simply isn’t an option.

delivering is the ability to gather more

“Above all else, a smart building is

high-quality data than ever before.

a secure building,” she says. “We use

“It wasn’t long ago that cameras were

technology to create open and secure

used to capture general overviews,

spaces, improve the flow of traffic or

which helped deter and reactively

people and deliver a more sustainable,

review safety or security in spaces.

reliable solution. Clients want to

That’s all changed,” says Govang.

leverage their investments to create new use cases, improve the customer NOVEMBER 2019

Working alongside one of its partners, Axis Communications,

107

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Terri Govang As the Director of Technology for Western Canada at WSP, Terri Govang oversees the design, development and deployment of comprehensive security and technology systems and applications. Having begun as an industrial electrician, Govang has 13+ years of industry experience that she leverages to deliver modern and optimized approaches to security. She is an ASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP ÂŽ), specializing in new construction and enterprise systems migration and upgrades. Her expertise is evidenced by her track record of mitigating risk, project planning and innovation.

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WSP CANADA

108

“ Above all else, a smart building is a secure building” — Terri Govang, Director of Technology for Western Canada, WSP NOVEMBER 2019

WSP is using IoT-enabled devices in order to provide its clients with better insights pulled from larger, more sensitive networks. Then, Big Data analytics allow WSP to draw actionable insights from that data.

“What’s great about this is that all Axis devices support the application platform, which enables developers to leverage a lot of device processing power, which helps edge-based analytics that enable the camera to do more than it ever could before,” enthuses Govang.

109

Looking to the future, both Govang

says Govang. “Gone are the days

and Gravelle see the capacity for smart

when technology and security were a

buildings to increase efficiency, security

nice-to-have extra option. Technology

and comfort as a key driver of the

has become the modern critical

digital evolution of urban environments.

infrastructure.”

“The market is evolving towards 5G and IoT — IoT being both massive IoT for large scale applications, and critical IoT for latency and other sensitive, niche applications,” says Gravelle.

And as with any major paradigm shift, this evolution has rendered old practices obsolete. “Change is certainly the one thing that is constant,” c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

110

HUDSON RESOURCES: MINING FOR A GREENER FUTURE WRITTEN BY

DAN BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY

RICHARD DEANE

NOVEMBER 2019

111

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HUDSON RESOURCES

HUDSON RESOURCES IS REALISING A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS FROM ITS WHITE MOUNTAIN ANORTHOSITE MINE IN GREENLAND

H

udson Resources celebrated the safe arrival of the first bulk shipment of anorthosite (calcium feldspar) from its

White Mountain (Qaqortorsuaq) Greenland mine in August this year. It’s set to be the first of many shipments taking advantage of a unique orebody 112

with a +100-year mine life.

“The journey to the commencement of production of the anorthosite at White Mountain in February 2019 has taken seven years,” explains President and Director Jim Cambon. With a 50-year permit in place, we embarked on our 12-month plan to develop the mine site in 2018. The creation of the mine and associated infrastructure was a CA$45mn construction project utilising a modular approach, with 1200 tonnes of steel brought in to the remote Greenland location by barge. “That barge is now our dock at the deep-water port,” adds Vice President of Operations, Jerry Janik, who recalls the logistical challenges of commissioning the process plant during the Arctic winter. “It was -40°C when we first commissioned the site – 12 months earlier the plant was just a slab of concrete. The execution of the NOVEMBER 2019

113

2005

Year founded

40

Approximate number of employees

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HUDSON RESOURCES

114

“ IT WAS -40°C WHEN WE FIRST COMMISSIONED THE SITE – LAST YEAR THE PLANT WAS JUST A SLAB OF CONCRETE. THE EXECUTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AND MET ALL OF OUR EXPECTATIONS FROM A SAFETY, COST AND SCHEDULING PERSPECTIVE” — Jerry Janik, Vice President, Operations, Hudson Resources

construction phase was a great success and met all of our expectations from a safety, cost and scheduling perspective. It’s a great reflection of the excellent team we assembled, boosted by the skilled workforce here in Greenland and the engineering led

by CWA Engineers in Vancouver.”

Greenland is a self-governing administrative jurisdiction of Denmark with control of its mineral rights. With no land claim issues, Hudson deals directly with the Greenlandic people and has very strong support from the local communities. Greenland is a mining friendly jurisdiction with a competitive fiscal regime that provides a sound financial basis for the future of White Mountain. The Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum Råstofskolen is also located near White Mountain; it has toured the facility.

Anorthosite, which is 30% aluminum, offers Hudson the opportunity to develop products with multiple revenue streams. Hudson’s GreenSpar is derived from the igneous mineral plagioclase, which yields the hardest feldspar with the highest refractive index, and offers a distinct advantage as a premium mineral extender for

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HUDSON RESOURCES – ANORTHOSITE PIT 360º’ 115 interior paints requiring very good

agreement with a leading fiberglass

abrasion resistance. Its use can also

producer in a market expected to be

result in a stronger finish and cost

worth $17.4bn by 2024. It can offer

savings as resin filler in clear coatings.

significant technical, financial and

The paint, coatings and polymer

environmental advantages, including:

industries are forecast to become a

energy savings in excess of 10%;

US$31.8bn industry by 2023.

reduction of melt times by up to a third;

GreenSpar can also be used as a

a lower heavy metal content; reduced

replacement for kaolin in the production

wear and tear on refractories and

of E-glass fiber most commonly used

reduced NOx, SOx and CO2 emissions.

in the reinforced polymer composite

GreenSpar also offers a source of

industry in high-end fiberglass for

alumina and could be a replacement for

wind turbines, cars and boat parts,

bauxite, without producing any of the

and sporting equipment. Hudson has

associated waste and tailings. The

already signed a 10-year off-take

global high purity alumina market was c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

HUDSON RESOURCES

116

worth $1.8bn in 2015 and is expected

8km long, it’s massive, it’s homogeneous

to rise to $5.8bn by 2022. In addition to

and has very few contaminants –

this trio of established markets, Hudson

which is key for industrial mineral

has also discovered that, by adding

projects. We could deliver shipments

phosphoric acid to its anorthosite it

consistently for over 100 years with

can produce strong, heat resistant

this deposit. Even though Greenland

white cement (Anocrete).

is logistically challenged, being on

The White Mountain mine is the

tidewater offers excellent opportunities

source for all of these opportunities.

to bring anything in by ship and load out

“There are some competing minerals

to Western Europe or the US for $25

out there, potentially, but there are no

a tonne. It’s extremely cost effective.”

competing orebodies for anorthosite,”

Technology has played a big part in

reveals Janik. “White Mountain is

operations planning at White Mountain,

unique in its size, the orebody itself is

where the management team knew

NOVEMBER 2019

that the remote location would offer limited workforce resources. “The entire process plant is automated,” explains Janik, “to the point where you can run it off an iPhone or iPad. I could walk around the plant and see it fully controlled. You could actually be in a loader filling rocks into the plant feed hopper and still be able to monitor the plant and see how it’s running. We also have an internet link directly with our automation consultant in Denmark, so if we do have any issues, they’re able to log in from Denmark and help us troubleshoot online.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jim Cambon Jim Cambon, President & Director, Hudson Resources, has over 30 years’ international business development and project management experience in the mineral exploration, consulting and engineering industries with a focus on Arctic projects. He has held senior positions with engineering firms AMEC and Bateman. Jim was Co-Founder of Mongolian exploration company QGX Ltd., which was acquired for $300mn in 2008. Cambon served as the Honourary Consul for Mongolia for eight years, and obtained a Bachelor of Science (Geology) from the University of Western Ontario.

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117

SOLVING YOUR TOUGHEST OPERATING CHALLENGES. SAFELY, EFFICIENTLY & SUSTAINABLY. A global market leader providing trusted technology and services which make your mining operations more productive and profitable.

Learn more

Enduring solutions to last a mine’s life At Weir, our engineers have been solving the mining industry’s biggest operational challenges since 1871.

Today we have 15,000 people in over 50 countries serving the mining sector alongside the infrastructure and oil & gas markets. We can improve the processes at your mine site with everything from slurry transportation, mine dewatering systems and classification & separation to wear lining & corrosion protection, tailings management and crushing & grinding.

Crushing & Grinding Our high capacity crushing and grinding equipment was conceived to process a wide range of applications from primary, secondary, and tertiary hard rock crushing. Weir’s Enduron equipment is tough, reliable and designed to maximise performance. Built for extra-long service life, our entire range of crushing and grinding solutions is backed by the Weir Minerals Service network operating in over 70 countries across the globe.

Conquering the mountain When Hudson Resources needed a tailored solution to meet its crushing and grinding needs at the White Mountain anorthosite mine in Greenland, Weir had the answer. Anorthosite’s dust can interfere with magnetic separation so Hudson commissioned Weir to deliver a crushing and fine grinding system using high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). “The Enduron HPGR requires little to no water for size reduction and has 30% less power consumption versus standard crushing circuits,” explains Weir’s North American HPGR Manager Tim Lundquist. “Since Hudson is creating a dry product in a remote location both of these factors were vitally important to the success of the operation.”

Hudson’s Vice President Jerry Janik was impressed: “What Weir provided was unique.

It enabled us to generate sand and less dust during the second stage of crushing.”

Used in mining applications for the last 30 years, HPGR reduce particles by compressing and crushing the feed between two counter rotating, parallel rollers with a small gap between them. This forces the rocks against each other and compresses the feed’s density to 80% of its solid volume, exceeding their compressive strength with equal pressure being applied to particles of all sizes.

WHY HPGR? Decrease your energy consumption by up to 30% Reduce recirculation and wear within your crushing circuits Enhance your downstream mineral liberation Reduce your maintenance requirements Substantially reduce your water consumption

With their excellent throughput capacity, low maintenance requirements and energy efficiency, high pressure grinding rolls are fast becoming a go-to for greenfield projects looking to maintain their margins despite commodity price pressures and declining ore grades. On average, 53% of a mine site’s energy consumption is attributed to crushing and grinding ores accounting for almost 10% of a site’s production costs. Where HPGR technology has replaced traditional methods of crushing and grinding customers have seen energy savings, and substantially improved mineral liberation.

“Weir’s goal

is always to provide a solution and not just a product,” pledges Lundquist. “When the opportunity arises to work with a company like Hudson we take a look at the entire process as part of offering equipment.

Additionally, we undergo testing to verify our solution will meet the client requirements and do not stop working until our promises have been met.” enduron@mail.weir www.global.weir

HUDSON RESOURCES

The green benefits of White Mountain are highlighted by the fact that

engaged Thor because we needed

Cambon believes it will be a zero-waste

help with ship loading,” explains

facility in the future. “We are running as

Cambon. “With our floating dock, we

lean as we can energy wise,” he says.

required a system to take material out

“We’re also looking at putting in a wind

of our warehouse, transfer it to the

turbine and solar panels in the future.

dock, and then into a ship’s hold. We

We’re even looking at tidal energy

worked with Thor to produce a simple

because we are on a fjord that has

system robust enough for the Arctic,

significant tides – there’s an opportunity

and it did an excellent job delivering

to harness that energy.”

a solution beyond the capacity of

Hudson has been able to quickly

120

component in the operation, we

what we need right now. It allows for

progress White Mountain to the

expansion – we can load a ship at

production stage with the help of some

a thousand tonnes an hour with the

key partners. “As it’s such a major

equipment Thor provided.”

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HUDSON RESOURCES – ANORTHOSITE READY FOR FIRST SHIP’

NOVEMBER 2019

Weir was also commissioned to supply the in-plant crushers. “The ones we’re using are high pressure grinding rolls,” reveals Janik. “They’re somewhat different than what you’d normally expect. The fine dust can interfere with the magnetic separation. What Weir provides is unique, enabling us to generate sand and less dust during the second stage of crushing.” Elsewhere, Lillegaarden was employed to head up the electrical work at the plant.

“I’ve been in this business for 30 years and can say it’s the cleanest, most high-quality layout I’ve ever seen,”

121

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jerry Janik Jerry Janik, Vice President, Operations, Hudson Resources, has extensive knowledge in design, operation, management, and optimisation of industrial minerals facilities with a focus on paints and specialized mineral applications.

Jerry began his industrial mineral career at the Nephton Nepheline Syenite operation in Ontario, which produces a product similar to Hudson’s GreenSpar. Janik was manager of the operation during a period of major capital expansion.

Jerry holds diplomas in geology and mineral processing from Sir Sandford Fleming College School of Natural Resources in Lindsay, Ontario.

