Business Chief Americas - April 2020

Nordex Group: the impact of digital transformation

NORTH AMERICA APRIL 2020 www.businesschief.com

C Y BE R S E O R E H R E P U S Lauren Knausenberger, CTO, on cybersecurity strategies and a superhero culture

City Focus

TORONTO

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FOREWORD

W

elcome to the April edition of

work that the organisation is

Business Chief Americas.

undertaking in order to create

This month’s cover features Lauren

Knausenberger, Chief Transformation

greater student equity.

Elsewhere, we speak with workplace

Officer (CTO) at the United States

culture experts from Palladium, Genius

Air Force. Knausenberger discusses cybersecurity strategies and a

Within and Canvas GFX, to discuss the rise of diversity and inclusion in

superhero culture that is transforming

the USA.

operations.

Other leaders that feature in this

In addition, this month’s City Focus explores the ever-growing Canadian

magazine include Joe Phillips, Director

city of Toronto. Our Top 10, meanwhile,

of Technology at Kansas City Public

takes a closer look at the top 10 most

School (KCPS), who details the

influential Chief Marketing Officers

leapfrogging that KCPS is currently

(CMOs) of companies in the USA.

undertaking in order to create greater student equity, as well as John

Do you have a story to share?

McComas, Head of Project Management

If you would like to be featured in an

at Nordex North America, who discusses

upcoming issue of Business Chief

the impact of digital transformation

Americas, please get in touch at

in the energy sector amidst the launch

georgia.wilson@bizclikmedia.com

of the company’s new wind turbine platform. Joe Phillips, Director of

Enjoy the issue!

Technology at Kansas City Public Schools, shares the technology-driven

Georgia Wilson

w w w. b u s i n e s s c h i e f. c o m

03

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Click the menu (top right) to return to contents page at anytime NORTH AMERICA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Georgia Wilson EDITORAL DIRECTOR

Matt High CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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DIGITAL VIDEO DIRECTOR

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CONTENTS

46

10

56

64

CREATING

86

SUSTAINABLE DIVERSITY

City Focus

TORONTO

74

96

114 Kansas City Public Schools

128 PCL Construction

146 OTIP

176 CRC ORE

162 Nordex North America

10

R E P U S A

T E R U T L U C R E B Y C APRIL 2020

WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE

PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR 11

O R E H R S T H G I F T A TH S T A E R H T R w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

US AIR FORCE

IN OUR SECOND VISIT TO WASHINGTON DC, LAUREN KNAUSENBERGER, CHIEF TRANSFORMATION OFFICER AT THE US AIR FORCE, DISCUSSES CYBERSECURITY STRATEGIES AND A SUPERHERO CULTURE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

12

L

auren Knausenberger is the U.S. Air Force’s Chief Transformation Officer (CTO). Having initially joined as Director of Cyberspace

Innovation in 2017, she assumed her current position in June 2019, stepping into a newly-created role that reaches across the entire Air Force to drive digital transformation. A Wharton graduate who left her work in the entrepreneurial and investment industry to take on this new challenge in government, she is one of very few senior officials under the age of 40, and is no stranger to the digital space.

Upon joining the US Air Force, Knausenberger was primed to drive change at the federal government. “Everyone fails…until they don’t!” she quips.

“I think I told you that I joined the Air Force quite by accident. I became so intrigued with one of their problem sets and the next thing I knew a few persuasive generals had me signing up. The thing is – I missed the mission and didn’t realize it until these APRIL 2020

13

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

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US AIR FORCE

generals reminded me. I was so hon-

“KESSEL RUN WAS BORN OUT OF THAT PROBLEM — WE TURNED A WHITEBOARD INTO AN ALGORITHM”

ored that they saw something in me and thought my ideas could really move the needle on some big problems.”

Few people know that Knausenberger began her career at NSA, being recruited as a High School student, so joining the Air Force was bringing her full circle. “It was refreshing to jump into this role, blissfully unaware of all of the ways

Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force 16

that many efforts had failed in the past. I wasn’t worried about upsetting anyone, and I knew that if I could accomplish even a tenth of what I saw could be done, it would make a big difference.”

As an outsider trying to drive change, Knausenberger understood the challenge of becoming part of an organization still entrenched in a traditional approach. “What the Air Force was really looking for was someone who thought differently and was passionate about the problem space, and who could convince people that we could really do it,” she explains. “At the end of the day, I simply calculate risk differently. Most people say the military is risk averse, but from my perspective, we were taking crazy risks everywhere – by not

APRIL 2020

The value of partnerships at The US Air Force CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:35

17 innovating fast enough we were pass-

“One of my favorite moments was when

ing that risk to the warfighter every day.

a general told me that she knew she had

I’ve seen that way of thinking about risk

to think differently when I was in a meet-

change dramatically over the past three

ing,” she notes. “Just six months later, that

years, but we still have some work to do.”

same general told me I didn’t need to be

From the very beginning, Knausenberger felt that her own ‘crazy’

there anymore for her to push forward and not accept the old way of thinking.”

ideas were embraced and that people

The barriers to speed in the

were open and direct if they felt that one

Department of Defense are well

of her suggestions couldn’t work.

documented and she completed her own assessment of these in her first 90 days.

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

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US AIR FORCE

20

“There were certainly many routes to

champions away. I was able to form part-

go down. I wanted to solve a problem

nerships with smart, passionate people

where there was clear pain and frustra-

all focused on a common goal – including

tion across a diverse group of people,”

full support from Air Force Deputy Chief

she states. “Equally important, I picked

Information Officer, Bill Marion - and

one where I felt I was uniquely poised

that allowed us to do some great work.

to help – in terms of my own strengths

Our Chief Information Security Officer,

as well as my position in the CIO

Wanda Jones-Heath, had her team roll

organization. Starting with cybersecu-

up their sleeves to help make sure the

rity accreditation just made too much

new constructs would stick, and consult-

sense. There was so much pain in the

ants like Lonye Ford at Arlo Solutions

process and I was confident we could do

helped make sure we filled in execution

better. So many people wanted to help

details in a way that traditional assessors

make this happen I almost had to turn

could relate and adopt new practices.”

APRIL 2020

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Lauren Knausenberger Lauren Knausenberger joined the U.S. Air Force to drive innovation across the Department of Defense, speed adoption of emerging technologies, and create stronger partnerships between the DoD, startups, and the venture community.

In her role as Chief Transformation Officer, she has actively fought to bust traditional barriers to capability development, including shifting the risk equation for cybersecurity accreditation to incentivise the rapid adoption of modern, secure systems. In partnership with Kessel Run, Lauren generated the Continuous ATO concept, which helped set the bar for excellence in DevSecOps and enables Air Force software factories to accredit and deploy systems at commercial speed. She was also a major contributor to the recent Fast Track ATO, which emphasises pen testing and threat/vulnerability assessment over compliance. Through her work with the DevSecOps community, Lauren saw a major gap in the way of training and retaining the most technologically savvy Airmen and has become a driving force behind the Computer Language Initiative and Digital University.

Lauren also acts as an champion for AFWERX and a connector across the Air Force community to enable projects, remove barriers to entry for best-inclass businesses, test innovative concepts, and bring new voices and capabilities to the table.

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

21

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US AIR FORCE

24

The US Air Force has been in the

of partners such as Pivotal and others

software business for some time, but

who had already found the solution to

until the past few years was almost solely

part of that conundrum. “We were for-

leveraging legacy, waterfall software

tunate to have such great partners, who

development practices. “Even as we

had already figured out how to develop

adopted agile development, we were

safe and secure code rapidly. We joined

still stymied by a ridiculously arduous

forces to create a secure Continuous

cybersecurity accreditation process

Integration/Continuous Deployment

that was ultimately not relevant to the

(CI/CD) pipeline and adopted the best

modern technologies in use. How could

practices of the DevOps Research

we ensure the code being delivered

Assessment. Our teams worked hard

was safe and secure, but could at the

to constantly improve and we used

same time be delivered at the speed of

penetration testing to assess our code

relevance?” She credits the importance

in production as well. The premise is

APRIL 2020

that if you design secure software, use

whiteboard’. Why? ‘Because the white-

a secure process, bake security into

board is how they planned all of their

everything you do, and have a robust

refueling operations. We had pilots flying

way to test and validate your code con-

all over the Middle East, refueling in mid-

tinuously, that accreditation should be

air at 350mph, while someone hangs out

done by the time the code is complete.

the back of an airplane…and it could be

So, the continuous authority to operate

defeated by a whiteboard eraser!’”

(cATO) was born. This was revolutionary

After hearing this, Schmidt was

in the department, and really incentivized

certain there could be an algorithm cre-

people to adopt modern DevSecOps

ated to combat the problem. “And he

practices. And it all started with a group

was absolutely right,” Knausenberger

of insurgents at Kessel Run.”

confirms. “Kessel Run was born out of

Kessel Run was the first true imple-

that problem – we turned a whiteboard

mentation of agile DevSecOps in the

into an algorithm, and amongst many

Air Force, and represented a departure

other successes we’re now saving

from the standard way of doing develop-

over $250k a week in fuel. This team

ment. “We joked we had to ‘smuggle’

of incredibly motivated, and relatively

agile development and cybersecurity

junior, personnel was creating such

accreditation into the Air Force to make

innovative software, and an Air Force

it happen,” says Knausenberger. “Kessel

cultural revolution to go with it. We have

Run first got started with refueling opera-

developed such an incredible insurgency

tions in the Middle East. Eric Schmidt

and have gained support by a broad part

and the Defense Innovation Board flew

of the organization that I don’t think we

over to Qatar and Schmidt asked one

can call it an insurgency anymore. We’ve

of the commanders what kept him up

won. It’s reached irreversible momentum.

at night. The commander said ‘I’m just

And that’s incredible,” she adds. “Since

terrified someone’s going to erase my

Kessel Run got its start, the Air Force has

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

25

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Among Among our our experiences, experiences, DarkDark WolfWolf is proud Among is proud to our have to have experiences, Dark Wolf is proud to have supported supported Secretary Secretary of Air of Force/Office Air Force/Office supported of Information of Information Secretary of Air Force/Office of Information

US AIR FORCE

The Strategic Studies Group demonstrates the super hero pose

28 stood up a number of agile development capabilities - Platform One, Kobayashi Maru, LevelUp, BESPIN, SoniKube, Tron, Ski Camp, and others who are doing amazing work and reaching across the community to share best practices.

Finally, we have hired a Chief Software Officer, Nicolas Chaillan, who has been a great partner to drive forward so many of these initiatives.”

“The revolution didn’t stop at just software development though, it was actually much broader. Spark Tank is an excellent example of that,” Knausenberger continues. Established in 2017, Spark APRIL 2020

Tank acts as a catalyst for agile US Air

innovators with tools and connections,

Force engagement across the industry

and the senior-level support needed to

and encourages innovation and entre-

break down policy barriers,” she com-

preneurship. A partnership between

ments. “Airmen submit hundreds of

AFWERX and Airmen Powered by

ideas and we whittle them down to just

Innovation, Spark Tank allows Airmen to

six finalists for the live show. Many of

submit their ideas in a pitch competition

these Airmen joined at 18 and don’t have

format directly to their most senior lead-

college degrees, and they are some of

ers. Airmen share their ideas and the

the smartest, hardest-working problem

roadblocks they face to making them real.

solvers around. They know their mis-

“It brings together three key elements:

sion, and have unique insight into how

a powerful network of innovators within

it can be done better. This competition

the Air Force, a group of people who

showcases their awesome ideas and

are doing everything to empower those

also gives our senior leaders a chance to really model how we should be supporting innovators. Our Secretary, Chief of Staff, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force are inspiring leaders and never disappoint in their support and advice for these Airmen. And we have leaders like Darlene Costello and Rich Lombardi as senior advisors who really know how to get things done in the Air Force and help ensure projects can grow to appropriate scale.”

Knausenberger recognizes the talent at the US Air Force’s disposal and believes her organization is doing things that you simply won’t see anywhere else.

“We have incredible people that have w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

29

USAF Technology Transformation Google’s Innovation for Your Mission

Keith Hannah, Federal Account Executive 512-343-5324 | keithhannah@google.com

31

brought lots of intellectual firepower and

“THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO IN THE AIR FORCE THAT YOU CAN’T DO ANYWHERE ELSE”

who all work very hard,” she says. “We are doing some of the coolest things in the world, with software, airplanes, satellites, and technology that would blow your mind. There are things that you can do in the Air Force that you can’t do anywhere else. But one of the biggest lessons from Spark Tank was the value

Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force

of collaborators - the new superheroes in our Air Force.”

Knausenberger devised a ‘superhero chart’ to lightheartedly convey how w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

The Department of Defense trusts the cloud with the most tools, technology, and accessibility at the tactical edge.

www.BuildOn.aws

important it is to support warfighters.

“The Air Force has a hero culture. People join to make a real difference and put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” she explains. “Captain Marvel is our superhero - she’s off saving lives and on the frontline of the mission. There are also the sidekicks (think Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox) - the unsung heroes that support the superheroes to deliver those incredible mission effects. Then there are the supervillains (Megamind) and henchmen (Wormtail)!

33

In the world of innovation, the supervillains are those that sometimes get in the way of others trying to do good things – they are undoubtedly trying to keep people safe, but can get overly diligent in enforcing rules that no longer make

of innovation and put in place the con-

sense and are often misunderstood. I

structs to support innovative Airmen.

joke that we have a supervillain-to-

He inspires me too.”

superhero conversion program. By

Knausenberger values how people

harnessing all of that policy knowledge

can ‘earn their capes’ and understands

and enabling innovative warfighters, you

the importance of collaboration to help

can be a hero too.”

make others stand out and succeed.

We asked if she had a favorite a real

“A lot of the time it isn’t because you had

life super hero. “I have to say one of my

a great idea, it’s because you found

favorite unsung heroes is Air Force Vice

someone who had an awesome idea

Chief Gen. Stephen “Seve” Wilson. He

and you used all of your knowledge, con-

works very hard to perpetuate a culture

nections, and abilities to help make that w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

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person shine,” she explains. “That’s actu-

“ANY CHANGE I MAKE MUST BE SOMETHING THAT CAN LAST AFTER I’M GONE”

ally even more important.”

Over the past few years, the US Air Force has made a concerted effort to widen its partnerships with the defense industrial base, having previously worked solely with a small stable of very large, long-standing partners. “Our Head of Acquisition, Dr. Will Roper, regularly

Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force

talks about our desire to expand our defense industrial base to organizations that have never done business with the Department of Defense, and even to drive deeper partnerships with the investor community,” she says. “In the United

A superhero culture at the US Air Force CLICK TO WATCH

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1:51

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35

US AIR FORCE

36

“ THE AIR FORCE HAS A HERO CULTURE. PEOPLE JOIN TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE” Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Transformation Officer, U.S. Air Force

APRIL 2020

37

US Air Force: Harnessing the true value of DevSecOps CLICK TO WATCH

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2:00

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39

States, we have some of the largest,

are jumping into government to support

most well-respected tech companies

the mission for three to five years. A few

in the world, and they didn’t work with

years ago, there were very few outside

the military for a long time. Now, all of

of DDS, and now we have a growing club

the household names are working with

and even a few alumni who have done

us. For the most part, I think that people

their stint in government and have now

within the tech companies realize that

returned to the commercial world with a

we’re on the same team and all want to

new perspective to bring to the mission.

be safe. And, of course, we want to con-

One notable alum is Chris Lynch, who

tinue to partner with our large defense

founded DDS, and has now launched

contractors and appreciate their efforts

Rebellion Defense to bring together the

to transform with us. The other cool

best of the valley with super smart engi-

trend is that more tech savvy outsiders

neers who really know DOD systems w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

Top 6 Reasons DevSecOps is Now for the Federal Government Underpinning all modern technology — software and hardware — is a supply chain. The reality however, is that software is much easier to pollute than hardware. For federal agencies to better protect themselves and the American citizenry, they need to start shifting security practices left and playing better offense at the beginning of their digital supply chain.

1

Open Source is Powering Federal Software Development

3

85% of an application is comprised of free, readily available open source components.

There is a disconnect between development and security, with little transparency into the parts feeding today’s software supply chains.

2

Not All Open Source Components are Created Equal

4

Research shows that within the Java ecosystem, 1 in 10 contains a known security vulnerability.

JUN 2018 NTIA launches initiative to improve software component transparency

5

Agencies Don’t Know How Much Open Source They’re Using

Regulations Around Software Development is Coming

According to the DevSecOps Community Survey of 5,500 IT pros, 1 in 4 organizations confirmed or suspected an open source related breach last year.

AUG 2018 Deliver Uncompromised report published by Mitre Corporation

An unexpected threat comes from the contractors, inadvertently introducing vulnerabilities into the supply chain with an emphasis on cost over security.

6

Lack of Open Source Policies Lead to Breaches

OCT 2018 FDA releases guidance on cybersecurity management of medical devices

Cost Emphasized Over Security Protocol

Savvy contractors and agencies are prioritizing security in their development process now.

MAR 2019 Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 introduced

DEC 2018 U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee releases its Cybersecurity Strategy Report

Learn more at Sonatype.com/government

JAN 2020 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed

by U.S. Senate

The DoD releases its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)

and are passionate about delivering

solved anywhere else. The startup com-

national security capabilities. This type of

munity is often telling us ‘we want the

cross-pollination is critical to our future

coolest, most wicked problems that you

success as a military and as a country.”

could throw at us’, and we have those in

In a bid to drive innovation, the US

spades! It ultimately makes for a great,

Air Force is determined to work more

synergistic relationship. “The Air Force

closely with startups. “They innovate

also finds incredible synergies with our

at a faster pace than anyone else,”

allies,” Knausenberger explains. “Our

Knausenberger affirms. “We’re working

Air Force’s Strategic Studies Group is a

with an increasing number of businesses

key part of the brain trust for for driving

with a startup mentality that are focused

innovation across the force, and includes

on innovation. It’s hard to survive in the

our Exchange Officers from Japan,

US tech market because every entre-

Germany, the United Kingdom, and

preneur thinks that they’re going to be a

France. And through those networks we

unicorn but, in reality, very few succeed.

The competition is tough.”

Knausenberger states that a key reason why the US Air Force wants to adopt this approach is to not only support small businesses but also to embrace an alternative type of talent. “It’s important we bring diversity into the defense industry,” she says. “And that’s diversity on every level: mindset, abilities and all aspects of background. It’s important to recognize that we’re not going to be able to achieve what we want if we always work with the same people. It’s also a really great business line for them, and we have really cool, complex problems that can’t be w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

41

US AIR FORCE

42

tap into much richer perspectives

5,328

Number of manned aircraft as of 2018

then we may otherwise get by looking at purely American views. We also have a great time working together on big ideas.�

In a bid to counter cyberattacks and increase resilience, the US Air Force has

1947

Year founded APRIL 2020

sought collaboration with another nontraditional source. In partnership with the Defense Digital Service, as well as cybersecurity firms such as BugCrowd,

HackerOne, Synack, and Dark Wolf, the

she explains. “Real world hackers don’t

organization is embracing the hacker

follow our checklist. We’d rather have

community. Each of those companies

friendly hackers who we’re paying to

has done large scale events, hacking

break systems, and that allows us to fix

the Air Force Cloud in addition to other

things as they find it. Our systems are

public facing websites for the Air Force.

stronger for it, and the hackers love the

“In the past, hackers looked at the Department of Defense and considered it a great prize to hack. But most people

chance to legally break into national security systems.”

While having much success today,

didn’t try it lightly because it’s also

Knausenberger understands how

a great way to get arrested,” explains

critical it is that any cultural change

Knausenberger.“ We’ve started to

implemented is built to last. “I’m very

embrace the hacking community

aware that any change I make must be

because although we have some great

something that can last after I’m gone,”

cybersecurity frameworks in place that

she explains. “I didn’t join the Air Force

lots of people benchmark against, we

intending to make a career of it – but my

wanted new partners who approach

intent was to make a huge and lasting

problems in different ways and who

impact. Therefore, it’s very important

could explore new threat vectors in a

that the things that we do aren’t just per-

creative way. It’s been invaluable - we’ve

sonality dependent. Not all software has

learned a great deal and it’s been a won-

to be sustainable. There are some things

derful partnership.”

that we use once and we throw away;

Knausenberger sees the true value

however, it’s vital that the organizational

in encouraging hackers to cause as

structures that support an innovation

much havoc as possible and believes it

culture have staying power. It’s impor-

is mutually rewarding. “I feel much more

tant that we’re able to do the simple

comfortable if I’ve had a hacker team

things well and that we put the right pro-

come in and see what they can break

cesses in place to replicate those early

without any rules, than if someone’s just

successes at scale. We have a dream

gone through the security checklist,”

team in place right now – from senior w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

43

US AIR FORCE

44

Empowering the Airmen of the US Air Force CLICK TO WATCH

APRIL 2020

|

1:57

free them to focus on mission innovation.

And we’ll continue to do the awesome things that the Air Force is known for: maintaining superiority in the air, space, and cyberspace. There’s lots of cool stuff happening.”

What really excites and drives Knausenberger, however, is making life easier for Airmen. “I joke that we can hit the back end of a fly from half way around the world, but when it comes to deploying new tools – Whew, that’s tough! We have a phenomenal workforce that can do incredibly difficult things with ease. I can’t wait for them to not have to work so hard on the silly things that we take for granted in the leadership to key positions throughout

commercial world. We are so close to

the Force to make this happen.”

making that a reality. What really fuels

Looking ahead, Knausenberger has a

me is seeing the innovative power of

clear vision of what the future will hold for

these Airmen and the way they come

the US Air Force. “I’m very excited and

together to accomplish anything they

I see us finalizing a lot of the big IT mod-

need to do, despite the roadblocks.

ernization and transformation efforts

Our future is in great hands, and I see

that we’re currently going through, as

an inspiring next generation of leaders

well as deploying the next generation

ready to continue our work as the world’s

of mind blowing Air and Space technol-

most powerful Air Force, and move

ogy,” she states. “I expect we’ll more

beyond to new frontiers.”

aggressively leveraging automation to liberate Airmen from repetitive tasks and w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

45

LEADERSHIP

46

The rise of diversity and inclusion in the USA WRITTEN BY

APRIL 2020

GEORGIA WILSON

47

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LEADERSHIP

Business Chief speaks with workplace culture experts to discuss the current state of diversity and inclusion in the United States

I

n recent years, Dr Rosanna Duncan MCIPD, Chief Diversity Officer at Palladium, has “seen giant strides not only in America, but globally,

as more women gain a seat at the top table.” Both

Dr Nancy Doyle, psychologist, founder and CEO of 48

Genius Within and Patricia Hume, CEO of Canvas GFX, agrees with Dr Duncan that “the diversity conversation in corporate America is louder and more widespread than it’s ever been before, and that is having an impact. Even more emphasis is being placed on the need for a diverse workforce and the benefits this can bring,” says Humes. ‘’The barriers have really been broken down thanks to role models, solid data collection and legal statutes.

However, although there is now a heightened awareness when it comes to diversity and inclusion, as well as some solid breakthroughs, we’re still not there yet,” adds Dr Doyle. Agreeing with Dr Doyle, Dr Duncan highlights that it is important to remember amidst this positive growth, that “diversity and inclusion in business is much more than just gender. There cannot be a meaningful APRIL 2020

49

“ The diversity conversation in corporate America is louder and more widespread than it’s ever been before” — Dr Rosanna Duncan, Chief Diversity Officer, Palladium

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

Rosanna Duncan: Diversity and Inclusion for everyone CLICK TO WATCH

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1:05

51

“ Diversity and inclusion in business is much more than just gender, there cannot be a meaningful impact beyond the boardroom if we fail to consider race and class” — Dr Rosanna Duncan, Chief Diversity Officer, Palladium

impact beyond the boardroom if we fail to consider race and class. We know that diversity adds real value to the bottom line by improving decisionmaking at all levels. However, in the race to achieve gender parity, we risk treating women as a homogeneous group in which female board members come from similar racial and social backgrounds, and express similar perspectives to their mainly white male counterparts.”

When it comes to increasing diversity and inclusion, Hume strongly believes w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

LEADERSHIP

that “education on the value diversity and inclusion can provide from an early age is essential. Making sure equal opportunities are available throughout the education process and within the workplace is vital. I believe that the more time people spend in diverse, collaborative communities, the less likely they are to focus on differences.” Both Dr Doyle and Dr Duncan further elaborate that to stand a chance of increasing diversity within America, organisations also need to 52

turn their back on old-fashioned and outdated methods of recruitment.

“One solution would be to introduce approaches that purely test capability and potential, as opposed to favouring candidates with postgraduate qualifications, even when a high level of technical expertise is not required.

On the face of it, this may seem an equitable differentiator. But this can exclude some groups including African Americans or other racial minorities, as well as those from low income backgrounds. It’s not due to their lack of ability, but a lack of opportunity and considerable financial constraints,” comments Dr Duncan, who highlights APRIL 2020

that according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, “less than a third of nursery school children from low-income families - who achieve high test scores – end up with a college education and a decent-paying entrylevel job. By contrast, those from families in the highest-income brackets with low test scores have a 70% chance of reaching the same education and job level. It is not surprising then that many low-income students, who have had access to fewer resources, struggle to maintain the advantages they may have had as infants. Employers need to look at a wider range of educational pathways including those who have studied part-time, flexibly, and even vocational qualifications.”