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THANK YOU HUDSON RESOURCES FOR CHOOSING THOR AND CONGRATULATIONS ON A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT!

MOVE MOUNTAINS! Thor global enterprises ltd. Is a leading manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment for applications ranging from mining, recycling and aggregate to agriculture, coal, mineral and port terminals. Founded in 1969, thor global has grown significantly over the years in order to provide innovative solutions with unparalleled service and technology worldwide.

LEARN MORE

Hudson’s Lunar Research White Mountain anorthosite is being tested by space agencies as a potential lunar simulant to be used for testing lunar equipment such as rovers, and as a potential building material using Hudson’s CO2 free Anocrete concrete.

Future lunar missions are planned to travel to the Lunar Highlands and the Lunar Poles where the main geological environment is anorthosite (very similar to Hudson’s anorthosite in Greenland). Lunar anorthosite was collected by the Apollo missions in the early 1970s.

Hudson is collaborating with lunar scientists at the University of Tokyo, who are at the forefront of space research. The University of Tokyo developed petrological sections and

conducted tests which confirmed that Hudson’s anorthosite is very similar to the Lunar Highland material in texture, grain size and constituent minerals. Hudson and the University of Tokyo are also in discussions with regard to collaborating on research and development on concrete applications using Hudson’s CO2 free Anocrete concrete.

Hudson has provided material to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for evaluation to use in its testing facilities for rover simulations. The company has also held preliminary discussions with the European Space Agency regarding utilising Hudson’s anorthosite for lunar research.

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123

Overall electrical contractor on the Hudson Plant Industrial plants in Greenland & Denmark · · · · · · · ·

Engineering, planning, logistics Power plant installation Grounding systems Plant power distribution Cable ways Plant machinery cabling Lighting indoor and outdoor Testing and commissioning LEARN MORE lillegaarden.dk +45 98557411 Denmark

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“ WE’VE GOT 14,000 TONNES OF PRODUCT SITTING IN A WAREHOUSE, SO WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED ON SUCH A SKINNY BUDGET IS REMARKABLE” — Jim Cambon, President and Director, Hudson Resources 125 confirms Janik. “In fact, they’re so

Savannah, so what we’ve accomplished

good we stole one of their project

on such a skinny budget with a small

managers to become our own site

team is remarkable.”

manager,” he laughs.

Hudson has big plans to increase

Long-term, Cambon believes it’s important to have sustainable rare

capacity and grow the markets, as

earth supplies outside China and

Cambon believes demand will outstrip

suggests Hudson is well placed to

supply in the next 24 months. “We are

advance another of its Greenland

in discussions with a number of groups

projects with a high ratio of neodymium

about potential strategic partnerships

at Sarfartoq. “The Chinese have

going forward, which would give us

control of the market and are even

more horsepower. That’s something

investing in rare earth projects outside

we’ll look at as a way to grow the

of China to further control it. Because

company and add shareholder value,”

of the value of neodymium in creating

he says. “We’ve got 14,000 tonnes

these super magnets you need to have

of product sitting in a warehouse in

that supply outside of China. I think it’s c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

HUDSON RESOURCES

GREE N B E N E F I T S AT W H I T E M O U N TA I N

• The Greenland operation is a simple quarry with a crushing and magnetic separation facility • No water or chemicals are used to process the anorthosite • Minimal impact to the local landscape

126

• Reduced CO2 by up to 15% for every tonne used by E-Glass producers • Will make paints and coatings last longer • Ability to produce alumina without toxic red mud tailings • Ability to produce CO2 free white cement

NOVEMBER 2019

just a matter of time. We keep going through these cycles where exploration ramps up, but then the Chinese lower rare earth prices. Eventually they will run out of material, or will want to use it internally, and that’s going to be a huge problem for the rest of the world.

Realising sustainable, green, environmentally friendly rare earth projects is an important challenge to meet and one where we’ll look at finding the right partners to tackle.”

Next year, Cambon expects White Mountain to be producing material for paint and E-glass customers, and hopefully rockwool too. “We are in detailed discussions with a fair number of potential off-take partners,” he says.

“I think by 2021 we’ll be sold out.

We won’t have the ability to take on new customers until we can expand; it’s a nice problem to have. By year three we’ll be looking at doubling the size of the operation. I think that’s just the reality of the demands we’re going to see for anorthosite.”

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127

128

HOW T5 DATA CENTERS IS WINNING THE QUEST FOR UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE FOR ITS HYPERSCALE AND ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS WRITTEN BY

DAN BRIGHTMORE

NOVEMBER 2019

PRODUCED BY

TOM VENTURO

129

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T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

T5 Data Centers is tripling its staff to support new projects for hyperscale, enterprise and colocation customers both in construction services and facilities management.

T

5 Data Centers (T5) is focused both on real estate assets and supporting services across the global data center

arena, serving hyperscale, enterprise and coloca130

tion customers. A developer of high-quality data centers in the best markets in North America, and worldwide, T5 offers a range of services to meet the needs of the most demanding companies. “That’s why we created our Facilities Management division (T5FM) and our Construction Services division (T5CS),” explains T5’s President & CEO, Pete Marin.

T5CS was established in 2014 and offers specialized construction services for missioncritical facilities and renewable energy solutions.

The division excels with turnkey data hall construction, facility infrastructure upgrades, equipment procurement, project management and consulting, and green energy projects. With more than 200 mission-critical projects completed across the US, T5CS currently operates in 41 states.

NOVEMBER 2019

131

$100mn+ Approximate revenue

2008

Year founded

400

Approximate number of employees

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T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

“ The leading hyperscale users are building large solar arrays, so we’re developing that expertise and see it as complimentary business and part of the symbiotic relationship with everything we’re doing across the industry” 132

— Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5 Data Centers

Those green energy projects are supporting hyperscale and enterprise data center operators. “We’re ready to meet the demands of the latest initiatives,” assures Marin. “The leading hyperscale users are building large solar arrays, so we’re developing that expertise and see it as complimentary business and part of the symbiotic relationship with everything we’re doing across the industry. We are providing construction services to groups that actually own the purchase power agreements, and we’ll also look at investing in those in the future.”

T5 has partnered with Cherry Street Energy to expand its renewable energy expertise by adding solar array installation to its growing list of general contracting support services.

This will also help further develop T5’s leadership position on an important initiative gaining increased traction in the mission-critical industry. “The solar industry has come a long way over the last five years,” says Robbie Sovie, Executive Vice President for Development & Construction at T5.

“The systems have become more efficient economically and the footprint efficiency has also improved,

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘T5 DATA CENTERS – PETE MARIN, PRESIDENT & CEO, 2018 YEAR-END MESSAGE’ 133 allowing more watts-per-square-foot

design is so important; we always

in a given area. We anticipate green

make sure we utilize energy in the

energy will continue to expand within

most efficient way. If we have those

the mission-critical sector. We’re very

initiatives, then our customers are

excited to support Cherry Street

going to gravitate towards us because

Energy, and additional clients as

we compliment those initiatives. We’re

we implement solar solutions across

driving towards renewable energy to

North America.”

support data centers and help them

Among these projects will be the largest solar installation yet seen in

become more sustainable.”

T5’s award-winning Facilities

the state of Georgia. “We’re always

Management and Operations division,

focused on improving the plans and

T5FM was also formed in 2014 and

reducing the amount of wasted power

now provides third-party mission-

that goes into a data center,” confirms

critical data center management and

Marin. “That’s why cutting-edge

operations services, including remote c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

Nationwide Landscape Civil Engineers Architectures Planners Mission Critical Specialist: Lawson Fanney, P.E. Lawson.fanney@kimley-horn.com 404.201.6132 | 678.333.3387

NOVEMBER 2019

hands, property and asset management,

Right now, we’re focusing on the

consulting, and training.

piece of gear that gets replaced the

The technologies T5 leverages in its

most, and that’s the battery. Knowing

data center operations help support

when they need to be refurbished

its mantra: ‘Forever On’. For a

or replaced, saves money and can

company in the space and cooling

reduce waste.” He believes we’ll see

business, Marin notes that T5 is also

more data analytics tools deployed in

in “the guaranteed lights will never go

the data center and T5 will embrace

out business”. Put simply, reliability

that, while improving BMS (Building

is everything. “We need to monitor all

Management System) and EPMS

of those systems,” maintains Marin.

(Electrical Power Management

“Among the technology initiatives

System) capabilities to guarantee

we utilize is predictive analytics.

100% uptime. T5 has served leading

Being able to predict when a piece of

companies in IT, finance, insurance,

equipment is going to fail is vital.

health care, and telecommunications,

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Pete Marin As President & Chief Executive Officer of T5 Data Centers, Pete is responsible for setting the overall strategy of the firm, maintaining client relationships, capital management, and creating and executing the firm’s vision for growth. Pete has more than 20 years of experience in the data center sector ranging from development, securing debt and equity capital, to tenant representation including site selection and incentives. Pete’s understanding of end-user needs has enabled T5 Data Centers to reduce project cycle-time and cost, which leads to successful relationships, and repeat business.

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135

T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

building a strong reputation for data center reliability as a serial recipient of The Uptime Institute’s Continuous Uptime Award for uninterrupted service.

T5’s Senior Vice President & Director of Sales, David Horowitz notes that, even though the data center industry is still in its infancy, five to 10 years from now many of the legacy facilities will be considered outdated.

He adds: “As enterprises continue to look to monetize their data centers, either by shifting to the cloud or adopting the wholesale outsourcing 136

model, being smarter in how we design our buildings and by utilizing improvements in technology will be a key factor for us when planning the future for T5.”

T5 has been investing in that future through its alliance with QuadReal.

The global real estate investment, operating and development company boasts a $27.4bn portfolio spanning across 23 major cities worldwide and was established to manage the real estate program of British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), one of Canada’s largest asset managers with a $145.6 billion portfolio. In the past year T5 and NOVEMBER 2019

QuadReal have joined forces by launching a $2.5bn fully integrated platform to develop, acquire and operate data centers. “We were able to raise capital with QuadReal with a long-term view across our differentiated platform of assets and services,” explains Horowitz.

QuadReal had been looking to invest in the data center industry for several years. Horowitz notes the company was attracted to T5 above its competitors for a very good reason. “We offer a full suite of data center services and solutions: asset-based development and leasing, construction services, and facility management and operations.

That’s our true differentiator that no other competitor in the data center business can offer.”

Marin adds: “There’s plenty of capital out there looking to invest in the data center space, but there’s a very short list of qualified management teams. Most of the providers are just aiming to construct and lease buildings, few also have the expertise to operate them. Our alliance with QuadReal is a game-changer for current and future customers in the c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

137

T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

Modular Data Center Products As an industry leading data center infrastructure supplier, TAS has been providing the benefits of modular speed and reduced risk for over two decades.

LEARN MORE

www.tas.com 713.877.8700

Intelligent Structural Solutions NOVEMBER 2019

20+ years of providing creative and cost-effective structural engineering services throughout the US within the Mission Critical, Science & Technology, Healthcare, Education,and Commercial Industries.

LEARN MORE

415 362 8944 paradigmse.com info@paradigmse.com

enterprise and hyperscale markets, allowing us to build the world’s most advanced and customized data center facilities faster and at scale.”

T5 is equipped to take on the challenges of a demanding marketplace. Marin explains it’s natural for the customer to want the highest quality product at the most competitive price. “Construction costs are increasing,” he adds. “We’re seeing upward pressure on labor costs but in the end, it’s all about our processes and our team. We have a tried and tested approach to managing the

“ We offer a full service: asset-based, construction services, and facility management and operations platform.

That’s our true differentiator that no other competitor in the data center business can offer” — Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5 Data Centers

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

David Horowitz David is Senior Vice President, Director of Sales for T5 Data Centers. David is responsible for overseeing business growth and promoting T5 Data Centers’ global portfolio and full services capabilities. David’s role includes developing the go-to-market strategy for new markets and leading the national sales team with its strategic initiatives. David has led multi-market searches for some of the world’s largest companies and has closed over 300MW and more than $1bn of data center real estate transactions. Prior to joining T5, David spent 10 years managing data center practice groups for commercial real estate firms.

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T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

C OM PA N Y S TAT S

• T5FM active in 15 US markets • T5 operating 28 data centers – mix of owned and third-party assets • 600MW of IT load managed • 200 mission critical projects completed across the US by T5CS

140

• $2.5bn platform launched with QuadReal to develop, acquire and operate data centers

NOVEMBER 2019

people at each of our facilities and the strategy we have for delivering our products and services has proven to be successful.”