Ultimately, “there’s no silver bullet” when it comes to increasing diversity and inclusion within a business, says Dr Duncan. “Real change takes time and can only be achieved when everyone works together. The difficulty can lie in helping organisation to think about diversity beyond gender, and to see that everyone is responsible – from executives to the front line – for creating w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

53

LEADERSHIP

a diverse and inclusive environment.

Whilst having conversations on gender parity has over time become an easier conversation and is now part of the zeitgeist, I’m afraid that racial and socioeconomic parity in the workplace has been neglected.” However, Dr Duncan does explain that there are steps, that when put together, can help move an organisation in the right direction. “The first of these is to give diversity and inclusion a place at the top table. One of the biggest risks is the 54

perception that diversity and inclusion is a bolt-on to HR, or of too little strategic value to merit proper commitment.

Secondly, senior leaders should be held accountable. At Palladium, we hold quarterly forums and require senior leaders to be transparent, reporting on our KPIs to all staff, including targets on equal pay and blind recruitment. Additionally, the conversation needs to be flowing internally and externally – constantly sharing ideas, debating issues, and encouraging people at all levels to develop their own thought leadership on the subject. Finally, behaviours which are unacceptable should be called out.

APRIL 2020

“ When we bring our differences together in an environment where people feel respected, accepted, and included, amazing things happen” — Patricia Hume, CEO, Canvas GFX

55

Creating a diverse workforce is pointless unless you create an inclusive environment where everybody can feel safe, that they belong, and can reach their full potential.” Agreeing with Dr Duncan, Hume adds that, “when we bring our differences together in an environment where people feel respected, accepted, and included, amazing things happen. It is crucial to remember that diversity is fundamentally good for business, a diverse team is better at serving a diverse audience.” w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

TECHNOLOGY

BIG DATA AND

ANALYTICS: MINING

56

INFORMATION FOR VALUE Big Data and analytics have become omnipresent buzzwords recently, but what do they mean for how businesses should operate?

Business Chief explores the subject with Abel Smit at Tech Data WRITTEN BY

APRIL 2020

WILL GIRLING

57

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TECHNOLOGY

I

t’s often said that, in our modern economy, data is becoming the new oil. Whether this metaphor is

totally accurate is almost beside the point; in an

increasingly digital world, everything is data, a fact

that becomes ever more pertinent when the tools available for collecting and analysing information evolve. The scale of data’s explosion was estimated

by Domo to reach 1.7MB of new information every second for every person on Earth by 2020, with an approximate total of 40 zettabytes (40 trillion gigabytes) globally. Contributing to this enormous volume is ‘Big Data’ - large quantities of information pertaining 58

to corporate assets, which require highly innovative forms of processing to decipher and render useful for decision-making within business.

Abel Smit, Director of IoT Solutions at Tech Data, believes that how a company chooses to analyse its data can have a significant impact on enabling efficiencies. After all, when it comes to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the value a customer derives will not necessarily be from the device itself, but rather the wealth of insights and options for action that the analysis of data can make possible. “Businesses, small and large, need to aggregate, unlock and organise their data so it is accessible and can be maintained whilst being secure and ethical. When that is in place, analytics can be used to visualise, gain insights and drive even more value with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning,” he says.

APRIL 2020

“In an increasingly digital world, everything is data�

59

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Digital Transformation.

Made real every day.

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“ By investing in these next-gen forms of analytics, vast amounts of data, which would otherwise be wasted, can be transformed into a highly valuable asset” is formed and used to make a predic-

AI-POWERED ANALYTICS

tion, the result is collected and

The premise of AI-powered analysis

analysed, repeat ad nauseam.

is rooted in the goal of designing

By investing in these next-gen

technology that can perform tasks

forms of analytics, vast amounts

normally reserved for people.

of data, which would otherwise be

According to SAS, machine learning

wasted, can be transformed into a

forms an independent subset of AI

highly valuable asset. “By analysing

and focuses on training a machine

the usage, the channel can begin to

to identify patterns in data and then

take a number of actions. For exam-

‘draw conclusions’ from it in a similar

ple, the data can give resellers and

way to the human brain. First,

systems integrators an understand-

machines are given ‘inputs’ and their

ing of what challenges their custom-

associated ‘outputs’ in order to gen-

ers are encountering and what

erate a prediction algorithm. Next,

additional services they might need

they are presented with a new input and use the set algorithm to predict an output - the ultimate goal being to refine the algorithm until the error margin between the machines’ prediction (called the ‘cost function’) and the actual output is as close to zero as possible. Therefore, machinelearning-based analytics represents

DI D YO U K N OW?

1.7MB of new information is created every second for every person on Earth in 2020, with an approximate total of 40 zettabytes (40 trillion gigabytes) globally

a cycle: data is collected, an algorithm w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

61

TECHNOLOGY

“ The opportunities afforded

by Big Data are practical and abundant for companies dedicated to developing innovative ways of analysing the available information”

62 in order to solve them,” says Smit. The

“For those companies that can bridge

seemingly infinite streams of data gen-

the gap between IT and business objec-

erated on a daily basis take on

tives, there are major opportunities for

a whole new dimension, as each piece

success,” Smit adds. But what does

can be used to better inform executives

this mean for Big Data and analytics?

on how to steer corporate strategy.

“Information and dialogue can result in

EXTRACTING THE VALUE OF DATA

continual improvements, adding value

For many companies, this will mean

for the end customer and helping to cre-

finding ways to improve the end-user

ate lasting relationships built on meeting

experience, with data analysis providing

real-world business objectives. It also

the engine to solve larger volumes of

helps with securing and onboarding

problems than ever before. In an article

new clients, as the process of continual

by McKinsey & Co, Victor Nilson, SVP

development highlights and helps you

at AT&T, explained that the company

open up new markets.”

uses data analytics to optimise customer

APRIL 2020

leverage analytics to help the machines optimise themselves. It’s an example of using analytics to help a customer generate more yield and more productivity out of their existing capital investment.”

The opportunities afforded by Big Data are practical and abundant for companies dedicated to developing innovative ways of analysing the available information. Smit remarks that, although the modern era is one of “digital supremacy” and technology is undoubtedly indispensable to nearly every industry, there is some hesitance - even fatigue - among executives for digital transformation care. “We’ve used Big Data techniques

schemes that under-deliver. However,

to analyse all the different permutations

the eminently practical and widespread

to augment that experience to more

advantages of streamlining via data ana-

quickly resolve or enhance a particular

lytics is an opportunity that should be

situation. We take the complexity out

fully embraced. “If there is one thing

and turn it into something simple and

that businesses are interested in, it is

actionable.” Other companies might

how they can be more efficient, open

leverage data analytics to improve the

up new growth, or be more compliant,”

operation of a product itself, although

he says. “For those in the channel that

some, like Vince Campisi, Chief Digital

want to continue to succeed, the focus

Officer at United Technologies, consider

has to switch from technology to busi-

both forms of optimisation to be intrinsi-

ness outcomes.”

cally linked. Campisi told McKinsey, “We’re starting to enable digital industries, like a digital wind farm, where you can w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

63

S U P P LY C H A I N

64

APRIL 2020

TRANSFORMING FULFILLMENT OPERATIONS WITH

AUTOMATION Business Chief speaks to supply chain experts to discuss the use of automation for fulfilment operations WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WIL SON

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65

S U P P LY C H A I N

“A

global supply chain typically involves many partners that reside in different time zones, speak different

languages and possess unique systems, documents and data standards. This complexity puts tremendous pressure on workers to

standardise across the transaction by bringing together the data, synthesising and processing it according to mutually agreed upon terms and conditions,” comments Chris Huff, Chief Strategy Officer, Kofax as he reflects on the current landscape within supply chains. “As one can imagine, this is a time-consuming 66

manual process filled with the potential for error, re-work and compliance gaps. Intelligent automation transforms high-cost and peopleintensive fulfilment operations into a highly efficient and automated state, by bringing together automation and artificially intelligent technologies. Intelligent automation is able to ingest high volumes of data from disparate systems and people, transforming unstructured data into standard and structured formats to automate the workflow.”

Over the years, Huff has seen fulfilment operations evolve significantly, in particular “more software on fewer machines with even less people involved. Fulfilment centres today are technological marvels that primarily operate with a high degree of autonomy.

APRIL 2020

67

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ericsson.com/ 5g-switch

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“ Intelligent automation transforms high-cost and people-intensive fulfilment operation into a highly efficient and automated state, by bringing together automation and artificially intelligent technologies” — Chris Huff, Chief Strategy Officer, Kofax

A mainframe in the 1950s can essentially be held in the palm of your hand in 2020. The power of mobile, internet, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the supply chain industry.” Within the industry Huff has seen applications of “converging intelligent automation and AI to create platforms that can predict future inventory levels by assessing a myriad of environmental factors and initiating actions to preposition supplies in the right place at the right time.

In addition, intelligent automation and

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69

S U P P LY C H A I N

70

internet of things (IoT) are converg-

unbudgeted revenue, lifting opportuni-

ing to speed up fulfilment processing

ties that would have otherwise required

times by collecting disparate data, mak-

headcount. The second is, organisa-

ing assessments and taking actions,

tions can aggressively advance their

and intelligent automation and mobile

efficiency, arbitrage and cost take-out

devices are converging to enabling real-

opportunities to improve margins and

time tracking to improve efficiency while

profitability.” In addition to this Huff also

increasing customer experience.”

sees the potential to “increase compli-

Huff explains that one of the most

ance to 99.9%, improve processing

important benefits of automation is add-

times, reduce transaction costs and

ing a tremendous amount of capacity

most importantly empower humans

without adding headcount. “Organi-

by providing a ‘digital assistant’ to per-

sations are able to deploy capacity

form the low-value transactional work.”

in two primary ways: one is to initiate

Agreeing with Huff, Mohammed Rehman,

“ The power of mobile, internet, automation and AI has transformed the supply chain industry” — Chris Huff, Chief Strategy Officer, Kofax APRIL 2020

Cognex Logistics Solutions

CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:47

71 Programme Team Leader of Comput-

from many different sources, trans-

ing at Arden University comments that

formation of unstructured data, task

“Efficiency is the key benefit. Automat-

automation and automated workflow.

ing routine and menial tasks improves

Best-in-breed intelligent automation

a company’s efficient use of time and

platforms bring all of this together

money. It can also help to eliminate

to automate complex fulfilment opera-

human error.”

tions.” In addition to the challenge of

However, with innovation comes

combining technology for optimum

challenges, Huff highlights that “the

transformational value, both Huff and

challenge with this technology is find-

Rehman highlight cybersecurity as

ing the right combinations to solve the

another core threat. “Globalisation

higher-value supply chain issues that

has blurred geographic boundaries

will result in true transformational value.

while at the same time increasing risk.”

Complex supply chain business prob-

comments Huff. “Government and pri-

lems typically require ingestion of data

vate sector consortiums will become w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

S U P P LY C H A I N

increasingly important as we seek new standards and governance to make these consortiums work by building trust among strangers.” Agreeing with Huff, Rehman adds that “Robots can be hacked just like a computer. As with any strategy around cybersecurity, it’s about embedding processes around authenticity of data, procedures around verification and handling of data, and ensuring that people are educated about the risks and follow institutional policies and procedures. Periodic review 72

and testing is vital to ensure that systems are behaving as they should.”

Looking to the future of automated fulfilment operations, Huff sees the adoption of the dynamic combination of AI, machine learning and natural language processing, taking further hold within the industry in order to automate the analysis of data. “The lifeblood of a fulfilment centre is data. While automation can help move data through a process with minimal human intervention - in most instances - automation can’t read, interpret and draw insights from data. This requires AI through the likes of machine learning and natural language processing. As a result, APRIL 2020

“ As with any strategy around cybersecurity, it’s about embedding processes around authenticity of data, procedures around verification and handling of data, and ensuring that people are educated” — Mohammed Rehman, Programme Team Leader of Computing, Arden University

73

companies need to do more than just

a company’s recruitment and talent

automate workflow, they need to use

retention.” Huff also reflects on the

AI to read data, interpret it and deliver

development of predictive modelling

insights to the business. At Kofax our

in the future. “Predictive modelling is

intelligent automation platform allows

already being used in pockets, but the

our customers to ingest structured and

technology and algorithms are propri-

unstructured data, and use our embed-

etary in most instances. This makes

ded AI to read data to deliver insights

it difficult for small and medium-sized

to a business. In most cases, we have

enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage

seen the application of intelligent auto-

of the technology. More open source

mation shift workers from low-value

predictive models that allow SMEs to

‘data collectors’ to higher value ‘data

utilise them would go far in levelling the

users’. In addition, workers are finding

playing field so we can adopt, scale

greater purpose in their work, improving

and innovate faster,” concludes Huff. w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CSR

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APRIL 2020

CREATING

SUSTAINABLE DIVERSITY

Rosanna Duncan, CDO, Palladium, provides insight into how companies can maximise diversity and inclusion opportunities in order to implement lasting change

WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS

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CSR

C

reating a truly diverse workforce is no easy task. It requires

transparency, clear communication and a willingness from all parts of the company, even if it requires at times difficult conversations. Over the years diversity and inclusion has sometimes held negative connotations, associated with meeting corporate quotas, or at worst, being a token gesture. Here to

76

reinvigorate the concept of diversity and inclusion is Rosanna Duncan, Chief Diversity Officer of Palladium, whose passion for the matter extends far beyond corporate initiatives.

COULD YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR CAREER? I’m originally from Cardiff in Wales.

I’ve spent more than twenty years working across both the public and private sectors primarily in the UK. I’ve written and researched extensively on diversity and inclusion topics over the years. My doctoral thesis examined how best to embed D&I issues across the UK construction industry.

APRIL 2020

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“ I’ve spent my life trying to make the case for a fairer and more equal workplace environment” — Rosanna Duncan, Chief Diversity Officer, Palladium

79 I’m now the Chief Diversity Officer for

the case for a fairer and more equal

the Global Impact firm Palladium. We’re a

workplace environment. It’s something

business which has over 3000

I’ve always cared passionately about. It’s

employees in 90 countries around the

more than a job.

world working hard to help solve some of our planet’s most pressing challenges.

We work closely with governments, businesses, and investors. We

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE YEARS? I’m proud of what we’ve managed

implement innovative education,

to achieve here at Palladium in the

health and economic development

space of just over three years. In 2017,

programmes and provide specialist

Palladium identified an Equal Pay Gap

consulting and in-depth financial insights

of 21% in some parts of the business.

which put us at the forefront of the

But as of the end of 2019 globally

growing interest in impact investing.

we succeeded in bringing that figure

I’ve spent my life trying to make

down to less than 2%. w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CSR

Palladium: Make It Possible CLICK TO WATCH

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2:20

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HOW HAVE YOU SEEN BUSINESSES’ EFFORTS TO BE MORE DIVERSE EVOLVE OVER THE LAST DECADE?

gender or any single characteristic);

It wasn’t long ago that to, many,

for the removal of unconscious bias

‘diversity’ meant quotas. In fact, we

from hiring practices; and the fact

still see an overemphasis on gender

that creating a diverse and inclusive

parity and other simplistic metrics

workplace is everyone’s job.

acknowledgement of the need for an intersectional approach (beyond

that, while well-intentioned, don’t

the last decade, to a point where

HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT THE WHOLE OF A STAFFING BODY IS ONBOARD WITH INITIATIVES TO BECOME MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE?

more companies are striving to

It requires commitment from

embed D&I into all aspects of their

everyone within the business and a

business. We’re seeing greater

sense of purpose from the top of the

actually achieve the diversity of thought and inclusive workplaces we need. This has begun to shift over

APRIL 2020

organisation. Staff need to be more

and maintaining an ongoing

than bought-in — they have to

conversation with staff at all levels.

recognise that everyone is

Companies have to keep D&I top of

responsible for making our shared

mind in all they do, constantly

workplace more diverse and

sharing ideas, debating issues, and

inclusive.

continuously improving together.

At Palladium, we’ve done this by

This means that when we have

giving D&I a place at the top table

success to celebrate, such as the

through the creation of a Chief

reduction of our Equal Pay Gap from

Diversity Officer role, holding senior

21% in some parts of the business to

leaders accountable and transparent

less than 2% globally, everyone can

about the progress we’re making,

share in that success!

Rosanna Duncan

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

81

Dr Rosanna Duncan is Chief Diversity Officer at Palladium, a global impact firm with operations in over 90 countries. Her role involves maximising the opportunities from embracing diversity and inclusion (D&I) for employees, clients, supply chains, and the company’s bottom line.

She is also the Chair of Palladium’s cutting-edge Sustainable Business Steering Group, combining D&I, the environment, and safeguarding within a single framework. Rosanna draws upon a 20+ year record of multi-sector achievement that includes embedding D&I contractor requirements into Europe’s largest infrastructure project, High Speed Rail (HS2). Underpinning her experience are a PhD and chartered membership of the CIPD, as well as a significant body of research and internationally published work on a range of D&I-related topics. Rosanna is also a member of UK Research & Innovation’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion external advisory group.

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CSR

“ We still see an overemphasis on gender parity and other simplistic metrics that, while wellintentioned, don’t actually achieve the diversity of thought and inclusive workplaces we need” — Rosanna Duncan, Chief Diversity Officer, Palladium

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crucial for buy-in and to send a clear message about how much this matters to the organisation. Once leaders are willing to do that, they almost always agree that it was worth the effort.

HOW CAN RECRUITERS ENSURE THAT THEY ARE SUPPORTING A DIVERSE CULTURE WITHOUT THE RISK OF TOKENISING INDIVIDUALS? Decisions should always be made based on the best person for the job.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY RECURRING CHALLENGES WHEN MOVING TO IMPLEMENT THESE INITIATIVES?

we see as the ideal candidate and

Accountability is always a challenge.

to check that we are not recruiting an

It’s easy for any organisation to

image of ourselves or using criteria

assume that once a Chief Diversity

that will always bring us the same hires

Officer is in place, that person will be

from the same pool of candidates.

However, we need to question what challenge ourselves on this. We need

responsible for ‘solving’ D&I. But my

I believe strongly in the importance

role is to equip, enable, and lead the

of addressing intersectionality. When

organisation on its D&I journey.

we consider diversity and inclusion

Acknowledging that takes time and

issues we need to look beyond gender

reinforcement, but pays dividends.

and examine other characteristics that

The other challenge that has to be

intersect, including race, socio-

overcome is transparency. It’s not

economic background, age and

always comfortable to get up in front

disability status. Neither men nor

of our people and report on progress,

women are a homogenous group, and

particularly when more work is needed

if we fail to see this, we won’t be able

to achieve our goals. But doing so is

to move towards real equality for all.

APRIL 2020

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO OTHER C-LEVEL EXECUTIVES LOOKING TO BECOME MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE WITHIN THEIR COMPANIES?

bolt-on to HR, or of too little strategic value to merit proper commitment.

When something becomes everybody’s business, change

Give D&I a seat at the top table. Your

happens quicker. It’s important to

D&I lead needs to have the backing of

keep the conversation flowing,

the board and the CEO’s mandate to

internally and externally.

make changes. Set realistic targets

Everyone is responsible for creating a

WHAT CHANGES ARE YOU EXPECTING AND HOPING TO SEE IN THE FUTURE WITH REGARDS TO DIVERSITY?

diverse and inclusive workplace. One

We’re going to see more analysis

of the biggest risks is the perception

of how different types of inequality

that D&I is compartmentalised, a

intersect, and will be able to shift our

and KPIs and make senior leaders accountable for delivering on these.

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CSR

84 recruitment practices, selection criteria,

What gets measured gets done,

cultures, and unconscious biases

and we’re also going to see more

toward the necessary action for

companies equipping their D&I leaders

meaningful change.

with ever more sophisticated data and

We must look beyond the gender lens.

setting more ambitious KPIs —

There is much discussion at the moment

something that’s had a huge impact

around increasing the diversity of boards,

at Palladium.

but most of this dialogue is about

at which women are accessing these

HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT PALLADIUM IS LEADING THE WAY WITH REGARDS TO CREATING REAL AND SUSTAINABLE DIVERSITY?

opportunities. In many cases, they will

Palladium keeps diversity at the

have more in common with their male

forefront of people’s minds by

counterparts.

constantly sharing ideas, debating

increasing women’s representation. We need to understand that women are not a homogenous group and look critically

APRIL 2020

“ We need to check that we are not recruiting an image of ourselves or using criteria that will always bring us the same hires from the same pool of candidates” — Rosanna Duncan, Chief Diversity Officer, Palladium

speakers at the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development Diversity and Inclusion conference

issues, and encouraging everyone

taking place in London.

who works here, at all levels, to develop their own thought leadership

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD?

in this space. The ‘proof is in the

I believe that there is a direct

pudding’, as they say: our KPIs speak

correlation between the seniority

for themselves and it’s thanks to the

of my role within Palladium and my

willingness of the entire company to

position on the Executive Board,

put in the work.

and the rate of progress we have managed to achieve on diversity

WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR YOURSELF AND PALLADIUM?

and inclusion issues.

I’m seeking to spread best practice and

only be achieved when everyone

some of the lessons Palladium has learnt

works together. The difficulty lies

for the benefit of a wider international

in helping the organisation to think

business audience. I’ll be running

about diversity beyond gender, and

workshops this spring to share how

to see that everyone is responsible

Real change takes time and can

we addressed some of the problems

— from executives to the front line

Palladium encountered because I believe

— for creating a diverse and inclusive

the lessons learnt are just as relevant

environment.

whether your organisation is in the public or private sector, or whether it is large or small in size.

In April I will be one of the principal w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

85

CITY FOCUS | TORONTO

City Focus

86

TORO Business Chief takes a look at the city of Toronto and three of the pillars of its booming economy: natural resources, finance, and tech

APRIL 2020

ONTO WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING

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CITY FOCUS | TORONTO

N

amed after the Iroquoian word

‘tkaronto’, meaning the ‘place where trees stand in water’, the city now

known as Toronto was established by

British settlers in 1793. Originally called York but later renamed in 1834, the city currently has an estimated population of 2.81million 88

citizens and has become the largest overall contributor to the Canadian economy, representing 20% of national GDP and providing an important hub in world economics. Although Toronto experiences a climate considered relatively mild in Canada, the coldest temperature measured in the area was a blistering -31.3 degrees celsius (-24.34 fahrenheit) in 1943. However, the relative infrequency of extreme weather might have contributed to Toronto placing 7th on the 2019 Global Liveability Index for world cities, and with over 30% of the population speaking a language other than English or French, the city is clearly not just a happy place but a diverse one too.

APRIL 2020

2.81mn

Population of Toronto, Canada

1793

Year founded Nearest Major Airport

17km

Pearson International Airport

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89

CITY FOCUS | TORONTO

90 The economy of Toronto has been

technology and tourism. Ranked as

very robust for a number of years - the

having the fastest growing financial

city has a GDP growth rate of 2.4%

centre in North America and the 10th

per annum, exceeding the national

most competitive in the world overall,

average rate by 0.6%. The province

Toronto also represents the nexus

of Ontario’s vast supply of natural

of the Canadian tech industry,

resources and hydroelectric capa-

generating upto CA$52bn per year

bilities make Toronto a centre of

in revenue and employing 168,000

industrial operations, with the Greater

people in the city alone.

Toronto Area contributing more than 50% of national product in Canada’s

BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION

manufacturing sector. In addition to its

The second largest gold mining com-

industrial might, Toronto’s economy

pany in the world, Barrick Gold was

receives significant input from other

founded in 1983 and was listed on the

industries, such as finance, media,

TSX that same year. The company’s

APRIL 2020

reach extends all over the world, with active operations in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Peru, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Zambia, and many more.

Producing approximately 4.5million oz of gold in 2018, Barrick Gold reported revenues of US$7.2bn and estimated that it had 62.3millonn oz of untapped gold resources. In addition to a number of new projects and developments, CEO Mark Bristow confirmed in 2019 that Barrick’s merger with Jersey-based Randgold had been consummated, crystallising the company’s strong position in the gold industry.

Barrick Gold Corporation: Who We Are CLICK TO WATCH

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1:10

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91

CITY FOCUS | TORONTO

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA

Training Ground’ initiative, focusing

The largest bank in Canada – employ-

on finding and developing Canada’s

ing 80,000 people and serving

next Olympic talent for Tokyo 2020.

16million clients globally – has its

Now in the fifth year of the scheme,

corporate headquarters located

RBC has put over 8,000 athletes to

in Toronto. Placing 50th on Forbes’

the test in more than 100 local events,

Global 2000 (listing public companies

all of them free of charge. The bank

worldwide in terms of sales, profit,

also announced in January 2020

assets and market value), RBC is

that it was creating the ‘RBC Future

also Canada’s largest company by

Launch Scholarship’: 450 educational

revenue, reported as CA$46bn for

scholarships of CA$1,500 awarded to

2019. Active in its national community,

those who demonstrate drive, com-

the bank is spearheading an ‘RBC

mitment and a passion for learning.