That success is leading T5 to nearly triple its staff (from 150 to 400) to support new projects. “After building data centers for more than a decade, we are seeing changes in the market, and so we are adapting our operations and scaling to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” says Marin.

T5 is committed to supporting veterans and “we were among the first in the data center industry to recruit former nuclear personnel from the navy,” he reveals. “We find that within that talent pool we’ve been able to identify great candidates to be retrained for the data center business.”

In August this year, T5 was nominated among the top ten places to work in Atlanta, so clearly Marin and his team are on the right path. “We’re a small, private company,” reflects Horowitz.

“But we have the communication and the collaboration across the business from our investors, down to the folks in the field, fueling a culture I believe is superior to any of our peers in the industry. We’ve developed this from c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

141

T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

CPGbeyondthecloud.com

the ground up by giving everyone on our teams a voice in how we grow the business, implement change and introduce tools to improve our assets while empowering them to speak to our customers.”

And, thanks to T5’s ability to provide customized real estate development solutions, the customers keep coming.

“After an extensive national search by a large Fortune 100 company, we were awarded a demanding build-tosuit project designed to meet a client’s exact specifications,” explains 143

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HOW T5 SECURES LA COUNTY DATA’

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T 5 D ATA C E N T E R S

144

“ Our alliance with QuadReal is a game-changer for current and future customers in the enterprise and hyperscale markets” — Pete Marin, President & CEO, T5 Data Centers

Horowitz. “Because of our collaborative and transparent approach, the project was a great success and we exceeded expectations on all fronts – budget, schedule and now the operations on an ongoing basis.”

Moving forward, T5 will continue to ramp up its efforts. “We’ve been busy acquiring additional land holdings by investing out of our new venture with QuadReal to kick off developments,” reveals Marin. “We’ve purchased land in Portland, Oregon, in Atlanta, Georgia, and we’ve got land holdings

NOVEMBER 2019

QuadReal & T5 – a data center alliance “The data center market continues to experience very strong growth, driven by the accelerating digitalization of information,” says Jameson Weber, Head of Special Situations for QuadReal. “This strategic investment ($2.5bn) puts us in a very unique position to participate in this growing market alongside a

trusted company with a proven track record in data center development, construction, and management. T5 Data Centers is the logical partner to help us build a long-term business in tech-related real estate while ensuring our users receive the highest levels of service and security for their mission-critical data.”

145

in Charlotte and in Colorado. We also

they too grow their footprint and, from

have an active data center in LA and

an operational perspective, put our

we’re getting ready to launch a new

T5FM stamp on those facilities and

project in Dublin, Ireland.” Meanwhile,

reap the rewards from the strong

the company will also focus on

platform we’ve built over the past

growing its services while looking for

decade.” T5’s platform for excellence

M&A opportunities that will support

in the data center industry looks set

the scaling of T5’s platform. “Right

to march forward, forever on.

now, we’re on target to boost our employee levels to 400 and I can see that growth triple in the coming years,”

F o r e v e r On .

says Horowitz. “We have a lot of growth in front of us. We’re ready to support the top hyperscale users as c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

146

NOVEMBER 2019

Inside Digital Realty’s strategy for an agile, interconnected world WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

TOM VENTURO

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147

D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

Tony Bishop and Corey Dyer of Digital Realty discuss the data centre giant’s ongoing efforts to offer hyper-personalised data centre services from the single rack to the hyperscale

T

he global business landscape is experiencing a sea change. This transformation is permeating every industry

and market, seeing enterprises in the public and 148

private sectors swept along by a rising tide of demand for interconnected digital services. The ongoing transformation of the global economy is increasing the need for a wider array of digital infrastructure solutions, and is driving a seismic evolution on a global scale. “We’re the best positioned in the industry to address the broadest range of requirements. We build, design and operate some of the most highly interconnected data centres in the world,” says Corey Dyer, EVP of Global Sales and Marketing for Digital Realty.

Arriving at Digital Realty in January 2019, Dyer can look back on a year of continued growth and strategic success. Now, he and the rest of Digital Realty are looking forward, as the company embarks on the next phase of its digital transformation voyage.

NOVEMBER 2019

2004

Year founded

$3bn+ Approximate revenue

1,500

Approximate number of employees 149

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Founded in 2004, Digital Realty supports the digital infrastructure needs of more than 2,000 companies across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, with industry-leading data centre, colocation and interconnection services. Being uniquely positioned as the largest provider of data centre and digital infrastructure solutions worldwide gives Digital Realty the opportunity to not only navigate the tides of change, but also direct them to help create even more value for its customers.

“The digital economy is remaking

“ The digital economy is remaking both private and public enterprises across all industries, transforming how they create and deliver value” — Tony Bishop, SVP, Platform and Ecosystem Strategy

both private and public enterprises across all industries, transforming how they create and deliver value,” says Tony Bishop, SVP of Platform and Ecosystem Strategy at Digital Realty. Now more than ever, Bishop believes, companies need to operate ubiquitously, providing on-demand services to customers, partners and employees enabled by intelligent analytics. “Companies are being forced to re-architect their IT towards a decentralised infrastructure to accommodate distributed workflows, which vary by participant, application, information and location c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

151

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AARON BINKLEY ON THE ROLE DATA CENTERS PLAY IN SUSTAINABILITY’ 153 specific needs,” he elaborates.

infrastructure, a “one-stop solution

Dyer agrees. “These customers

that helps to interconnect their entire

need a platform that allows them

digital ecosystem,” enthuses Bishop.

to augment and change things in

“Customers will get to collaborate at

real time,” he says.

scale to solve the problems of global

From this market-wide demand

coverage and capacity through one

for solutions to the increasingly

provider; tailor their infrastructure

mission critical nature of agile,

deployments to their business needs,

on-demand capability is at the

irrespective of data centre size, scale

heart of Digital Realty’s newest

or location; and operate their deploy-

offering: PlatformDIGITAL™.

ments as a seamless extension of

Scheduled for launch this month

their global infrastructure to enable

at the company’s MarketplaceLIVE

globally distributed workflows.”

event in New York, PlatformDIGITAL™ is a new way of approaching digital

Digital Realty is a genuine global partner, placing customer service c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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at the heart of its business strategy.

“From a single cabinet, up to multiple

Dyer notes that the company is

megawatts, we’re a one stop shop for

uniquely positioned to deliver a ser-

all their infrastructure needs.” This

vice that is unavailable anywhere else

will be key to Digital Realty’s creation

in the data centre space. “We’re really

of a truly interconnected infrastruc-

the only provider that operates globally

ture offering. “We’re refocusing our

at scale, but at the same time, we

business to take advantage of this

offer this highly tailored experience

unprecedented opportunity and

to each individual customer,” he says.

become the global partner that helps

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Corey Dyer Corey Dyer is Executive Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, with responsibility for sales, leasing and marketing efforts across the organisation.

Prior to joining Digital Realty, Dyer served as Senior Vice President, Sales, Americas at Equinix, where he had responsibility for sales across the Americas region. Before joining Equinix, Corey worked at Hewlett-Packard, where he served as Vice President, Storage Sales, Canada and led the firm’s Canadian storage business. Previously, he held various sales and sales leadership positions at Dell, primarily in the server, software and peripheral businesses. Corey has over 25 years of experience as a sales leader with a track record of building and driving sales and marketing operations at leading technology companies.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wake Forest University.

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157

companies manage their digital

and other industries. We’re bringing

transformation with their data centre

together the community that builds

infrastructure as the foundation,”

the cloud, network and internet

says Bishop.

infrastructure to demonstrate how

At MarketplaceLIVE, the company

PlatformDIGITAL™ is built to lead

will launch PlatformDIGITAL™. The

companies into the future of the

event – taking place on 7 November

digital economy,” says Bishop. This

at Spring Studios – is intended to

future that Digital Realty is helping

facilitate discussions around the

create for (and with) its clients and

future of digital transformation.

partners is defined by interconnec-

“We’ll host conversations around

tion and the ways in which coming

connectivity and connected tech-

together fosters collaboration. “It’s a

nology across AI, cloud computing

huge opportunity for us to connect, c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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“ We’re really the only provider that operates globally at scale, but at the same time, we offer this highly tailored experience to each individual customer” — Corey Dyer, EVP, Sales and Marketing

not only with our customers but with our partner world,” says Dyer.

In addition to being an infrastructure provider, Digital Realty acts as a facilitator of expertise and connections to its client network. Offering a full range of fit-for-purpose data center solutions, from single cabinet colocation to private hyperscale facilities, Dyer remarks that there really is no end to the variation in the relationships and support structures Digital Realty provides. “Because we have such a strong partner community, we can be very agile in how

NOVEMBER 2019

we support our customers in such a

business has also completed the

fast-paced environment.”

acquisition

Digital Realty is continuing to grow,

of data centre infrastructure

both in scale and agility, through a

company Ascenty and entered into

combination of organic and acqui-

joint ventures related to three of

sition-fueled growth. In 2015, the

its data centres.

company completed its acquisition

The past year alone has seen

of data centre solutions company

Digital Realty expand its operations

Telx in a deal valued in excess of

in Frankfurt, Tokyo, Chicago, Dublin,

US$1.8bn. “The Telx acquisition

Northern Virginia, Brazil and more,

has been a huge boost to us and

as well as announcing plans to enter

our ability to provide interconnec-

the South Korean market for the

tion, which massively helped us build

first time. A large element of Digital

PlatformDIGITAL™,” Dyer explains. In

Realty’s growth is self-funded, an

addition to the Telx acquisition, the

impressive feat given what Dyer

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Tony Bishop As part of the Digital Realty CTO team, Tony plays a central role in helping the organisation build a differentiated global platform and ecosystem strategy to enable enterprises and services providers to accelerate their digital business strategies on PlatformDIGITAL™.

Prior to Digital Realty, Bishop served as VP of Global Enterprise at Equinix, Chief Strategy Officer for 451 Research and served at Morgan Stanley as Managing Director, Global Head of Enterprise Datacenter Operations & Strategy.

He is the author of Next Generation Datacenters – Driving Extreme Efficiency & Effective Costs Savings ( July 2009).

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159

D I G I TA L R E A LT Y

describes as the “capital intensive” nature of the industry. In September, the company sold 10 of its Powered Base Buildings® to Singaporian real estate developer Mapletree Investments, along with the establishment of a joint venture to co-manage three more facilities. The deal saw Digital Realty generate around $1.4bn in capital. “The transaction is going to allow us to continue selffunding our growth, diversify some of our sources of equity and capital, and really let us harvest value from our 160

fully stabilised assets so that we can redeploy the proceeds into higher

“ MarketplaceLIVE is a huge opportunity for us to connect, not only with our customers but with our partner world” — Corey Dyer, EVP, Sales and Marketing

yielding development opportunities,” Dyer explains. “It continues to build on our global expansions, and lets us stay focused on our core markets and the assets that we think drive the most value to our customers. It also reduces our reliance on capital markets, which can be volatile.”

As a leading builder and operator of data centre infrastructure, Digital Realty is aware of the role it has to play in the evolution of the market as a whole. Given that global internet

NOVEMBER 2019

several Northern California properties, and boasting more certified green buildings than any other data centre provider. “Reducing our environmental impact is a priority for us,” says Dyer. “Our long-term goal is to pursue 100% renewable energy for our global portfolio.”

The launch of PlatformDIGITAL™ at MarketplaceLIVE is the highlight of a year filled with global growth and billion-dollar deals, highlighting its importance to the company’s strategy. “The launch is going to be the big mover for us, and I’m very excited,” says Dyer. “It’s going to have a huge impact on our business, and our customers’ businesses as well.” usage has tripled since 2015, and is

Harnessing its industry leading scale,

predicted to double again by 2022,

its commitment to providing a per-

managing the amount of power con-

sonalised service to suit the needs

sumed by the world’s data centres

of each individual customer and an

and networks is key to operators’

increasingly sustainable portfolio,

sustainability goals. Digital Realty

Digital Realty is set to enter 2020 as

continues to set and exceed ambi-

a force for intelligent, interconnected

tious sustainability and renewable

digital infrastructure solutions.

energy goals, achieving 100% renewable energy for its EMEA portfolio, 100% wind power for its US colocation business unit, 100% carbon free and renewable power supplied to c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

161

Retail Business Services: the importance of collaboration

162

WRITTEN BY

SHANNON LEWIS PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

NOVEMBER 2019

163

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R E TA I L B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S , A N A H O L D D E L H A I Z E U S A C O M PA N Y

Paul Scorza, Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Information Technology, discusses collaborative approaches to grocery retail tech integration

R 164

etail Business Services was launched in January 2018 to support Ahold Delhaize USA’s consumer-facing grocery retail

companies and online grocery retailer, Peapod.