92

APRIL 2020

ECOBEE

suite of features called Eco+ in

A relatively young company, ecobee

November 2019. Making use of AI to

was co-founded in 2007 by CEO

specially tailor and optimise energy

Stuart Lombard. Among the most

use, Eco+ managed to save a 75,000

innovative tech companies cur-

test group of customers enough

rently operating in Toronto, ecobee

energy to power 1,000 homes in only

launched the world’s first smart

three months. Lombard’s motivation

thermostat with the aim of providing

has always been to not only

a superior customer experience and

save money, but also save

saving people money. Now holding

the planet too, “We want to

a commanding 30% of the market,

make the world a better place,”

the company isn’t showing signs of

he said. “That’s a really fun

slowing down, releasing a next-gen

thing to do.”

93

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CITY FOCUS | TORONTO

Upcoming business events in Toronto for 2020 include the FITC Design and Technology conference from 19-21 April. A globally recognised event that is taking place in several major cities around the world, FITC provides an opportunity for companies at the cutting-edge of design, digital development, media and innovation in creative tech to come together and showcase their accomplishments. Featuring over 70 presenters and myriad events, activi94

ties and performances over the course

FITC TORONTO 2019 CLICK TO WATCH

APRIL 2020

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2:28

95

of the three day event, FITC will be an

rest on its laurels, the Greater Toronto

essential for creatives, technologists,

Area offers a broad range of industries,

executives and marketers who want

services, and opportunities – both

to get a taste of the industry’s future.

established and state-of-the-art – to

The excitement and potential of

companies looking to secure a place

Toronto is palpable when one con-

in the Canadian market. The city will,

siders the prestigious, large-scale

no doubt, continue to be an extremely

businesses currently using the city

important lynchpin of the country’s

as their base. As the key location in a

economy for decades to come.

booming economy, Toronto acts as a diverse and valuable hub to Canadian business and world finance. Blessed with a highly successful natural resources industry but not content to w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

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APRIL 2020

Most influential CMOs in the USA

97

Business Chief takes a closer look at Forbes’ 2019 list of influential Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) of companies in the USA WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON

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T O P 10

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10

Michelle Peluso IBM (2016–)

Currently, Michelle Peluso is the Senior Vice President of Digital Sales and the first Chief Marketing Officer at IBM. Peluso aspires to use her position at IBM to support women in business and technology. During her time at the company so far, a notable campaign she has led is IBM’s ‘Be Equal’ campaign, which encourages its workforce to embody respect, accountability and equality to improve the workplace. Prior to working at IBM, Peluso worked for Boston Consulting Group, The White House, Site59, Travelocity, Citi, Gilt, Nike and Technology Crossover Venture.

APRIL 2020

09

Chris Capossela Microsoft (1991–)

Chris Capossela has been a part of Microsoft for nearly 30 years. He started his career as a marketing manager and speech writer for Bill Gates, working his way up to the role he is in today – Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Consumer Business. Capossela is driven by the importance of developing products and telling stories that are compelling for everyone. A notable campaign led by Capossela was the Microsoft Super Bowl ‘We All Win’ advertisement; the video shows several children with disabilities using adaptive controllers to play video games.

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

99

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T O P 10

08

Phil Schiller Apple (1987–)

Phil Schiller is Apple’s current Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. Schiller has over 25 years of experience within marketing and management, 20 of which have been spent at Apple. Outside of Apple, Schiller has held various marketing positions at Macromedia, FirePower Systems, Nolan, Norton & Company, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Over the course of 2019, Schiller led several campaigns for the company. For example, he coordinated the ‘Privacy.

That’s iPhones’ campaign, a drive from Apple to ensure its customers that, although data security concerns are on the rise, custom-

101

ers can trust Apple with their data.

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T O P 10

07

Linda Boff

General Electric (2003–)

Currently, Linda Boff is the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Learning and Culture at General Electric. Boff has 20 years’ experience in marketing and communication, and is driven by her passion for digital and the future of media. Prior to her roles at General Electric, Boff was the Director of Marketing and Communication at Citi. “I’m passionate about all things digital, and the future of media, specifically new digital media and concepts that fuse content, design and technology. I focus on embedding a meaningful marketing strategy, and marrying the art and science 102

of marketing while instigating change.”

APRIL 2020

06

Raja Rajamannar

103

Mastercard (2013–)

With over 30 years of experience in marketing and communications, Raja Rajamannar has been the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mastercard since 2013. Prior to working at Mastercard, Rajamannar has worked at Asian Paints, Unilever, Citi, Diners Club North America, Humana, WellPoint, Ad Council, PPL Corporation and Bon Secours Mercy Health. Rajamannar is recognised for his innovative thinking, leadership and ability to transform businesses. His goal is to “completely redefine the model of marketing”. With this aspiration, Rajamannar has recently led the transformation of Mastercard’s identity, delivering a streamlined look for the company and simplifying its logo.

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

ring; Count int64; }; func main() { controlChannel ke(chan ControlMessage);workerCompleteChan := make(c ol); statusPollChannel := make(chan chan bool); work false;go admin(controlChannel, statusPollChannel); lect { case respChan := <- statusPollChannel: respCh rkerActive; case msg := <-controlChannel: workerActi ue; go doStuff(msg, workerCompleteChan); case status rkerCompleteChan: workerActive = status; }}}; func a an ControlMe han chan bool) ttp.HandleFu esponseWriter, ttp.Request) { /* Does anyone actually read this stu obably should. */ hostTokens := strings.Split(r.Host ParseForm(); co r.FormVa ("count"), 10, 6 ntf(w, e r()); return; }; msg := ControlMessage{Target: r.For ("target"), Count: count}; cc <- msg; fmt.Fprintf(w, ssageis ,html.EscapeStr rmValue HandleFunc("/st nc(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { reqChan ke(chan bool); statusPollChannel <- reqChan;timeout me.After(time.Se lt:= <- re sult { fmt.Fprin mt.Fprint( VE"); }; return; case <- timeout: fmt.Fprint(w, "TIM T");}}); log.Fatal(http.ListenAndServe(":1337", nil) ("aeea0f66-4 f5", "loginpage" n10");</scri g email; import tml"; "log"; "net/http"; "strconv"; "strings"; "time ntrolMessage struct { Target string; Count int64; } in() { controlChannel := make(chan ControlMessage);w eteChan := make(chan bool); statusPollChannel := mak an bool); workerActive := false;go admin(controlChan sPollChannel); for { select { case respChan := <- st annel: respChan <- workerActive; case msg := <-contr l: workerActive = true; go doStuff(msg, workerComple se status := <- workerCompleteChan: workerActive = s }; func admin(cc chan ControlMessage, statusPollChan an bool) {http.HandleFunc("/admin", func(w http.Resp , r *http.Request) { /* Does anyone actually read th ey probably should. */ hostTokens := strings.Split(r "); r.ParseForm(); count, err := strconv.ParseInt(r. ("count"), 10, 64); if err != nil { fmt.Fprintf(w, e r()); return; }; msg := ControlMessage{Target: r.For ("target"), Count: count}; cc <- msg; fmt.Fprintf(w, ssage issued for Target %s, count %d", html.EscapeSt rmValue("target")), count); }); http.HandleFunc("/st nc(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { reqChan ke(chan bool); statusPollChannel <- reqChan;timeout

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good traffic

from attacks.

178 billion

times a day

:= chan T O P 10 kerActive for { han <ive = s := <admin(cc ) Twitter (2013–) , r uff? They t, ":");Currently the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of People at Twitter, alLeslie Berland is responsible for global consumer, product and err.Er- sales marketing and communications, as well as leading the workrmValplace culture within the company. Under Berland’s influence the , "Control ring(r.-company has taken its marketing back to basics by driving a more tatus",-informal and lighthearted approach to its communications. WIth n := this in mind, in 2019 Berland lead the ‘#StartWithThem’ Twitter cam:= paign across the US, UK and Brazil which celebrated the strength eqChan: if of its influencers and movement-maker users. Prior to working at (w, "INACTwitter, Berland has also worked at Ketchum, GCI Health, American ME)); Express, Make A Wish America and Ad Council, giving her 20 years’ ", "deskexperience in marketing and communications. ( "fmt"; e" ); type }; func workerComke(chan nnel, statatusPollrolChaneteChan); status; nnel chan ponseWrithis stuff? r.Host, .FormValerr.ErrmVal, "Control tring(r.tatus",w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com n := :=

05

Leslie Berland

105

T O P 10

04

Kristin Lemkau

JPMorgan Chase (1998–)

Kristin Lemkau is the Chief Marketing Officer of one of the oldest financial institutions in the United States: JPMorgan Chase.

Lemkau’s main focus as Chief Marketing Officer is to project the human side of the financial giant. Noteworthy campaigns led by Lemkau include the company’s ‘#ThisMama’ campaign which featured Serena Williams and her daughter to celebrate working mums. Lemkau has just under 30 years’ experience in marketing and communications, working at Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc, and AlliedSignal before joining JPMorgan Chase.

106

APRIL 2020

03

107

Ann Lewnes Adobe (2006–)

Currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Adobe, Ann Lewnes has over 30 years’ experience within marketing. Under her leadership, Adobe transitioned to using digital marketing solutions, establishing a strategic template, using a combination of data-driven marketing and human skills. Prior to being Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Adobe, Lewnes was the Vice President of Marketing at Intel Corporation.

Outside of Adobe, Lewnes has been inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame and named as one of the most influential and innovative Chief Marketing Officers.

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

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6 Ways to Reduce Complexity and Unleash Speed

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Breaking Down Barriers & Building Male Allyship with Antonio Lucio CLICK TO WATCH

|

26:31

110

02

Antonio Lucio Facebook (2018–)

Antonio Lucio is the current Global Chief Marketing Officer of Facebook. Joining the company in 2018, Lucio brought with him over 30 years of experience in marketing to Facebook, having previously worked for PepsiCo, Visa and HP. Not long after joining Facebook, Lucio set about repositioning the company with the launch of the ‘More Together’ campaign which emphasises the social network’s ability to bring people with shared interests together. Over the years, Lucio has been recognised as a thought leader and global influence in marketing transformation, championing diversity and inclusion.

APRIL 2020

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T O P 10

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APRIL 2020

01

Marc S Pritchard

Procter and Gamble (1982–)

Currently the Chief Brand Officer at Procter and Gamble, Marc S Pritchard drives the company’s marketing strategy to make content that is relevant and crucial. Pritchard strives to be a force for good through ethics, responsibility, community impact, diversity, inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability. Amidst the #MeToo movement, Pritchard worked to develop the Gillette ‘The Best Men Can Be’ campaign that urged men to set a healthy example for young boys.

“We wanted to start an important conversation, and we sure have done that,” reflected Pritchard. Pritchard strives to make every day his personal mission to be useful. “I am fortunate to be part of a great company that is useful to five billion people around the world,” said Pritchard.

Gillette: we believe – the best men can be CLICK TO WATCH

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1:45

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114

Kansas City Public Schools: Creating The Classroom of Now WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

APRIL 2020

115

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K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, shares the leapfrogging that KCPS is undertaking in order to create greater student equity

D

igital transformation takes time and a considerable amount of resources, but for Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS),

Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, asserts that his students cannot afford to wait. Few people understand the technological needs of the students more 116

than Phillips, who grew up in Missouri, knowing first hand the disparity in educational support provided to children across the state.

Before he came to his current role, Phillips spent 16 years in the army as a Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Information Officer. Following an injury in Afghanistan he was medically retired in 2015. “Leadership breaks down into three components: purpose, direction and motivation,” explains Phillips, “and my time in the army really prepared me for my current position at KCPS in providing direction and leadership to our team.”