Retail Business Services provides innovative solutions by leveraging scale and expertise to ensure the company’s partners can focus on developing their local brands. “Since our first day,” Scorza says, “IT has had a seat at the table of the leadership team. Which has enabled us to successfully support these brands.” Paul Scorza is the Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of IT at Retail Business Services, having previously worked as the CIO and EVP for Ahold USA prior to the merger between Ahold and Delhaize in 2016. He brings with him 32 years’ experience at IBM, a job he took immediately after graduating college and in which he performed several software and service-related roles.

NOVEMBER 2019

165

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

EMPOWERING THE ART OF RETAIL

toshibacommerce.com

Toshiba is proud to work together with partners like Getronics and Retail Business Services to lead the way in delivering more customer-focused shopping experiences.

Through these dedicated partnerships, we are transforming retail by creating unique and compelling customer experiences.

INNOVATION TRANSFORMS THE CHECKOUT EXPERIENCE AT AHOLD DELHAIZE USA BRAND STORES Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize USA company, is a leader in the supermarket industry and well known for its eye toward innovation, passion for great food and dedication to delivering value to its customers. Retail Business Services had a goal from its local brand partners - to increase throughput, front-end lane utilization and improve the customer’s experience. Based on long-term relationships and proven capabilities, Retail Business Services turned to Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions and Getronics, plus other key partners to achieve their goals and vision for its stores. The result: a unique convertible lane that transforms checkout.

All lanes open, all the time.

Retail Business Services came to its partners with a clear vision: all lanes open, all the time.

With convertible dual-use checkout lanes, Retail Business Services was able to provide a technology solution to its brand partners to make the most of the square footage in stores by replacing attended lanes that were only used some of the time, with lanes that could be used 100% of the time for either self-service or cashier-led experiences. Through this solution, the stores can reduce lines during checkout and give customers the ability to choose the way they experience checkout; whether they want the personal touch of a cashier-attended lane, or the convenience and privacy of a self-checkout lane – all while preserving the speed and full function of their existing attended lanes.

“Our partnership together goes back many years, but this project exemplifies our relationship as trusted partners and leaders in the industry. Our commitment was not only to project success, but also positive impact on store operations and bottom line results,” said Bill Campbell, VP, Head of Americas at Toshiba.

Leading Together To achieve this, Toshiba leveraged their extensive retail store knowledge to contribute software development and hardware engineering expertise, Getronics acted as the Systems Integrator providing project management, engineering and software testing capability, and another existing partner designed the customized cabinet.

The challenge? Create software functionality that allowed store associates to switch modes from Toshiba’s Checkout Environment for Consumer Service (CHEC), a software application designed to optimize self-checkout, to their Toshiba POS Application. To ensure cashier-led transactions continued at full speed, Toshiba modified existing software application functionality to suit unique specifications.

Toshiba leveraged its TCx™ Elevate digital platform ensuring a seamless end-to-end solution to power the front-end allows cash tender during both transaction types.

Toshiba customized communications to create a unique solution with multiple applications and hardware devices.

Close collaboration among the teams was the key to the successful design, development and deployment.

“We are delighted to have contributed to the teamwork, integration and collaboration that supported Retail Business Services vision for helping their store brand partners transform their front-end,” said Aaron Hagler, Getronics’ Vice President of Software and Retail Solutions.

To perfect the solution, Retail Business Services conducted prototype, lab, and in-store pilots, and gathered feedback from shoppers and associates. With this valuable insight in hand, the team refined functions to reduce operational risk in the rollout and prove value to the business.

Through extensive partner collaboration, we deployed an innovative technology solution that supports our strategy, Leading Together, while delivering our promise of a better place to shop.”

Paul Scorza, EVP, Information Technology and CIO for Retail Business Services.

When the rollout began, Retail Business Services ordered approximately 40 lanes. Less than a year later, they have placed over 435 dual-use lanes in 175 stores across Ahold Delhaize USA’s local brands, including Giant Martins (Carlisle, Penn.), Giant Food (Landover, Md.) and Stop & Shop.

These convertible lanes have been met with glowing reviews from shoppers and cashiers alike. Shoppers have reported they appreciate the ability to choose their checkout method and skip the line while using the input belt to load large orders. Cashiers can scan a shopper’s cart quickly, with the added security and accuracy of cash recyclers for cash tender eliminating the complexity and time required to manage cash.

In the end, Toshiba and Getronics stepped up as trusted partners and industry leaders to collaborate with Retail Business Services and partners to create a solution that exceeded expectations and delivered meaningful business value to the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA.

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“There’s a pull now where the stores are asking for innovation. Customers are demanding tech” — Paul Scorza, Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Information Technology, Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize USA company 169 The merger, he says, was an opportunity to confirm the company’s power of growth. While it did demand lengthy rationalization, bringing together the two IT systems, was a successful endeavour. The key was finding synergies. The merger ultimately allowed the corporation to increase investments in IT infrastructure, apply innovative initiatives, and bring new technology into its physical stores. “Ahold Delhaize USA recognizes the value of IT,” says Scorza.

Collaboration is at the centre of success at Ahold Delhaize USA and Retail c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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Today’s customers are looking for an incredible shopping experience inside the store that mirrors the online experience of shopping in a frictionless environment and virtual assistance that makes their shopping fun, interesting and engaging.

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Towards this, we have launched and implemented multiple interactive touchpoints that improve category margin, sales and leave the customer with a WOW experience with a reference to a supermarket chain.

We see tremendous value of rolling out the solution across globally in convenience stores, universities, offices, fulfillment centers, and dense metropolitan cities.

UST Global aims to be a global partner in New Retail

Frictionless Checkout Store (FCS) is a cornerstone of our digital strategy to support the “New Retail” Patented technology enables end-to-end smart store solutions that offer personalized shopping experiences to the customer as well as improved store operation and labor efficiency An innovative shopping solution for brick-andmortar stores using computer vision, machine learning, and IoT UST Global along with its strategic partners including Intel, are behind implementing ‘FCS’ solution for the first store at the RBS office in Quincy,MA Vision sensors track which products customers pick up and put back, virtual baskets are updated accordingly Redefines the way people shop by eliminating the pain points of checkout lines and cashiers with algorithms, and customers’ digital accounts are automatically charged after exiting the stores

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE NEXT GENERATION OF GROCERY RETAIL’ 171 Business Services. “You can’t get

have a good idea of what the brand

anything done without good partners,”

represents. Retail Business Services

affirms Scorza. From partnerships

develops tech in house whenever the

with local brands to collaborations

market fails to supply. Among this is

with other tech companies, these are

frictionless checkout, which allows

an integral part of Retail Business

customers to shop in-store without

Service’s business strategy. To ensure

having to pay at a checkout lane. Using

a strong partnership with local brands,

a mobile phone or scanner, they have a

Retail Business Services created the

preselected payment method associ-

Business Relationship Manager (BRM)

ated to their loyalty card and can leave

role, an account manager that works

through a special lane as soon as

out of local brands’ headquarters,

they are finished picking their goods.

attending staff meetings, and feeding

Scorza compares it to using an EZ

information back to developers and

pass when driving on toll roads.

service providers so the IT team can

Partnerships have allowed Retail c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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Don’t just compete. Thrive.

When all of your retail operations are connected, from your back office to the front end, from POS to payments to loyalty programs, you gain the freedom to think ahead. So you can meet customers in every moment. And stay ahead of the curve—and your competition.

Learn how, together, we can help you do more than compete; we can help you thrive. ncr.com/retail

Business Services to keep on top of IT innovation. “One of the things you do as an IT organization is staff all the work you have to do,” he says.

“You want a flexible workforce so that they can bring in skills that you may not have. I generally run 15-20% of my workforce using that flexible resource.” When it comes to project management needs, Retail Business Services turns to Apex and Sevenstep.

To run a data center to support the

“ One of the things you do as an IT organization is staff all the work you have to do, and you want a flexible work-force so that they can bring in skills that you may not have” — Paul Scorza, Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Information Technology, Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize USA company

applications for Giant Food, GIANT/ MARTIN’S and Stop & Shop, both for application maintenance and support,

175

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Paul Scorza Paul Scorza is the CIO and EVP of Information Technology for Retail Business Services. Scorza has 40 years of experience in IT. Before joining Retail Business Services, Scorza was EVP, IT and CIO for Ahold USA. Prior to that, he spent 32 years at IBM in leadership positions including VP of Global Delivery, VP and Transformation Executive for Finance, Global Financing, Technical Support, and Application Portfolio Management, VP Americas, and Application Solutions Delivery Leader. Scorza holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a combined MBA and an M.S. degree in computer science from Marist College.

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Retail Business Services relies on DXC.

to change over POS systems six and

DXC has a decade long relationship

half years ago, Getronics was closely

with Ahold Delhaize USA compa-

involved. “I watched them install eve-

nies that has evolved over the years.

rything,” says Scorza. “Getronics was

Getronics and Toshiba have also been

truly a partner in the implementation

important to Retail Business Services

and cared about our business as much

both from a POS system and manu-

as we do.” The company also works

facturing standpoint. Toshiba runs

with Salesforce on its IT infrastructure.

point on the system for Giant Food,

“Salesforce is another great IT partner,”

GIANT/MARTIN’S and Stop & Shop,

affirms Scorza. “We have used their

while NCR focuses on Food Lion and

Mulesoft software for data integration

Hannaford. Getronics and Toshiba

and each brand has access to their

helped develop the customized code

Marketing cloud platform. Both tools

Retail Business Services needed

provide access to key information to

within the loyalty scheme that gave

drive business at each local brand.”

customers points off gasoline. When

Retail Business Services also works

legacy company, Ahold USA, needed

with other key partners, such as c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

177

Wipro for support and development

wedded to a ‘must be invented here’

resources with key tools,

mentality,” says Scorza. “People

like Kronos.

stepped up as trusted partners.”

When Retail Business Services

The goal, Scorza says, is to ensure

wanted to develop a dual lane system

customers have a good experience

that could double as a self-checkout or

when they visit the stores. To keep

associate checkout lane, it partnered

up with innovation, Retail Business

with Toshiba and Getronics. Toshiba

Services uses a “fast follower” phi-

provided software development

losophy as well. “We don’t always want

and hardware engineering expertise;

to be cutting-edge,” explains Scorza.

Getronics brought software test

“Sometimes we let other people do the

capability and project management.

cutting-edge stuff, spend lots of money,

Ultimately, after prototyping, lab

and then we follow closely behind

work, and in-store pilots, the pro-

with something we know works more

ject was a success. It is in 145 retail

efficiently and at a fraction of the cost.”

stores and 380 lanes. “This was a

Retail Business Service’s lunchbox

good success story. No one was

frictionless store is similar to Amazon Go. c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

179

wipro.com

Creating MEaningful Experiences Re-imagining Shopping Journeys Digitalizing Retail Unleashing Hyper–efficiency

Wipro helps retailers deliver superior customer experience and realize better business outcomes through its deep capabilities in Digital, Cloud, Engineering, Cyber-Security, Intelligent Automation, Analytics & Personalization.

181 Customers walk into a store, scan in using an app, pick what they want, and leave; no scanning of products required. UST Global was a key partner in the development of the frictionless pilot store technology.

The world’s relationship with IT has changed in recent years, says Scorza.

When trying to implement wireless capability in-store half a decade ago, he was met with some resistance. “In 2013, we created any kind of innovative solution because you couldn’t get the stores to adopt it,” says Scorza.

“The industry just wasn’t ready. I was always trying to push solutions out c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

R E TA I L B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S , A N A H O L D D E L H A I Z E U S A C O M PA N Y

“ You can’t get anything done without good partners” — Paul Scorza, Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President of Information Technology, Retail Business Services, an Ahold Delhaize USA company 182

NOVEMBER 2019

2018

Year founded

$44bn

Parent company, US segment, 2018

2,700

Approximate number of employees there. However, knowing this was com-

that customize in-store experiences.

ing, we partnered with Verizon to put

“We’ve got a bright horizon here,”

wireless capability into all Ahold USA

believes Scorza. “There’s so much

stores. This was their first entry into a

technology in areas you’d never expect

grocery store and Verizon did a great

there to be. You get out of college with

job partnering with us to make it hap-

a computer science degree and start

pen.” It’s completely the opposite now.

looking for IT companies. Never in my

It’s a pull versus push. There is a pull

wildest dreams would I have imagined

now where the stores are asking for

I would enjoy IT in a retail company. It

innovation. Customers are demanding

has been incredibly exciting here.”

tech.” This change has allowed Retail Business Services to shift its focus to creating an omnichannel experience.

Artificial intelligence is the next step, Scorza affirms, prediction models c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

183

184

Tivity Health: Digitally transforming healthcare solutions WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

NOVEMBER 2019

185

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

T I V I T Y H E A LT H

Paul Edmisten, SVP and CIO at Tivity Health discusses the evolution of the company and its journey towards digital transformation

F

ounded in 1981, Tivity Health is a leading provider of healthcare solutions for fitness, nutrition and social isolation. “Tivity

Health works hand-in-hand with its members, clients, partners and customers to create everyday opportunities for long-lasting health and vitality,” 186

says Paul Edmisten, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer.

“Tivity Health’s goal is to be the leader in transforming healthy living for adults by empowering and engaging them to live their best lives through nutrition, fitness and social connection,” says Edmisten.

Formerly known as Healthways, Tivity Health was “among the boutique darlings of the Nashville healthcare community, focused on disease management in the early years and transitioned to total population health and well-being,” comments Edmisten. “Healthways had been successful growing and transitioning the business over the first three decades, until they experienced performance challenges leading up to 2014.” Throughout 2014 and 2015 the company went through tremendous change from the board, to CEO and throughout the NOVEMBER 2019

187

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Consumer expectations have risen, driven by their experiences with digital technology in other industries. Today’s always-on, connected consumer interacts with brands across multiple channels and devices, and they expect a brand to know them across dynamic journey stages.

Likewise, the always-on consumer’s health journey exists outside of the typical healthcare ecosystem. An individual’s actions, behaviors, and environment play enormous roles in continued health. Factors such as diet and exercise, access to parks and green space, and even how much natural light a person is exposed to throughout the day are known as social determinants of health, which can account for up to 40 percent of a person’s proclivity toward long-term health.

Healthcare companies are now starting to use social determinants of health data to help guide consumers along their healthcare journeys; this is key with the total healthcare experience being a continuous path that reflects always-changing behaviors and environmental patterns.

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With automated machine learning and an intelligent orchestration layer, the platform recommends a next-best action or message for an individual consumer while being contextually aware of where they are in their journey.

A NEXT-BEST ACTION AND AN ENGAGED CONSUMER Data sources that create a golden record could include data from a connected device that monitors sleep and exercise patterns, for example. It could include a device that monitors a consumer’s vital signs, combined with a history of provider and care visits, future scheduled visits, gaps in care, and sources that indicate social determinants of health. The platform’s self-tuning, automated machine learning models continuously update a consumer’s health “score” based on every data source, and recommend the appropriate action in a way that is customized for the particular payers, providers, and consumer in that instance. Because the golden record is persistently updated with real–time data, a recommendation is always in the context and cadence of an individual healthcare journey.

This single point of control over data, decisions, and interactions is the key to providing personalized omnichannel communications with each consumer. A number of health organizations have engaged with RedPoint to deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences to acquire new customers and manage individualized journeys that improve health outcomes, lower costs, and improve consumer satisfaction.

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T I V I T Y H E A LT H

“ Tivity Health works hand-in-hand with its members, clients, partners and customers to create everyday opportunities for long-lasting health and vitality” 190

— Paul Edmisten Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tivity Health

organization.” In the summer of 2015, Edmisten became involved with the company following Alvarez and Marsal’s partnership with Healthways to restructure the company and to set a course for the future. “As I partnered with the executive management team, the board and Donato Tramuto, CEO of Healthways – and today CEO of Tivity Health – as the newly appointed CIO, we eliminated tens of millions of dollars in operating expenses, and ultimately landed on three options to move the company forward. They included continuing to work with the existing business units and products, managed through continuous change and transformation (the long-haul approach).

The short approach was to shut down underperforming business units of the total population health business, and the third approach was to sell the total population health business.” Small parts of the business were sold leading up to July 2016, when Healthways successfully sold its total population health services business to Sharecare. In January 2017, Healthways rebranded as Tivity Health. “With the launch of Tivity Health and its divesture of the

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘HEALTH IS MORE THAN A STATE OF BEING. IT’S A COMMITMENT TO DOING” 191 total population health business, our

a robust B2C data and technology

financial profile strengthened and

stack that align with Tivity Health’s

grew,” notes Edmisten. “Witnessing

strategy and objectives. Edmisten

first hand and being personally

highlights that, in order to align the mis-

involved in the series of events and

sion, mindset and operating model of

transactions that occurred during this

Tivity Health, the company had to

span of time was priceless. Something

transform the way they defined, deliv-

many never experience in business

ered and engineered its products to

and will never learn in business

create the desired consumer experi-

school,” notes Edmisten. Tremendous

ence. Donato Tramuto, CEO of Tivity

change occurred impacting all aspects

Health shared that “Paul Edmisten

of the company.

played a key strategic role during our

Since the divestiture, Tivity Health

transformation of Tivity Health. His

has evolved transforming its people,

pragmatic and transformational leader-

processes and technology to enable

ship has helped our company adopt a c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

WHEN EXPERIENCE MATTERS Acxiom is proud to be Tivity Health’s strategic partner as we help the company successfully navigate its technology and digital transformation journey.

The customer journey is complex, yet customers still expect brands to know and understand them and provide seamless experiences at every step. Acxiom has been helping the world’s best marketers and advertisers get more out of their data and technology for more than 50 years. We deliver data foundations through data products, identity management, marketing solutions and services, helping clients create the seamless, relevant and meaningful customer experiences marketers and customers dream of.

acxiom.com

product, data-centric and consumerdriven culture within Tivity Health.”

“Tivity Health has been leveraging

the customer journey.

“A big part of our strategic direction continues to be how we leverage data

Big Data for years,” comments

insights generated from our advanced

Edmisten. “What AI and machine learn-

analytics coupled with OMNI channel

ing permits us to do is learn more about

technology to enable, automate and

our members and consumers.

scale our member experience,” says

Traditional statistical approaches only

Edmisten. With these advanced analyt-

get you so far when dealing with Big

ics, Edmisten combined data

Data.” Tivity Health has already bene-

augmentation and artificial intelligence

fited greatly from AI to unearth

to gain insight into how members

important user personas among its

engage with their products and ser-

members with the aim of extending its

vices. “Those who know SilverSneakers

learnings to enhance applications in

love us, the problem is not enough

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Paul Edmisten Paul Edmisten SVP and CIO of Tivity Health, is responsible for innovation, delivery and support of the company’s technolog y and data solutions that enable its Healthcare, Fitness, Nutrition and Social Connection products. In 2015, Paul was leading engagements to improve performance and restructure companies at Alvarez and Marsal. Over 18 months, A&M engaged with Healthways to sell two business units to eliminate costs, resulting in the formation of Tivity Health.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

193

T I V I T Y H E A LT H

194

people know us,� says Edmisten.

engagement, they continue to innovate

Understanding our members needs

and expand capabilities through wear-

and wants will help us target our

ables, IOT and 5G to enhance

engagement through digital/TV mar-

consumer engagement, improve

keting or our channels that include web,

speed, and the desired outcomes for

call center, mobile and social.

our customers. “Extending our plat-

From a product engineering stand-

form and mobility solutions to integrate

point at Tivity Health, simplicity,

wearables and IOT devices enables our

reliability and scalability are the core

members and consumers to be more

focuses for its solutions. While the

connected, and we can learn more

company continues to refine their core

about their activity and nutrition habits

platforms optimizing the consumer

while enabling the desired consumer

NOVEMBER 2019

experience and loyalty. As the industry and consumers adopt 5G, and basic internet access is extended to rural America, Tivity Health will be able to positively impact millions of people who are suffering from social isolation and loneliness.” Social isolation and loneliness are major concerns leading to a number of health issues in America today. Currently, Edmisten is working on leveraging voice assistants, as well

“ A big part of our strategic direction continues to be how we leverage data, in particular through advanced analytics” — Paul Edmisten Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tivity Health

as mobile and wearable technology to c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

195

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“ In this very aggressive economy, talent and skills are hard to find, having a long-time partner in Stratfield gives Tivity Health the ability to meet this challenging demand” — Paul Edmisten Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tivity Health

and disciplined in the approach that you take. You must align the entire organization around a consumer centric product capability to maximize the impact on customers and the bottomline financial result.”

“We buy and integrate best in class technology solutions to enable our products and services. We partner with industry leading partners that bring best practices in the areas of Marketing Automation, ERP, CRM, Data Augmentation, and Resources/

drive customer engagement and

People. Each one of our partners

deliver online virtual trainers for exer-

brings a very unique capability, and it

cise. “As part of our efforts, we are

has been critical for our success as an

constantly innovating to address these

organization to identify and enable

challenges through IoT, mobile tech-

those strategic partnerships, establish

nology and wearable technology, as

close relationships and align on clear

well as creating automated independ-

objectives,” says Edmisten. Some of

ent platforms that are flexible and

the key partners include Redpoint,

cloud agnostic.”

Nuestar, Axciom, Oracle and Stratfield

“As a CIO, I am a big believer and proponent in maximizing the intersection

Consulting to name a few.

An essential part of Tivity Health’s

of data and technology. While that

risk management is information secu-

sounds very simple and, on the surface,

rity. “Our Chief Information Security

straightforward, it’s an art to really per-

Officer, his team and his strategic part-

fect and differentiate the experience

ners are constantly assessing the

and value to a consumer,” comments

threat landscape through an agile

Edmisten. “You have to be intentional

Information Security program focused c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

197

T I V I T Y H E A LT H

1981

Year founded

920

Approximate number of employees

198

NOVEMBER 2019

on identifying and remediating risk.

We are constantly reviewing, researching and evolving our processes and controls to improve our protection level against emerging threats,” says Edmisten.

Looking to the future, Edmisten sees two immediate opportunities emerging for Tivity Health. “With the acquisition of Nutrisystem and the passing of the CHRONIC Care Act, Tivity Health can provide – via a sophisticated supply chain – nutritional options on a large scale to seniors.”

In addition to these immediate opportunities, Edmisten sees emerging key trends in health and fitness that could provide opportunities for innovation at Tivity Health. “Health plans and healthcare organizations have begun leveraging data analytics to provide benefits that are personalized and customer-oriented. Additionally, health plans and organizations are utilizing Big Data to support clinical decision making, precision medicine, readmission prevention, chronic condition management and risk identification,” says Edmisten. Another area of focus for Tivity Health is helping to address c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

199

T I V I T Y H E A LT H

200

the social determinants of health, “the way health plans can have the most impact when identifying and engaging with the right people is through data, algorithms and technology-enabled solutions,” says Edmisten. “Many of our health plan partners have invested in development of predictive models to support those at risk of social isolation and food insecurity to name a few.”

Donato Tramuto, CEO Tivity Health shared “We have a tremendous opportunity within the company as we integrate Nutrisystem, and add a NOVEMBER 2019

“ Tivity Health has been leveraging Big Data for years. What AI and machine learning permits us to do is learn more.

Traditional statistical approaches only get you so far when dealing with Big Data” — Paul Edmisten Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tivity Health

201

nutrition business unit, into our house

the country. He concludes: “Over the

of healthy lifestyle brands to help

past three years we transformed our

address the social determinants of

people, processes and technology at

health. Paul and his team will be center

Tivity Health, and with strong leader-

stage to enable, automate and scale

ship, talented colleagues and a clear

our combined products and services

vision we have been successful in

to our customers.”

doing so.”

Reflecting on the company, Edmisten believes that “Tivity Health’s biggest strength is its team of colleagues and the passion they have for the company, consumers and customers. Their efforts are truly changing the lives of people around c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

202

Connecting the smart city ecosystem WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

CRAIG DANIELS

NOVEMBER 2019

203

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

QUALCOMM

Sanjeet Pandit, senior director, business development and head of smart cities at Qualcomm technologies, Inc., discusses the fragmented smart city ecosystem and how cities can benefit from innovative technology 204

F

ounded in 1985, Qualcomm Inc. is a leading multinational company that engineers, researches and develops semiconduc-

tor and telecommunications equipment used in thousands of products around the world. Its single goal is to invent breakthrough technologies that transform how the world connects, computes and communicates. “Qualcomm is a deep—down systems company, that looks at solutions with a systemic view. Making sure that not only the latest technology and inventions are implemented but that user experience is always kept in mind to deliver robust, sustainable and systemic solutions,� comments Sanjeet Pandit, senior director, business development and head of smart cities at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

NOVEMBER 2019

205

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

QUALCOMM

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ROBOTICS, 5G, AND AI IN THE INVENTION AGE’ 206 Pandit began his career in 1996 as

in one year, with its ecosystem part-

an engineer in the infrastructure divi-

ners robust practices. “When I entered

sion of Qualcomm, responsible for

this program, I realized that the smart

CDMA optimization of networks. In

cities space was extremely frag-

1999, Qualcomm’s infrastructure divi-

mented,” said Pandit. “When I wanted

sion was sold to Ericson where Pandit

to go and see what was happening in

began heading the Asia—Pacific

a given city, there was no single point

CDMA infrastructure sales and was

of contact covering everything it was

named salesman of the year in 2005.

implementing.” Additionally, Pandit

In January 2007, Pandit returned to

realized “there was no single database

Qualcomm heading the carrier rela-

which showed all the players that were

tions for international markets and

working on Smart City deployments.”

continued in this role for 12 years.