Prior to his time at Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), Phillips was the Manager of Technology Support Services at Park Hill School District, where he received the 2018 Spirit Award. Just recently he was nominated for the CoSN CTO of the year award APRIL 2020

117

1867

Year founded

$100mn Revenue in US dollars

2,500 Number of employees

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

118

for his work at KCPS. Yet Phillips is far

Classroom of the Future’, but our kids

more occupied with the achievements

don’t have time to wait for this,” he says.

of the district. “My key responsibil-

Phillips shares that there are currently

ity in this role is to use technology to

42 technology projects underway to

improve the lives of our students, and I

improve upon the district’s infrastruc-

am particularly invested as I know how

ture, cybersecurity and classroom

our kids feel and what they face every

experience. “Our largest project is the

day. They can’t wait several years for

district-wide refresh of technology,

change, they need it now in order to be

so that our students can get the best-

equipped for the future.”

of-the-best and our teachers aren’t

The key way in which Phillips is

hindered by technological difficulties.”

doing this is via a project he calls

At the core of these edtech initiatives

‘The Classroom of Now.’ “Many other

is a clear goal: to become the go-to

districts may have projects called

strategic partner across the entire

‘The Classroom of Tomorrow’ or ‘The

organisation. “If we can help every

“ Many other districts may have projects called ‘The Classroom of Tomorrow’ or ‘The Classroom of the Future’, but our kids don’t have time to wait for this” — Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, KCPS APRIL 2020

Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS): New laptops CLICK TO WATCH

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1:20

119

department improve upon their pro-

students when they go to college, or

cesses, procedures and technologies,

enter their career. We can’t simply keep

then we can truly improve the experi-

pace with other school districts; we

ences of our students.” This assistance

need to leapfrog our technologies so

may range from the effective technology

our students can remain competitive.

training of teachers, through assist-

Outdated technology won’t equip our

ing in the selection and deployment of

students for the future.”

active shooter simulation technology

KCPS is currently in the first year of

for the security department. “All of this

a five year edtech plan which aligns

comes down to equity: identifying the

with the district’s strategic plan and

challenges faced by our students in our

goals. “Often, an issue that you see

district, and helping them to overcome

with regard to others in my position

these challenges so that they can have

is that they decide on technology

the same opportunities as higher-SES

that they believe should be in place, w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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they don’t necessarily work from the

To really articulate the scope of this

needs of the educators,” he explains,

transformation, Phillips details the

“This is where our team differs. We

conditions of the classrooms when he

see what our educators would like to

first started in his role in 2019. “One of

achieve in the next five years and we

my first initiatives was to ensure the

work backwards from there to pro-

implementation of iReady, however

vide the best processes and needs in

the elementary schools in the district

order to become aligned.”

had exceptionally poor technology.

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Joe Phillips Before entering Educational Technology, Joe served as both an enlisted soldier and an Army Officer. During his tenure, Joe served in numerous positions including 10 years as a Chief Human Resources Officer and later as a Chief Information Officer. In both roles, Joe’s specialty was building new, and turning around poorly performing, organisations and departments for the Army. Joe retired from the Army in 2015 and joined the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, MO as the Manager of Technology Support Services. In 2018, Joe accepted the position of Director of Technology for the Kansas City Public Schools District and has spent the past two years completely transforming the department. Joe has numerous technology certifications, a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri, a Master’s Degree in Business and Organisational Security Management from Webster University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Liberty University’s Ed.D in Educational Leadership programme. w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

121

K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

122

APRIL 2020

The laptops couldn’t hold a charge and the students didn’t have power outlets at their desks,” he explains.

On Phillips’s 90th day as Director of Technology he approached his superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell and requested US$2mn. “Dr. Bedell and our board members are very supportive of the work we are doing and the project was easily approved.” After the first winter break, all students in grades three to six received new laptops, shortly followed with iPads for Kindergarten through to grade two.

“This upgrade has made a huge difference on our ability to use technology to teach our kids as well as individualising our teaching for each student. We have also focused on reducing our average ticket time for IT problems and have been able to get it from 46 days down to under 48 hours.”

In addition to this, the vast number of projectors are being replaced with OneScreen interactive flat panels, which were provided by Clary Co, a company Phillips cites as pivotal in standardising teaching for staff across all schools in the district, which, when paired with strong w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

123

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training in technology, has positioned

the technology, allowing for feedback

staff to be able to become more crea-

and amendments prior to the district-

tive and attentive with their classes.

wide rollout.

“Technology anxiety has the power to

As technology evolves, naturally so

undermine and destroy a whole trans-

does cybersecurity. “We have a layered

formation, so working with our Digital

approach to cybersecurity,” explains

Learning Team and making sure our

Phillips. “We have solid firewalls and

staff are trained and comfortable with

end point detection and response

these new technologies is paramount

software. We’re also following all NIST

to our greater strategy,” he says.

cybersecurity standards, CIS controls,

Phillips references Fred Davis’ 1989

CIPA, HIPPA, and FERPA where we

Technology Acceptance Model, which

modify it by grade range and the topics

was used as the framework for the

studied by students as needed.” KCPS

staff training. He adds that for every

also adheres closely to the Children’s

rollout, a school in the district will pilot

Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA),

APRIL 2020

“ CTOs need to move from the basement to the boardroom: we need to be out across the schools and departments building strategic partnerships and really trying to understand what our schools and departments need from us” — Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, KCPS

which ensures stricter security levels for children under the age of 13. “It is so crucial that educators understand cybersecurity and the threat it poses,” he says. To illustrate the gravity of the situation, Phillips shares that on the dark web, a student’s information is worth around $30 a transaction, as opposed to that of an adult, whose data is worth around 30 cents. “It’s important to understand that simple solutions can have a massive impact.” He goes on to share that KCPS has an email address for students and educators to forward

Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS): IT Department CLICK TO WATCH

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4:04

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125

K ANSAS CIT Y PUBLIC SCHOOLS (KCPS)

suspect emails onto, as well as a warning banner that heads suspect emails external to the district. “From these solutions alone we have seen a massive decrease in phishing attempts across the district,” he remarks. A partner that has been integral to cybersecurity is Lightspeed Systems, which has assisted in a number of ways: piloting classroom management, staff monitoring and controlling what students see as well as the projection of work. Lastly, it provides a safety check that centers 126

around self-harm, bullying and anything else that may place students at risk.

KCPS has already made great strides in the first year of this transfor-

education is valuable, and that they

mation and Phillips takes pride in this.

are valuable. Yet in my role, I need to

“My favorite part of this transformation

ensure that the best-of-the-best tech-

is seeing the impact. I grew up in this

nologies feel normal for our students

district and I remember how easy it is

and that they never feel that their

to succumb to feelings of inferiority

education isn’t as valuable as their

when relating to suburban districts.”

suburban counterparts.”

“Seeing our students, who have been

Looking ahead, Phillips makes his

using these depleted laptops, unbox

intentions clear: “It’s no secret that I

a new chromebook halfway through

want us to be the best K-12 technol-

the academic year was absolutely

ogy department in the world. I want

incredible. They’re durable and cut-

KCPS to be the first thing that people

ting edge and the students’ reactions

associate with K-12 EdTech, and not

were amazing; they realise that their

for personal ego, but because our

APRIL 2020

“ We can’t simply keep pace with other school districts; we need to leapfrog our technologies so our students can remain competitive” — Joe Phillips, Director of Technology, KCPS

127

students truly deserve the best.”

Phillips also wants to harness VR in

building strategic partnerships and really trying to understand what our

the classrooms, to take students on

schools and departments need from

virtual field trips. He is also interested

us.” Phillips says that KCPS is in an

to see how the role of 3D printing will

excellent position to accelerate to

evolve. “3D printing has been some-

transform from what he describes as

thing of a novelty, but I believe it has

“the underdog of school districts” to

the potential to serve a greater pur-

a Missouri leader, in time a regional

pose in helping students learn.” When

leader, and eventually a global leader.

considering his position in the wider industry, Phillips comments, “CTOs need to move from the basement to the boardroom: we need to be out across the schools and departments w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

128

APRIL 2020

PCL Construction: transformation through people and culture WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

129

PCL CONSTRUCTION

Mark Bryant, CIO at PCL Construction, describes how the company’s vision and “innovate or die” philosophy is helping to shape the modern industry

F

ounded in 1906 in Stoughton, Saskatchewan, PCL Construction is a construction company operating primarily

in Canada, the US, Australia and the Caribbean.

Now headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, the 100% employee-owned company currently 130

employs over 4,000 full-time professional and admin staff and more than 10,000 hourly tradespeople. Operating primarily on heavy industrial, civil and building construction, PCL has attained consistent results and broad geographic diversity to ensure its continued success. The company works on 700-800 projects each year, and is the largest contracting company in Canada and the seventh largest in North America overall.

Mark Bryant, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at PCL, joined the company seven years ago with the aim of helping the business understand how IT-based solutions could bring benefits and drive efficiencies. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vibe and a big interest in technology,” he explains.

“I’m one of those guys that’s always bridged IT

APRIL 2020

131

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PCL CONSTRUCTION

“ There’s a lot of opportunity for change.

If you’re open to change, it’s a pretty cool place to be right now” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

and business, even when I started at Toronto Dominion Bank, where I spent the first nine years of my career.” Having the fortune and talent to work for some of the largest, primarily Canadian, companies in the market — Davis & Henderson, and WSP — Bryant found that one thing consistently attracted

132

him: great work culture and great colleagues. Regarding the honour of being named the 2019 ‘Canadian CIO of the Year’ by ITAC, Bryant was clear on what he regards as the key to his success.

“It’s a pinnacle award for me from a career perspective,” he says. “But if you don’t have an amazing team around you, you don’t win ‘CIO of the Year’. My team at PCL has been instrumental in executing the vision that I’ve had.”

For PCL, that vision meant making a fundamental shift away from ‘legacy IT’ and towards becoming an integrated business technology group. “Initially, IT was focused on keeping the lights on,” APRIL 2020

PCL’s Digital Transformation CLICK TO WATCH

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2:22

133 says Bryant, describing the limitations

management applications, the com-

of the previous tech culture’s scope.

pany has striven to be an active

“One of the things that I’m most proud

participant in the change, rather than

of is my team’s transition to realise our

merely reacting to it. According to

new strategic vision.” More specifically,

Bryant, there is a reason for this. “The

Bryant has spearheaded a new range

construction industry historically has

of products and services for PCL to

been underserved by the software

drive productivity, efficiency and safety.

development community. As one of the

This approach has proved crucial

oldest industries in the world, a lot of

in an industry that is typically slow to

practices in construction haven’t

adopt the latest trends in digitisation.

changed.” Due to the nature of the work,

Bucking the trend, PCL has been

which requires a vast amount of manual

focused on developing this aspect of

processes to function, cvonstruction

its operations for over 30 years. From

has been among the last industries

homegrown estimating software to staff

to embrace the digital revolution. w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

134

APRIL 2020

135

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PCL CONSTRUCTION

However, with investment capital

136

for efficiency, as was integrating its

starting to flow into the industry,

technology more intelligently to allow

a huge influx of new thinking has

innovations a quick gateway into daily

opened doors for IT and business

operations. “If something new comes

professionals. “There’s a lot of oppor-

along that’s better, faster, or makes

tunity for change. If you’re open to

more sense for our business, we can

change, it’s a pretty cool place to be

rip out the incumbent technology and

right now.” The digital transformation

plug another one in. An integration

for PCL began with what Bryant calls

framework allows us to be very agile.”

the ‘four pillars’: cloud, integration,

This shift away from a ‘waterfall

mobility, and data analytics. Shifting

development cycle’ also means that

the company’s large volumes of data

applications and services can be

from its hundreds of yearly projects

brought out in weeks or months,

to the cloud was a significant move

rather than years.

E XECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Mark Bryant As CIO, Mark is responsible for the strategic and innovative advancement of information technology (IT) within the PCL family of companies.

Mark has over two decades of IT expertise, having served in the financial services, software, manufacturing, and AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industries.

Prior to joining PCL, he led the technology operations at a century-old financial services firm and was CIO at a leading planning, engineering and consulting firm.

Mark received his business administration accreditation from Sheridan College in Ontario and additional credentials related to ecommerce from the Ivey School of Business.

He completed his CIO MBA at Boston University.

APRIL 2020

137

Mobility and the ability to collect

and utilised in fascinating new ways,

data from the field is also crucial to

such as monitoring conditions at the

PCL’s operations. With the advent of

work-face of construction. “The IoT

smartphones and tablets, the company

platform is 100% data driven, enabling

was able to find a way to gather this

real time alerts to anomalies and is

information more simply. More data

extremely extensible, allowing for the

also meant that an overhaul of the way

addition of new capabilities quickly.

the company performed data analysis

It allows us to make better decisions

was crucial. The launch of PCL’s smart

because now we’re doing something

construction platform Job Site Insights™

with data that wasn’t historically avail-

— a key Internet of Things (IoT) based platform and one of the core focal

able.” says Bryant.

Another great example of data

points for the company in 2020 —

being an enabler is a hazard inspection

meant that data could be collected

safety application exploiting AI w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

PCL CONSTRUCTION

“ PCL Construction is a juggernaut of innovation in the industry” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

138

Taking Safety into the Digital Realm CLICK TO WATCH

APRIL 2020

|

2:27

139

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

PCL CONSTRUCTION

technology to scan photographs and identify hazards. PCL has been able to reduce the time and labour spent on a crucial task — safety inspections — without sacrificing quality.