In response, Pandit set out to develop the

Last year, Pandit took over as Head

Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator

of the Smart City Division establishing

Program: “the glue between all

NOVEMBER 2019

207

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Year founded

$22.73bn+ Approximate revenue

35,959

Approximate number of employees c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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“ I don’t know how AI is going to shape up and change the landscape of smart cities, but I would say it is going to be the next big thing for the industry” — Sanjeet Pandit, Senior director of business development and head of Smart Cities at Qualcomm Technologies Inc.

imagined in 1996 that I would be able to order things on the internet to be delivered the next day. That’s where AI is today, and it’s only in its initial

ecosystem providers” to connect its

stage. I don’t know how AI is going to

members in their search for smart city

shape up and change the landscape of

solutions and relevant expertise.

smart cities, but I would say it is going

Smart cities are continuously evolv-

to be the next big thing for the space.”

ing. Key trends Pandit is seeing emerge

Pandit warns that the smart city revolu-

within the industry include surveillance,

tion isn’t going to be immediate. “You

edge computing, base computing, asset

won’t wake up one day to a different

management, public security, public

city; it will be a transition.” Gradual

WiFi and most importantly ‘smart tourists’, “We’ve seen a lot of cities utilizing one—stop apps for attractions, coupons and transport etc,” he explains.

Looking to the future, Pandit sees the next big thing for smart cities being artificial intelligence (AI). “I never c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

209

deployment of systems with faster

zone’ – a secure zone where users can

speed, high reliability, low error and low

implement code and make secure trans-

latency will be implemented to create

actions. “This is something that we take

a high—quality framework and infra-

very seriously. We have implemented

structure for the overall deployment

unique algorithms and methodologies

of automotive, 5G and mission critical

that people can invoke and utilize when

applications to create an integrated

it comes to security on the silicon itself,”

system where everything is connected.

commented Pandit.

For Qualcomm, security is given

Pandit does, however, acknowledge

the highest importance. Within its

that, although the deployment of

chip sets the company has ‘the trust

technology will help sustainability,

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

211

Sanjeet Pandit Mr. Sanjeet Pandit is the Global Head for Smart Cities practice at Qualcomm, Inc USA and responsible for Carrier and Ecosystem relationships in this domain. His expertise in the telecom industry spans over 20 plus years. He specializes in the areas of Smart City design, creation of Smart verticals, digital transformation and go to market strategies creating an experience that would benefit public private domains and citizen engagements. Sanjeet has worked and created relationships with the Smart city ecosystem partners, resulting in multiple Smart City projects Globally. He joined Qualcomm in late 1996 and moved to Ericsson in 1999 following the sale of the infrastructure division of Qualcomm, moving back to Qualcomm in 2007. He has held various senior positions at Qualcomm and was responsible for APAC and India business development prior to leading the Smart city vertical.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

QUALCOMM

“ Our biggest success to date is making what people thought impossible, possible. From CDMA to EVDO data speeds, IT and even 5G we have proven everything is possible” — Sanjeet Pandit, Senior director of business development and head of Smart Cities at Qualcomm Technologies Inc.

212

NOVEMBER 2019

213

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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215

efficiency and security, “deploying

number of separate projects such as,

technology for the sake of it is not

smart railways, ports, water parks and

something that Qualcomm promotes.

surveillance. One new project in the

When we deploy technology, we do so

discussion phase is the creation of a

with two things in mind: system—level

smart campus at the University

approach and how the technology will

of California, San Diego. “We are

benefit the city.”

trying to see how we could leverage

Currently, Pandit is working on

some of the new inventions and

a number of projects worldwide

technologies to create a framework

including a partnership with UROS

within the campus for smart park-

to develop smart water cycles and a

ing, smart transportation, smart c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

QUALCOMM

216

NOVEMBER 2019

classrooms, remote learning, campus—wide WiFi, security surveillance and energy management.” To ensure these deployments are reliable, have low errors and low latency, the project would also involve a transition to 5G. Another significant project for Pandit, is Qualcomm’s recent implementation of surveillance solutions and public city WiFi in Mexico to improve connectivity. To complete the implementation, Qualcomm worked with JUGANU. The biggest thing Qualcomm does to ensure it stays ahead of trends is being first to market and having a solid research and development team. “We anticipate what needs to be implemented and work closely with standards bodies,” says Pandit.

Qualcomm invests heavily in its team, particularly in the development and creation of new IP. “Whatever we build we try to advance our developments to be more robust and sustainable so that they are beneficial in the long run,” continues Pandit.

Reflecting on the company, Pandit feels Qualcomm’s biggest strengths are its innovative mindset, its ability to stay ahead of its competitors, its c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

217

QUALCOMM

218

“ There is a lot to be done, and we cannot do it alone […] we require the ecosystem partners to deploy and adapt to the technologies we have developed at Qualcomm” — Sanjeet Pandit, Senior director of business development and head of Smart Cities at Qualcomm Technologies Inc.

NOVEMBER 2019

219

end—to—end system perspective, its

adapt to the technologies we have

culture and its people’s ability to deliver

developed at Qualcomm, which is one

complex technology. “Our biggest

of the reasons why the Smart Cities

success to date is making what peo-

Accelerator Program is so beneficial, it

ple thought was impossible, possible.

brings the entire ecosystem together

From CDMA to EVDO data speeds, IT

under one roof,” concludes Pandit.

and even 5G, we have proven that everything is possible,” enthuses Pandit.

“There is a lot to be done, and we cannot do it alone. IoT is an extremely fragmented space; we require the ecosystem partners to deploy and c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

220

NOVEMEBER 2019

221

Redefining healthcare through innovation WRITTEN BY

PRODUCED BY

MATT HIGH MIKE SADR c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PA R T N E R S B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T

Partners Behavioral Health Management is changing the way that healthcare is delivered, as Jamie Gianna explains

T

ransformation. It is a word that’s rapidly becoming synonymous with any multitude of industry sectors worldwide. And while

any transformation represents a game-changing journey for a business and its employees, few have the potential to be as significant as that which 222

Partners Behavioral Health Management is undergoing. The North Carolina-based managed care organisation (MCO), established around seven years ago, is currently in the midst of a digital transformation journey that has the potential to change how healthcare in the United States is defined and paid for.

It is, confesses Chief Information Officer Jamie Gianna, both an “exciting and scary time” for the organisation and the state of North Carolina. North Carolina pioneered a public Medicaid managed care system for behavioral health and intellectual/ developmental disabilities in 2011. Next year, the state will move to an integrated healthcare approach for all individuals who rely on the public system for care. “We are right in the middle of developing and introducing many things that no one else has previously done before or even considered in terms of NOVEMBER 2019

223

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PA R T N E R S B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T

“ We are leveraging the very latest and most innovative technologies that will position us as a true leader in managed healthcare”

224

— Jamie Gianna, Chief Information Officer, Partners Behavioral Health Management

the way in which managed healthcare services are provided. In doing so, we are leveraging the very latest and most innovative technologies that will position us as a true leader in managed healthcare, both in North Carolina and beyond.”

Gianna is responsible for leading Partners’ digital transformation.

He sits as a member of the Partners Operational Leadership Team, and rather succinctly describes his work as “trying to understand the organisation’s strategic targets based on the information and direction we get from the North Carolina General Assembly and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; while finding the right tools to fit and to meet those requirements.” In reality, Gianna is charged with strategic planning, leading mission-critical business initiatives and organisational objectives, and driving change that will result in improved customer service and go a long way towards achieving better healthcare provision for the population of North Carolina.

Partners is a public, regional managed care organisation, overseeing

NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘PARTNERS | SUCCESS STORY: ILIANA’ 225 mental health, substance use disorder

of the whole person, which is a big

and intellectual and developmental dis-

driver behind our transformation.”

ability (I/DD) services available through

The purpose of Partners’ digital trans-

Medicaid, state and county funding.

formation, explains Gianna, is a focus

The organisation, Gianna explains, con-

on understanding the overall health and

tracts with care providers to ensure

healthcare needs of specific popula-

that treatment options are available

tions through leveraging technologies

for eligible residents across the state.

such as procurement platforms, predic-

“North Carolina is a large state,” he

tive analytics tools, and the integration

says. “The population is close to 11

of the organisation’s services network

million, and one in every 10 is eligible

so that it can manage the right services

for publicly-funded behavioral and I/DD

at the right time for its health plan

managed care. However, the system

members. “First and foremost, we

currently in place focuses on a portion

recognise that we need to be very agile

of a person’s wellbeing, instead

and mobile,” he notes. “The first target c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

When people, systems and data work in harmony, a real, positive impact can be made on the health of individuals and populations.

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was driven from a population health and

Office 365 – so that, at any place and

predictive analytics perspective, which

at any time, anyone within Partners’

focused on understanding what our

executive team could access all the

total cost of care looks like, what do the

data and information. The transforma-

state’s population and demographics

tion journey is still ongoing, with Gianna

look like, and how that fits into the wider

outlining steps two and three, as well

financial and health strategies that we

as a longer-term vision. These steps

have. Having the ability to really get our

include “sourcing a trifecta of procure-

arms around that data and turn it into

ment management tools, including tools

something useful, meaningful and with

for population health and predictive

real purpose had to be the first step.”

analytics that can create health risk

To do this, two years ago, the organisation moved to the cloud – specifically,

scores, as well as portals for users and a platform that allows integration across 227

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Jamie Gianna Gianna is known for a tireless work ethic, energetic presentation, and hands-on approach to consultative solutions. Gianna has blazed a trail of achievement across industry sectors including healthcare, insurance, finance, legal, professional services, and professional sports.

While he is an accomplished C-Suite executive, he is best known as a proven player with a history of reliable, dependable performance, innovative and future looking solutions — leveraging leadership and technical expertise. He has an MBA from the University of Maryland and engaged in his doctorate in Organizational Management. Currently resides in Charlotte, NC.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PA R T N E R S B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T

“ First and foremost, we recognised that we needed to be very agile and mobile” — Jamie Gianna, Chief Information Officer, Partners Behavioral Health Management

228

NOVEMBER 2019

229

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

PA R T N E R S B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T

2013

Year founded

$326mn Approximate revenue

460

Approximate number of employees North Carolina’s ‘healthcare universe’.

We have been able to find and apply all the tools we need,” he states. “We are in the process of implementing them – the first ‘finishing line’ is imminent.”

The scale of change within the state has placed North Carolina at the forefront of healthcare reform which, according to Gianna, “is what everyone is trying to achieve. The whole purpose – initially – is to collect and analyse as much data as possible, to really be able to understand exactly what the costs involved are and to ensure that every member can be cared for to the very best standard. That target NOVEMBER 2019

is phenomenal, and if we pull it off it will be huge.”

Somewhat understandably, such change has required a significant realignment of structure and resources internally. This, says Gianna, hasn’t been easy and has proved a challenge at times. “We’re an organisation that, for some years, has had a lot of processes. We haven’t used specific tools and systems and have required people to really get on board with the new tools and understand the scope of the change. It’s all about introducing a new perspective. It is, after all, a fundamental aspect of being human: you either change and progress, or you don’t.

Of course, it helps to know that the endgoal of our transformation is to achieve something truly good for many people.

Working in healthcare and understanding the impact on the families we serve definitely changes the way in which you approach your work. Everyone on my team could go and work in other places and quite easily be very comfortable, but we’d never have the same sense of satisfaction that we get from helping people’s lives. That’s what matters the most.” c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

231

PA R T N E R S B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T

232

“ I would love to be able to collaborate with other organisations and to share the lessons learned across the state so we can deliver the very best standards of care” — Jamie Gianna, Chief Information Officer, Partners Behavioral Health Management NOVEMBER 2019

As with any transformation journey, there is still a lengthy road to travel for Partners. The organisation is on the cusp of achieving significant change yet, for Gianna, other technologies could also come into play in the future. “I’m already considering how we could use AI and machine learning for managing and analysing our data, for example.