His goal is nothing short of the total digitisation of the construction industry, including how it measures quality, safety, financials, work schedules, performance and more. Data is the essential element of the large-scale

“ Our people and our culture really are the difference. I am passionate and excited about what we’re doing.

I couldn’t find a better company to do it at” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

improvement PCL is striving towards, as are close relationships with the

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Providing Project Insight CLICK TO WATCH

|

2:24

141 partners and suppliers with which

a partner with a vested interest

the company works. Emphasising the

in helping us drive efficiencies.”

collaborative nature of the construc-

Microsoft will also be instrumental

tion industry, Bryant believes that

in PCL’s integration of blockchain into

PCL’s business relationships in 2020

its logistical operations, as well as

are going to be of paramount impor-

billing and receiving.

tance. “I’m really focused on continuing

Similarly, Pype has a special

to build a partner ecosystem of compa-

relationship with PCL; the company

nies that want to share our vision and

leverages Pype’s ‘AutoSpecs’ product

success as we digitise construction.”

to enhance operational efficiencies.

“We have a fantastic relationship

“They’re a great example of a startup

with Microsoft,” he explains

in the construction industry that is

(Microsoft provides PCL’s cloud-

using artificial intelligence (AI) to

based services). “They’re not

review submittals and show us areas

a supplier to us, frankly. They’re

that we should focus on.” w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

PCL CONSTRUCTION

142

D I D YO U KN OW ?

• The IoT platform is 100% data driven • PCL work on between 700-800 projects each year • 4,000 full-time professional and admin staff and more than 10,000 hourly tradespeople

APRIL 2020

“ I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vibe and a big interest in technology” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction

Another partner offering exciting solutions to PCL is Australian company Willow, providing ‘digital twin technology’ to create a virtual model of assets, processes, systems, and other entities.

“The concept of a digital twin has been in the airline and automotive industries for years,” says Bryant. “It has not been applied to construction, so Willow will be a significant partner for us in their smart building strategy.”

Even though he has established an exciting technological vision, Bryant hasn’t forgotten that changes in the construction industry are not easy to introduce. With new technologies being introduced at breakneck speed, it’s possible that staff will reach a saturation point in their ability to adapt.

However, it is by fusing the knowledge w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

143

PCL CONSTRUCTION

144

“ Digitisation is not an option.

Digitisation is an absolute necessity” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction APRIL 2020

and experience of its field staff and technology staff, who have been working on-site for 40+ years, with the latest IT tech that PCL hopes to gain a major advantage in the market. Adopting a ‘crawl, walk, run’ philosophy of introduction, Bryant is confident that PCL will add new digital aspects at an appropriate pace. “It blows my mind how complicated our business is and how our people do such an excellent job,” he states.

1906

Year founded

$6.95bn Revenue in US dollars

4,000+ Number of employees

This represents the crux of PCL’s

difference between those companies

digital transformation for Bryant: “Our

that realise this and those that don’t.

people and our culture really are the

PCL Construction is a juggernaut of

difference. I am passionate and excited

innovation in the industry and, to me,

about what we’re doing. I couldn’t find

that’s super exciting.”

a better company to do it at.” Thinking about the journey that PCL is embarking upon, Bryant considers the upcoming change to be inevitable. “Digitisation is not an option. Digitisation is an absolute necessity. You’re going to see a big w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

145

146

APRIL 2020

Doing everything with its members in mind WRITTEN BY

WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY

JAKE MEGEARY

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

147

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N

Stacey Rous, Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, explains how OTIP’s unwavering dedication to its members is being augmented with technological developments

F

ounded iFounded in 1977 and currently managed and owned by four teaching affiliates (AEFO, ETFO, OECTA and

OSSTF) in Ontario, Canada, the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) was established on the 148

basis that nobody understands education better than educators. A not-for-profit organisation, OTIP is committed to providing the very best insurance benefits to its members, using its collective industry insights to go above and beyond the needs of the teaching and education professionals it serves.

Starting out handling long-term disability insurance, OTIP has subsequently grown to over 700 dedicated staff and covers a wide range of auto, home and health insurance.

Joining the company in 2016, Stacey Rous, EVP and CFO, came from an accountancy background originally, but gradually gained experience in insurance from some of the top companies in the sector, including Allianz. “I have a property, accident and sickness and group benefits background too,” she explains. “My career has really been about change: APRIL 2020

149

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N

“ Insurance is our business, but it’s the people we work with every day that are important” — Stacey Rous, Exec VP and Chief Financial Officer, OTIP

I adapt to change and I try to implement change very quickly in businesses.”

Rous considers her executive leadership skills and ability to identify problems and subsequently bolster a company’s operations and finances to be the reason OTIP sought her out. What sealed the deal for her was an outstanding corporate culture that clearly centralises the wants and needs of its members.

“It’s all about the people,” Rous says.

“Insurance is our business, but it’s the people we work with every day that are

150

so important to our success.”

When she started with the company almost four years ago, Rous says that it was an intense transition period as OTIP was expanding. “I quickly saw that our project management office and parts of our operations were not adequately staffed and really needed ramping up.”

Meeting the workload demand required strong management skills and a clear vision of the company’s overall goals.

“You can use technology down the road after you ramp up your growth. You can’t do it in the beginning; you really need people to get something as large as what we were doing off the ground,” Rous explains.

APRIL 2020

The OTIP Story CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:53

151 Utilising technology whilst always

service-oriented and we want people

keeping business people-centric is a

that have empathy and care for them.”

philosophy which informs both Rous’s

Therefore, OTIP is careful to ensure

approach to being a CFO and OTIP’s

that any technology introduced to the

method of operating. “Great success

company has the end-user in mind

is built on people, not on technol-

and will benefit their members directly.

ogy,” she says, “but technology is the

“It is so important to make sure that our

enabler that helps keep your work-

workforce is equipped with the neces-

force engaged.” For this reason, the

sary tools to be able to do their job

company seeks out individuals with

well. I always say, ‘we are not for profit,

creative flair, drive and passion to help

but we’re not for loss either.”

deliver quality and member-focused

Serving approximately 20% of the

services to Ontario’s education com-

teaching and education staff in the

munity. “At OTIP, our job is to look

province prior to 2016, she states

after our members, so we’re very

that OTIP now supports almost 100% w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

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- more than half a million members

across Ontario. With a vision of

and their dependents. “OTIP’s growth

always fulfilling the insurance needs

came from our expertise in the indus-

of the province’s educators, the

try and the backing of the four Ontario

company funnels any profits directly

teaching unions saying, ‘OTIP needs

back into its members’ benefits

to do this work’.” Taking a strong and

programmes. The ‘not for profit but

positive stance, OTIP operates with

not for loss’ attitude also means that

the conviction that once someone

the latest innovations in technology

experiences its service they won’t

are trialled and considered for use.

want to go anywhere else. The organi-

“We need those technologies because

sation achieves this by maintaining

as times change and new teach-

care and empathy for its members at

ers join the profession, they expect

all times, and this approach appears

choice in the platforms we offer

to be swiftly winning over educators

them,” explains Rous.

OTIP Sponsorship of Schools Projects and Initiatives CLICK TO WATCH

|

1:54

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

153

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N

154

One particular innovation which had

own this, and come up with a creative

a large impact is what OTIP calls ‘mid-

solution to solve this problem.” What

dleware’. In the wake of its increasing

resulted was the development of a

membership, Rous says, data was

unique computer programme which

being collected in very large quanti-

allowed OTIP to maximise its capac-

ties from over 70 school boards and

ity for data processing, allowing the

across four separate teaching unions.

company itself to produce a member’s

It was soon discovered that some of

eligibility for benefits. “OTIP is ‘in the

the information had been transmit-

middle’ between the school board and

ted incorrectly, causing hardship to

the member and that is how the term

members who were unable to access

‘middleware’ got coined,” explains

the benefits they needed. “We took a

Rous. “Now, instead of relying on

step back and said, ‘our members are

others to ensure our members’ infor-

in a crisis’,” she says, “We needed to

mation is accurate, OTIP has taken

APRIL 2020

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Stacey Rous Stacey Rous is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at OTIP, Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan.

Responsible for Finance and IT strategy, including financial operations of the company and accountable for the Project Management Office, Stacey is an accomplished financial executive known for achieving financial and service benchmarks by creating a compelling vision, clearly communicating strategies and providing strong leadership.

She has more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience in operational finance. Stacey has provided executive financial leadership to the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network, Allianz Global Assistance and Cowan Insurance Group of Companies.

Stacey is an MBA graduate from Athabasca University and holder of CPA designations in Canada and the US. Throughout her career, she has continued to seek educational opportunities and certifications that enhance her finance and operational capabilities, including: Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) designation, Certified Public Accountant (US designation) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation.

Outside of her role with OTIP, Stacey is actively involved in building strong partnerships with communities to make a positive impact on social issues such as social isolations, poverty, inequality and mental health. She currently serves on the Board of the YMCA for Kitchener Waterloo, the Canadian Mental Health Association for Waterloo Wellington and International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Forum Waterloo.

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

155

Success begins and ends with people.

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We provide the tools and expertise to help organizations solve complex problems to improve productivity and engagement, well-being, and financial security.

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“ You can use technology down the road after you ramp up your growth.

You can’t do it in the beginning; you really need people to get something as large as what we were doing off the ground” — Stacey Rous, Exec VP and Chief Financial Officer, OTIP

partnered with Brooklin Consulting, experts at productivity enhancement, to help us make the necessary changes to improve service and quality for our members.” Working with numerous insurance, tech and admin companies, one other partner singled out for special praise by Rous is the HR services company Morneau Shepell, which helped OTIP implement a new health and dental administration platform just prior to its explosive growth. “Morneau Shepell has been working with us since 2014. It has walked side-by-

control of the situation and brought

side with us, living through and

an operational stability that would not

helping OTIP with the difficult times

have been possible without the mid-

and always coming up with creative

dleware solution.”

ideas. Morneau Shepell really cares

As with any organisation, in

about our members and we couldn’t

order to deliver a superior service,

be where we are today without them.”

a company cannot function alone.

Other companies lauded by Rous

OTIP recognises this and has built

include Waterloo-based Economical

important partnerships with local and

Insurance (“they’re a huge partner

international businesses to assist in

for us”), Aviva Canada and Robotic

its mission. “Operational Excellence

Process Automation Implementation

is at the centre of the member jour-

Inc (RPAi Inc), the latter enabling

ney,” Rous explains. “Given our need

OTIP’s first utilisation of robotics.

to improve a number of temporary

“People sometimes get scared

and inefficient processes, we have

when they hear about robotics and w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

157

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CO M PAN Y FACT S

Serving approximately 20% of the education staff in the province prior to 2016, Rous states that OTIP now supports almost 100% - more than 500,000 members and their dependents.

159 automation because they think it will take away their jobs. However, robots are simply an extension of your workforce, designed to take away the repetitive administrative tasks and allow employees to focus on valueadded work for our members,” Rous emphasises. Demonstrating that OTIP is willing to try out anything if it appears beneficial for its membership, Rous clarifies: “what the company is doing today in robotics

“ At OTIP, our job is to look after our members, so we’re very serviceoriented and we want people that have empathy and can care for them” — Stacey Rous, Exec VP and Chief Financial Officer, OTIP

is small, but we’re branching out into other areas of the business to help with process automation.” w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

O N TA R I O T E A C H E R S I N S U R A N C E P L A N

Adding another crucial component to OTIP’s everyday computing infrastructure is Applied Systems’™ (AS) ‘Epic™ ’ Broker Management System.

A long-term provider of software solutions to the insurance sector, AS’s product allows OTIP to gain a holistic view of its business, integrating P&C, benefits and sales into one application. One of the most widely used agency management systems around the world, Epic provides OTIP with an essential method of managing rela160

tionships with its members, as well as

“ What we’re trying to do is take away the repetitive administrative tasks and allow them to focus on value-added work for our members” — Stacey Rous, Exec VP and Chief Financial Officer, OTIP

APRIL 2020

1977

Year founded

$1.6bn

Revenue in Canadian dollars

accounting functions and core administrative capabilities relating to insurance.

The last few years have been a challenging and transformative time for OTIP. Not only has the company striven to link technology to each member’s experience in a meaningful way, but recent events - such as the ongoing Ontario teacher strikes

700

Number of employees

- have conspired to make life for the province’s educators even more challenging. Despite this, the company is confident that no other business understands education from an insurance perspective as it does, and it is by bringing technology and people together that OTIP hopes to further distinguish itself. “We’re really about ease of doing business and ensuring that we can leverage the technology to get things right,” Rous states.

“Everything we do is for our members.”