As we move through our journey, we will collect so much data. We are already focused on how we really leverage the technologies available to provide the best possible answers for that data.

There is still a great deal to do but, looking further ahead, I would love to be able to collaborate with other organisations and to share the lessons learned so we can deliver the very best standards of care.�

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233

234

supply chain strategies in the energy sector WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

CRAIG KILLINGBACK

NOVEMBER 2019

235

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REC SOLAR

Josie Broome, Director of Procurement and Operational Excellence, discusses the success of her projects from an operational excellence standpoint

A

s a renowned leader in enabling complete commercial, public sector and utility-scale solar solutions, REC Solar has been in

operation for over 20 years and provided more 236

than 300MW of successful projects.

Following its acquisition by Duke Energy in 2017, Josie Broome, Director of Procurement and Operational Excellence, believes there are a number of key factors that differentiate REC Solar from its rivals. “Duke Energy has brought stability and financial backing. There are several solar companies that don’t exist anymore, but Duke has been around for more than 100 years and I believe customers really appreciate the stability that Duke provides,” explains Broome.

“The type of projects that we go after, in combination with the customers that we look for and how we implement those projects and source materials is very strategic and focused. We’re certainly not new to the game.”

NOVEMBER 2019

237

1997

Year founded

150

Approximate number of employees

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘REC SOLAR CUSTOMER STORIES – CAL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO’ 239 Having come from an oil-oriented

observe how hard the work actually

background, Broome’s family owns

was and how difficult it is to earn money

a number of oil reserves, with part

that way. I believe that because of these

of its portfolio situated in the largest

early experiences, I learned that being

oil reserves in Utah within the Uintah

out in the elements, physical labor

Basin. “Not only did I grow up with

through the seasons, and being away

my dad and all of his siblings as they

from family is a tough job. The appre-

made a living in the oil and gas indus-

ciation I have for the men and women

try, our family history is also rooted for

out there building America has shaped

generations back to one of the largest

my view, work ethic, and approach to

oil reserves in the US,” she explains.

projects while always keeping the field

“I watched my dad and his brothers

in the forefront of my mind.”

work on mainline pipelines, and when

Having overseen dozens of projects

I was 20, I decided to work with them.

during her time at REC Solar, Broome

From this experience, I was able to

is specifically proud of a recent project c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

REC SOLAR

240

NOVEMBER 2019

in Colorado which is the largest rooftop in the state. The project saw the installation of 17,000 panels spanning 19 acres and boasting a capacity of 6MW. “It was a real team effort.

We worked together to secure the products that were used, found ways to reduce costs and achieve higher productivity in the field,” she explains.

“Our typical approach is defined prior to the beginning of the project working directly with the field on setting up workstations, collaborating with them

“ Duke has been around for more than 100 years and I believe customers really appreciate the stability that Duke provides” — Josie Broome, Director of Procurement & Operational Excellence, REC Solar

on their instructions and providing guidance on the sequence of work.

Every project is unique, it’s up to us to look for ways to maximize efficiency in material handling, loading the roof, and how the crews move throughout the site. We track all of that.” Broome has worked on a diverse and broad range of projects and her role is to influence them from a supply chain and operational excellence perspective. “In my previous roles at REC, I managed projects and project teams directly; from schools to hotels, cash to financed, on carports, roof, and the ground. The variety, volumes and regions are vast, however there are still opportunities to learn and improve.” c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

241

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With technology becoming influ-

it into a sequel database, and mix it

ential to the way businesses conduct

into Microsoft Power BI to display,

operations worldwide, REC Solar

dig and analyze,” says Broome. “On

has implemented platforms such as

the supply chain side, we create our

Procore, the world’s leading construc-

commodity position frequently and

tion management software, as well

look at supply and demand by utilising

as drawing on the help of Salesforce

Salesforce for pipeline and Procore

for its CRM and JDE Oracle for its

for active projects. From the opera-

financials. “We leverage all the data

tional excellence perspective, we’re

from those platforms and combine

using the field data that’s coming

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Josie Broome As part of her role as Director of Procurement & Operational Excellence, Broome provides dual strategic direction for the innovation, development and implementation of business applications, intelligence, processes, and other business initiatives to support culture growth around supply chain and continuous improvement. Having begun her career in the architecture, planning and engineering industry in 2003 as a Planner at RRM Design Group, she managed various development projects that ranged in complexity and size. In 2010, Broome joined REC Solar’s project management team and went on to lead the company’s mid-market and Hawaii Business Units. Moving into the procurement space in 2017, it has allowed Broome to leverage her considerable experience leading teams through technology.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

243

REC SOLAR

244

NOVEMBER 2019

“ From the operational excellence perspective, we’re using the field data that’s coming from Procore to measure productivity and how and where we need to help the teams improve in the field” — Josie Broome, Director of Procurement & Operational Excellence, REC Solar from Procore to measure productivity and how and where we need to help the teams improve in the field.”

However, Broome understands that new technology such as Big Data should be treated with caution to circumvent the risk of overreliance. “Too much data can be really overwhelming, and you have to dig deep to figure out what the data is trying to tell you,” she warns. “For us, it’s about being very specific on what data we’re looking for and what we want the field to collect c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

245

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247 for productivity. We’re very specific

buys together,” she explains. “The

on what we want to achieve with cost

other strategy is the process of buying

reduction, and then we leverage that

different types of equipment and going

data to drive our supply chain forward.”

direct, they’re in the large-scale utility

With the industry constantly

space where we are a distributed

changing, Broome believes that by

generation. We have high transac-

working closely with Duke Energy’s

tional volume and communicate with

supply chain team, REC Solar can

our vendors weekly — it’s important

easily adapt to the sector’s changing

everyone’s on the same page.”

demands and has subsequently

Broome points to the importance

established two firm supply chain

of communication with other supply

strategies. “When there are any

chain professionals in the space, and

changes, both teams come together

key partners as a crucial component

to make decisions on the best ways to

for success. “We recently attended

leverage our volumes and make bulk

the annual Solar Power International c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

REC SOLAR

248

tradeshow in Utah. I believe that talking to other like-minded individuals in the industry is so important because it allows you to get a good idea of what the latest trends in the sector are as well as forming new connections and building lasting partnerships.

It’s important to acknowledge our partners share our overall goals and help to ensure that we keep costs low for the customer, while maintaining quality on time.�

Pointing to her upbringing, Broome dwells on how her early life and career NOVEMBER 2019

“ I’m inspired by innovation and visionaries, and I now understand that I need to be the leader that I want to see” — Josie Broome, Director of Procurement & Operational Excellence, REC Solar

249

has shaped the influence she wants

is going to be based on how fast we

to have on others in the field. “I’m

can continue to adapt to the market

inspired by innovation and visionaries,

changes,” she notes. “Old ways of

and I now understand that I need to be

thinking, doing and being are not

the leader that I want to see. I’ve been

going to survive. We must stay ahead,

fortunate enough to have had some

act quickly and remain agile. I believe

pretty incredible leadership mentors

that being, nimble, performing quality

on my journey, and overcoming the

work and continuing to drive improve-

challenge of leadership is done by

ments will ensure we remain a leader

ensuring I’m the leader that I would

in the space.”

like and need.” With the future in mind, Broome has a clear vision of what she hopes her firm can achieve over the next few years. “Our future success c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

250

Unilever: manufacturing a circular plastic economy NOVEMBER 2019

251

WRITTEN BY

WILLIAM SMITH

PRODUCED BY

CRAIG KILLINGBACK

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

UNILEVER

© Perkins&Will/Unilever

Business Chief takes a closer look at the circular economy for plastic being instituted at and supported by Unilever

M

ultinational consumer goods company Unilever has, since its founding 90 years ago, diversified its offerings to include a

huge variety of items ranging from food to cleaning products. With over 400 brands, Unilever says on its website that on any day, “2.5bn people use Unilever 252

products”. According to Statista, the company’s market value in 2018 was $155.8bn, with revenues of US$56.612bn (€50.982bn), making it one of Europe’s largest companies. As of 2019, the company reportedly employs 155,000 people around the world.

For a company as large as Unilever, any of its initiatives have the potential for huge knock-on effects. Because of this, it stresses the importance of research and development (R&D) to pioneer new approaches. With six R&D centres across the world staffed by 6,000 R&D workers and US$1.1bn (€1bn) of investment, the company says that “Innovation is at the heart of Unilever’s ambition to grow sustainably. Science, technology and product development are central to our plans to keep providing consumers with great brands that improve NOVEMBER 2019

253

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UNILEVER

“ Our vision is a world in which everyone works together to ensure that plastic stays in the economy and out of the 254 environment” — Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever

NOVEMBER 2019

their lives while having a positive impact on the environment and society.”

Through these words, Unilever’s intent to position science and technology to meet the world’s environmental concerns can be understood. One of the principal considerations of fast moving consumer goods is necessarily packaging, and with such a focus comes the attendant environmental concern. Many of these packagings come in the form of plastics, with that category subdivided further still.

Single-use plastics have come under particular scrutiny, with the European

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘UNILEVER 2025 PLASTIC PACKAGING COMMITMENTS’ 255 Parliament approving a complete ban planned to go into effect across the bloc by 2021. According to Unilever, the deaths of 100mn marine animals can be attributed to discarded plastic each year. “Plastic has its place, but that place is not in the environment,” said CEO Alan Jope in a press release.

“We can only eliminate plastic waste by acting fast and taking radical action at all points in the plastic cycle.”

In response to such measures, Unilever is helping forward the move towards a circular economy which not only uses less plastic but recycles, c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

UNILEVER

256

reuses or composts the material it

it sells” – moves which have seen

does use. Currently, Unilever quotes

Unilever become the first company

figures suggesting that only 14% of the

of its kind to target a reduction in

world’s plastic packaging ends up in

plastic in absolute terms.

recycling plants, with only 9% going on

“Our starting point has to be design,

to be recycled. The company announced

reducing the amount of plastic we use,

that by 2025 it would halve its use of

and then making sure that what we do

virgin plastic via a reduction in the

use increasingly comes from recycled

amount of plastic packaging in the

sources,” said Jope in the press

order of 100,000 tonnes and by

release. “We are also committed to

increasing its use of recycled material.

ensuring all our plastic packaging is

It said it would also help to “collect and

reusable, recyclable or compostable.

process more plastic packaging than

This demands a fundamental rethink

NOVEMBER 2019

257

in our approach to our packaging and products. It requires us to introduce new and innovative packaging materials and scale up new business models, like re-use and re-fill formats, at an unprecedented speed and intensity.”

Unilever’s endeavours in this area are backed by other concrete targets.

100% of Unilever packaging will have sustainability or recycling information by 2021, and 100% of packaging will be recycling ready or reusable by 2025.

“ We can only eliminate plastic waste by acting fast and taking radical action at all points in the plastic cycle” — Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever

All rigid Plastic packaging will be 100% c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

UNILEVER

258

“ We see no paradox between responsible consumption, sustainable business, purposeful brands and better financial performance” — Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever

Cif ecorefill – a 10x concentrated refill that allows shoppers to buy one spray bottle, which they can then use for life

NOVEMBER 2019

259

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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Community-based waste banks NOVEMBER 2019

US$56.6bn Approximate revenue

1872

Year founded

155,000

Approximate number of employees

post-consumer resin by 2025, and for the Hellmann’s brand specifically, 25% of turnover will be driven by refillable or reusable plastics by 2025.

That brand, as well as Axe and Dove, are participating in the Loop Program to disruptively upcycle plastic waste via a process of depolymerization, in turn producing food-grade PET plastic and Polyester.

These targets are all intended to benchmark Unilever’s progress towards its ultimate goal. “Our vision is a world in which everyone works together to ensure that plastic stays in the

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261

UNILEVER

262

Unilever’s partnership with Mr Green Africa unlocks sustainable solutions to plastic waste management in Kenya

All Things Hair – a new model of eco-friendly shopping in the Philippines NOVEMBER 2019

economy and out of the environment,” continued Jope in the press release.

“Our plastic is our responsibility and so we are committed to collecting back more than we sell, as part of our drive towards a circular economy. This is a daunting but exciting task which will help drive global demand for recycled plastic.”

The move towards sustainability is not in conflict with the business imperative, however. In an interview with the BBC, Jope said: “We do believe in trying to remain relevant for younger groups of consumers as they come into the market, and we know that millenials really care about purpose and sustainability and the conduct of the companies and the brands that they’re buying.

This is part of responding to society but also remaining relevant for years to come in the market. We see no paradox between responsible consumption, sustainable business, purposeful brands and better financial performance.”

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LSG Sky Chefs 264

WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY

CRAIG KILLINGBACK

NOVEMBER 2019

265

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LSG SKY CHEFS

Ricky Bivens, Head of Sustainability and Director of the Zero-Waste to Landfill program at LSG Sky Chefs, shares how the catering company is expanding its sustainability strategy across North America for a greener future

266

M

ore than ever, climate action is an essential corporate responsibility. LSG Sky Chefs, as part of the LSG Group, is an air-

line catering company committed to sustainability, working to reduce its carbon footprint, and leading by example. Ricky Bivens, Head of Sustainability and Director of the company’s Zero-Waste to Landfill (ZLF) program, has been a driving force behind this initiative since he joined the company almost a decade ago. He initially started off in the procurement department, responsible for a number of different categories, including waste. “Waste is a huge expenditure across North America and, while there are a number of variables, there are also a number of constants,” he explained. Once Bivens assessed these variables and constants, he devised the ZLF program: “While you can’t control the cost of a compactor, you can control what goes into it.”

NOVEMBER 2019

267

1941

Year founded

42

US locations

12,000+

Approximate number of employees c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LSG SKY CHEFS

“ While you can’t control the cost of a compactor, you can control what goes into it” — Ricky Bivens Head of Sustainability LSG Sky Chefs

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION Bivens toured all 42 LSG Sky Chefs’ U.S. locations in order to evaluate how the template of the ZLF program would need to be modified to suit local jurisdiction and federal regulations.

He explains that landfill was no longer an option because the ecological damage it was causing was becoming increasingly apparent. He worked with LSG Sky Chefs’ customers and the airports in order to see how they could assist in achieving each airport’s green initiatives and subsequently surpass

268

them. “As we work with the airlines, we try to adhere to and exceed their cost expectations through the ZLF system,” says Bivens. Due to the nature of working with the aviation industry across a number of states, it is also imperative to work closely with the local state police and federal authorities.

LSG Sky Chefs also uses the ZLF system to work with its partners and suppliers, with the aim of becoming more sustainable. Bivens cites a partner who exemplifies how the ZLF program can create a positive effect: “We worked with a large waste company, Royal Waste, to examine NOVEMBER 2019

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TAKE A PEEK INSIDE THE LSG SKY CHEFS CHICAGO FACILITY’ 269 its organizational structure in order

their methods. Whether it is the type of

to see how recycling could be better

plastic being used, the amount of pack-

incorporated into waste management.

aging, or their transportation methods,

Our partnership is mutually beneficial

together we challenge the vendors

as diverting from landfill benefits Royal

with ways in which they can improve

Waste, too.” Since then, Royal Waste

upon their carbon footprint. We may

has developed Material Recycling

meet with opposition but, more often

Facility machines to assist with waste

than not, they understand that if we

management, as well as reduce its

do what is environmentally correct,

carbon footprint. Bivens takes a similar

then the bottom line takes care of itself.”

approach with supply chain. “I work

For an initiative to truly take form, it

closely with our Head of Supply Chain,

needs to be embodied by the employ-

Rick Melvin, and I speak to a great

ees of a company. From a change

number of the companies that we

management perspective, Bivens

work with and question the need for

reflects that some individuals who c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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Document Shredding

greatly opposed ZLF initially are now

enter our locations across North

some of its strongest advocates.

America, they can see our employees

Each LSG Sky Chefs location has a

embrace this ethos from the top down

“champion,” as Bivens calls them, who

to an individual level. There is a strong

is responsible for pushing innovation

level of initiative across our teams,

through the ZLF program. As the initia-

and they work from monthly tonnage

tive has had time to take root, Bivens

reports and share ideas on improve-

shares that there has seen healthy

ment.” As the program grows, it is

competition between regions as to

receiving a number of accolades. In

who has the most innovative waste-

2014, the initiative won the innovation

reduction ideas. “It has been humbling

award for Business and Environmental

to watch the program come into its

Process, which was accepted in Hong

own,” he says. “When our customers

Kong. “Winning this award allowed us 271

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Ricky Bivens Recycling has been a strong passion of mine for many years, both professionally and in my home life. In my line of work I have had the opportunity to see the impact that waste has on our world – we’re closing landfills in many areas across North America, and so I strive to train and teach everyone in our company about our Zero to Landfill (ZLF) policy. Every year since 2012 the ZLF processes that we have put in place have seen thousands of tons of waste from landfill be recycled or repurposed. As part of this, we have vendors onboard that work with us to rethink how things are packed and delivered to us. We also work closely with our airline customers to reduce waste and increase recycling processes, and we are always looking for cutting-edge equipment that enables us to raise the bar in reducing waste to landfill.

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LSG SKY CHEFS

272

NOVEMBER 2019

“As we work with the airlines, we try to adhere to and exceed their cost expectations through the ZLF system” — Ricky Bivens Head of Sustainability LSG Sky Chefs

273

c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

LSG SKY CHEFS

274

“ When our customers enter our locations across North America, they can see that employees embrace this ethos” — Ricky Bivens Head of Sustainability LSG Sky Chefs

NOVEMBER 2019

to set a precedent across our international markets,” he says, adding that it has also received a number of local awards, largely from airports, across its units in Los Angeles, Denver, Boston, Portland and more.

CREATING A GREENER FUTURE Though the initiative started out as Biven’s “baby,” he is humbled to see how it has grown into a company-wide responsibility carried on by every member of the staff. “Though we still have a long way to go, we have already come very far, and the ZLF program is starting to generate a lot of attention. As he looks to the future, Bivens is pushing to introduce the Ompeco in the US, a machine used across Europe that features impressive waste-reducing capabilities of up to 80%. Though he expects to meet some pushback with the emergence of this machine in the States, particularly from waste companies, he asserts that it is the best thing environmentally and will assist the LSG Group in fulfilling its role in addressing climate change.

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NOVEMBER 2019

Envoy Mortgage RIDING THE DISRUPTIVE WAVE OF MODERNIZATION

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WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

SHIRIN SADR

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

ENVOY MORTGAGE

Business Chief USA speaks to Dan Mulberry (CIO, Envoy Mortgage) to discuss riding the disruptive wave of modernization

F

ounded in 1997, Envoy Mortgage is a national retail mortgage lender, operating in 49 states and originating

approximately $3bn annually. Envoy Mortgage 278

focuses their efforts in the distributed retail sector in order to best serve customer and referral partner needs.

Two years ago, Envoy Mortgage was bought by a private equity investment firm. Envoy CIO, Dan Mulberry, describes the firm as a “very committed partner.” The company provides a strong capital base for Envoy and maintains a forward-thinking vision as it embraces change in order to remain viable in present and future markets.

Mulberry ensures that Envoy also adapts to a forward-thinking mindset when it comes to their technology ventures. He is the key component to Envoy’s shift from older core technology to defining a transformative path for the company, integrating processes and updating

NOVEMBER 2019

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cybersecurity. These technological

couple of years these regulations

advancements have allowed Envoy to

have loosened and were replaced by

adapt for the future.

increased scrutiny from state regula-

“Culturally the mortgage industry has a history of being very slow to make changes. This was partially

tors,” says Dan Mulberry, Envoy’s chief operation officer.

Envoy Mortgage currently operates

driven by the financial crash as new

in 49 states across the United States,

regulations came into place and took

resulting in strict mortgage require-

precedent to ensure compliance

ments from each of those states.

with federal, state and local govern-

Therefore, it is imperative that Envoy

ments. After the Financial Crisis,

remains at the forefront of evolving

the Consumer Financial Protection

technology in order to diminish the

Bureau (CFPB) really stepped up and

ongoing challenge of catering to mul-

added new regulations and increased

tiple complex regulations.

enforcement. However, in the last NOVEMBER 2019

“Over the years, when businesses

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘LOVE YOUR MORTGAGE EXPERIENCE WITH ENVOY’ 281

“ Our vision is to be a leader, we want to be sure we are offering loan officers the best industry tools” — Dan Mulberry, CIO, Envoy Mortgage

invest in modernisation, it is usually for front-end developments. This advancement gives consumers the ability to complete business online,” adds Mulberry.

With continuous entrants into the market space, Mulberry believes it is crucial to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to any modernisation.

“We haven’t been disrupted yet, but it is only a matter of time. Because of this, we need to be at the forefront of technology. Improving our tools and processes makes it easier for our loan originators to improve c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

“We haven’t been disrupted yet but it’s only a matter of time” — Dan Mulberry, CIO, Envoy Mortgage

NOVEMBER 2019

efficiency,” says Mulberry.

automation,” explains Mulberry.

Currently, machine learning, arti-

In recent years, Envoy focused

ficial intelligence (AI) and OCR for

on RPA to integrate its front and

data conversion are being used for

back-end systems, which was a “very

front-end services. However, Envoy’s

beneficial, quick win” that eliminated

goal is to also utilize these applica-

manual processes. Since then,

tions for back-end processes.

Mulberry and Kim Hoffman, Envoy

“One of the main issues faced

COO, have implemented Cloudvirga,

within the mortgage industry is the

an advanced point of sales system,

manual processing of multiple state-

as part of a two-fold modernisation

ments and third-party data, opening

process of integration and automa-

up the possibility for human error.

tion. Once fully operational, the

We want to eliminate glitches to

system will give customers a powerful

increase the integrity of data with

self-service option, allowing Envoy to

Dan Mulberry

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Having worked in the mortgage industry for over 35 years, Dan specializes in leveraging technology to maximize efficiency and profitability, while improving customer experience.

His expertise extends to technology discovery, process improvement and digital adaptation, while consulting executive leadership teams on industry-leading and forward-thinking initiatives.

Dan began his tech career in the finance and capital markets sector and his experience has included running secondary marketing for a top lender, as well as holding various SVP roles strategizing and managing all B2B technology and implementation. c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

283

ENVOY MORTGAGE

1997

Year founded

$20.mn+ Approximate revenue

1,300

Approximate number of employees 284

NOVEMBER 2019

impacting the mortgage origination experience. The business selected ClaySys as a strategic partner for RPA, supporting it through the deployment and configuration of the ClaySys RPA Genie platform. This platform has enabled the automation of processes touching both internal systems and people at Envoy, and external, third-party systems tied to the process. Envoy also leverages ClaySys’ RPA domain expertise to re-invent certain key process configurations that significantly enhance the customer experience.

“Ultimately, Envoy’s shift towards automate pricing, rate locks, generate

modernisation is about helping loan

disclosures and payment of appraisal

originators conduct business effi-

fees, removing these manual tasks

ciently in the way that best fits their

from loan originators and making it

marketplace and the product mix they

easier for them to conduct business.

are going after, while ensuring its pro-

Additionally, Cloudvirga will give loan originators a simple platform to view all applications and uploaded

cesses are standardized and automated where possible,” explains Mulberry.

Mulberry believes that human

documents in one central location, with

interaction will never cease but is

clear indication of any outstanding

continuously evolving. With the use of

documentation needed to increase

automation, the way loan originators,

submission efficiency to underwriters.

assistants and processors interact

Embracing RPA has enabled Envoy to automate multiple key processes

will change to become more consumer focused. Eventually, in the next c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com

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ENVOY MORTGAGE

286

“ We want to be at the forefront of technology improving our tools and processes making it easier for people in the field to do their job” — Dan Mulberry, CIO, Envoy Mortgage

three to five years, Mulberry wants to see a process where AI pulls most data required and consumers provide minimal information.

“The mortgage process will never be like an auto dealership where you walk in, apply for the loan and sign the papers within an hour, because compliance does not work like that, but we do believe that the process can be automated for the bulk of loans where consumers are only required to schedule the closing within the compliance time period,” says Mulberry.

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287

Looking to the future, Mulberry’s

out modern capabilities, such as,

vision for Envoy is that the company

intelligent workflow, real-time data

becomes a leader in adopting new

analytics, predictive analytics, block

technologies as they become read-

chain and automation for its underwrit-

ily available. “We want to be sure we

ing processes. Simultaneously, Envoy

offer our loan originators the best

remains hyper focused on stimulating

tools in the industry, so we are focus-

innovation by identifying pain points

ing on ensuring we have a core open

within the business to improve its

architecture platform that allows the

offerings to the mortgage industry and

integration of tools and capabilities we

ensure precise time management.

need to achieve our journey towards automation, transformation and modernisation,� notes Mulberry.

In addition, Envoy is planning c a na da .busi ne ssc h ief. com