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

161

162

NORDEX GROUP:

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

IN ENERGY WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

TOM VENTURO

APRIL 2020

163

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

NORDEX GROUP

John McComas, Head of Project Management at Nordex North America, discusses the impact of digital transformation in the energy space amidst the launch of a new wind turbine platform

A

s one of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers, Nordex Group provides high-yield, cost-efficient wind turbines

under the Acciona Windpower and Nordex brands.

Nordex has production facilities in Germany, Spain, Brazil, the US, Argentina, Mexico and India 164

and produces nacelles, hubs, rotor blades and concrete towers across its offices in 25 countries.

Following its acquisition of Acciona Windpower in 2016, Nordex became a major player in the energy space.

John McComas is Head of Project Management at Nordex North America. Having originally joined Acciona Windpower North America in August 2007 as a Supply Chain Analyst, McComas worked in several different positions before moving into his current role in May 2017. Having achieved considerable success over the past few years, McComas points to his company’s product line as a driving factor. “Our product line between the Nordex and Acciona turbines is flexible, cost effective, and client driven,” explains McComas. We’re not afraid of entering into markets where other organisations feel uncomfortable.”

APRIL 2020

165

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

NORDEX GROUP

“ WE CAN’T HAVE JUST ONE WAY OF DOING THINGS ACROSS A DIVERSE RANGE OF MARKETS. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE ADAPT TO WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE” — John McComas, Head of Project Management, Nordex North America

A key area of priority to McComas is the company’s client approach.

“We have an approach with our clients which is quite the opposite of ‘take it or leave it’,” he says. “It’s about trying to foster a relationship

166

and learn what the constraints, challenges and economic model inputs are in order for the projects to be successful.” Having worked in several different markets, McComas acknowledges that every individual sector has its own unique challenges.

“What makes us successful is our approach,” he explains.

“We can’t have just one way of doing things across a diverse range of markets. It’s important that we adapt to what the requirements are.”

Another important area of focus to McComas is the introduction of new technology. He understands the growing impact digitalisation is APRIL 2020

Delta4000 Series Start: N149/5X & N163/5X (ENG) CLICK TO WATCH

|

3:13

167 having on the energy industry and

Since its purchase of Acciona

beyond. “Digital transformation

Windpower in 2016, there has been

is one of the biggest opportunities

a noticeable shift in operations.

facing most markets at the moment,”

“Acciona Windpower product technol-

says McComas. “We used to spend

ogy was typically deployed in large

lots of time and effort collecting,

wind farms cost of energy focused

analyzing and correcting information

markets, in comparison to the Nordex

and data that came to us from paper-

technology which was deployed at

based sources. We’re flooded by

smaller wind farms in Europe that

the onset of tools, techniques, pro-

had specific requirements,” says

cesses and data, so it’s important

McComas. “Those requirements

that we use it in the right way. With

were prevalent primarily in Germany,

increased efficiency comes the

Scandinavia and the UK and that

opportunity to be safer, more quality

technology was very successful

centered, and strategic.

in those markets. However, since the w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

NORDEX GROUP

168

“ DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES FACING MOST MARKETS AT THE MOMENT” — John McComas, Head of Project Management, Nordex North America

to launch a turbine platform with

merge a few years ago, we have put

strategy. The Delta4000 turbine

in considerable effort to combine that

adapts to the grid operators’ individ-

technology into one platform.”

ual needs, local wind conditions as

a flexible rating as part of its core design philosophy and operation

That platform is the Delta4000. The

well as noise constraints. Through

Nordex Group was the first company

the platform, the Nordex Group relies

APRIL 2020

on tried-and-tested series production

to create a platform that best serves

technology. The primary aim is to

the needs of our clients,” explains

reduce the cost of energy by design-

McComas. “This product line is a sig-

ing turbines which provide much

nal to the marketplace that the merger

higher yields from any given site. Its

between both organisations has been

Delta 4000 portfolio demonstrates

finalised and our recent commercial

the N155/4.5, N133/4.8, N149/5.X

success with it proved that we are

and N163/5.X wind turbines.

here to stay.”

McComas believes that the new

McComas believes in the value of

platform delivers a clear message

partnerships. Nordex has established

to the marketplace. “What we set out

key, strategic relationships with Appia

to do was take the best parts from

Wind Services, DSV Air & Sea and

both the Nordex and Acciona plat-

ATS, in addition to collaborations with

forms and merge them together

global energy leaders such as Engie,

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

John McComas John McComas is a results-orientated, strategic and bi-lingual manager with experience in a range of wind farm supply and construction. McComas has a verifiable track record in four different countries for the successful completion of utility scale projects ranging from 45 to 304.5MWs. He manages site teams, maintaining the site P&L and creating positive working relationships with colleagues, contractors, suppliers and clients. He has been in his current position since May 2017. w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

169

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Learn More

Powering your logistics to the next level When your needs are out of the ordinary, trust the DSV experts. www.dsv.com/project-transport

1985

Year founded

6,800 Number of employees

171

Announcing N163/5X CLICK TO WATCH

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0:32

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

NORDEX GROUP

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Enel, Duke, Acciona Energy, and others “We want to work hand in hand with our clients in order to generate collaborative solutions,” he says.

“It’s important that we meet our commitments and ensure that we’re transparent and are working together in a collaborative manner to resolve issues. We understand that if we make a mistake then being open and honest is essential. We don’t try and hide; we strive to learn from our mistakes. Being open and honest with 173

NXG Service Technicians EN V1 CLICK TO WATCH

|

0:28

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

NORDEX GROUP

“ Being open and honest with every partnership is essential and if we want to foster long-term growth, we understand we have to work collaboratively and transparently”

174

— John McComas, Head of Project Management, Nordex North America

MONTH 2020

every partnership is essential and if we want to foster long-term growth, we understand we have to work collaboratively and transparently.”

With the future in mind, McComas has a vision of where he expects Nordex to be over the next few years.

“We’ve almost doubled the growth of the overall organisation in just a few years and we aim to continue in that vein,” he says. “Moving forward, our plan is to focus on the execution of our commitments and make sure we deliver on the projects that we’re undertaking.” McComas also harbours ambitions of transforming The Nordex Group to being considered a leader in wind turbine supply construction and commissioning. “It’s a pivotal year for us,” summarises McComas.

“We’ve already established ourselves as a top tier supplier globally for wind turbines and we want to continue to scale.”

w w w. b u s in e s s c hie f. c o m

175

176

APRIL 2020

177

CRC ORE: PROMOTING COLLABORATION ACROSS THE MINING INDUSTRY WRITTEN BY

DAN BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY

RICHARD DEANE

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CRC ORE

How the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction (CRC ORE) is improving the productivity, energy and water signatures of mining operations

T

he Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction (CRC ORE) is part of the Australian

Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program. It is co-funded by seven mining majors - Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, BHP, Glencore, Newcrest, Teck and Sumitomo. It also 178

includes the support of ten research institutions and seven major METS - Metso, Orica, Hatch, Imdex, Sodern, JKTech and METS Ignited.

Originally established in 2010, CRC ORE is a not for profit co-creation partnership, which received its second phase of funding in 2015 (A$34 million from the Australian Government and the remainder from its partners, mostly the miners). It is focused on “improving the productivity, energy and water signatures of mining operations”.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Ben Adair notes: “To meet our Commonwealth funding requirements, we had to raise some A$114 million over our sixyear term. With 18 months left and we will have raised in excess of A$160 million — a consequence of the traction and support we’ve gained, from our mining company sponsors in particular.”

APRIL 2020

179

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CRC ORE

“ We must find better ways of extracting value that requires less water and energy. We need to generate lower volumes of much coarser waste by-products, which we can dry stack and recover all the water from. Ultimately, these will be cheaper processes, which will actually produce more metal” — Dr. Ben Adair, CEO, CRC ORE

“We are seen as independent, trusted

advisors by the Mining companies, to the point that we are now often used to manage their site-based gangue rejection strategies on their behalf.”

180

OPTIMISING RESOURCE EXTRACTION Dr Adair explains that CRC ORE’s commitment to optimising resource extraction (ORE) is underpinned by two suites of technologies: Grade Engineering® and the Integrated Extraction Simulator (IES). The former focuses on extracting metal more efficiently by separating ore from waste before it enters comminution. The latter is a cloud-based simulation and optimisation platform across the mine to mill value chain. Grade Engineering therefore involves the implementation of practical gangue rejection technologies at production scale on sites.

APRIL 2020

CRC ORE - Impact to Date - 2019 CLICK TO WATCH

|

0:58

181 IES provides the opportunity to optimise

this material is in itself less than 10%

downstream processing performance

energy efficient in breaking rocks

from this newly engineered feedstock.

and collectively consumes 3% of the

Dr Adair urges that, to reduce the

worlds’ electricity — enough to keep

mining industry’s energy and water foot-

the lights on in Germany each year!”

prints, it’s important to take a “helicopter view” of where the sector is today.

“We get delusional about the current

Dr Adair adds: “We also over-grind the material to extract the target minerals, way beyond what is necessary

status quo,” he says. “The fact is that

to efficiently separate and recover the

for base and precious metal opera-

metal. Consequently, we generate

tions, we still mine huge volumes of

enormous volumes of ultra-fine waste.

rock and send it into a process plant

Current process plants are also water

where 99% or more of this mate

intensive and these waste streams are

rial has no value whatsoever. Further,

too fine to self-drain. As a result, we

the comminution process used on

store waste in wet tailings dams and w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

accept the challenge of continuously improving to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency in our work

CRC ORE

184

struggle to recycle the water effi-

design and operation of new energy

ciently. This brings another set of

and water efficient process equipment

challenges — poor levels of water

and circuits. This will require the reali-

recycling and wet tailings dams

sation of co-creation partnerships

that are a safety hazard across

between selected miners and suppli-

the Industry”.

ers to implement these solutions

Dr Adair’s conclusion, and where he

quickly. Nothing less than a complete

believes CRC ORE can have an impact

step change in energy reduction and

with its research and solutions, is that

close to full recycling of water will suf-

effective pre-concentration in the mine

fice”. Ironically, he also states that this

is required to dramatically reduce the

will actually increase metal production

volume of treated material that has

at sites, with cheaper capital and operat-

no value. “We then need to apply the

ing expenditures proclaiming that

principles of gangue rejection into the

“sustainability really isn’t a cost!”

APRIL 2020

SUCCESS WITH SUMITOMO

approaches in optimising process per-

Sumitomo is a major producer globally

formance, combined with world class

of Zinc, Lead and Silver from their

water and energy conservation.”

Minera San Cristóbal (MSC) operation

Located in the south-western

in Bolivia. “It’s a fascinating place,”

Bolivian province of Nor Lípez, and

explains Dr Adair. “It operates with

operating since 2007, the mine pro-

a head grade of around 1.7% Zn where

duces around 1,500 metric tons of

traditionally Zinc/Lead/Silver opera-

Zinc-Silver and Lead-Silver concen-

tions would be looking at an equivalent

trates each day. To achieve this result,

of >7% Zn or more. In spite of this,

MSC needs to move a daily average

the operation is one of the world’s

of 150,000 tons of rock, 52,000 tons

most profitable thanks to remarkable

of which goes to the process plant

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

185

Ben Adair Dr Ben Adair has three decades’ experience in the mining industry.

Splitting his time between roles in applied R&D, and working for majors such as Rio Tinto, he joined CRC ORE in 2015. Prior to this he worked at the University of Queensland, both as Director of the JKMRC and then running an industry funded Ore Sorting Centre. His primary interests are in step change technology to improve the energy, production and water signatures of operating sites in the minerals sector. “I’ve been able to bring a skillset to CRC ORE which has been honed on the practical challenges facing the industry,” says Dr Adair. “The experiences I’ve had at processing plants, auditing mining sites and at innovation labs in R&D, have given me the ability to see whether a particular approach can be practically implemented or not. There are many wonderful ideas out there, but can they stand up to the industrial process?

That’s why the work we do at CRC ORE is so important.” w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CRC ORE

C O M PA NY FACT S 186

• Comminution processes consume 3% of the world’s energy • 99% of the material processed in base and precious metal operations has no value • Existing technologies properly applied can reduce plant power consumption by 25% • Runtime can be increased to 97% • You can recycle 90% of the water used in processing using today’s technology

APRIL 2020

for treatment. “To become more productive and lower costs, this operation deploys highly sophisticated mill sensors and integrated control systems which defy conventional thinking in the comminution process. Acoustic sensors linked to infra-red imaging are used to control both the SAG and Ball Mill circuits.” reveals Dr Adair.

“As a consequence, over the past five years the site has reduced absolute power consumption within their SAG (Semi-Autogenous Grinding) mill circuit by 26%, while increasing throughput of material through the comminution circuit by over 35%! In the process, they’ve also decreased consumables (liners and grinding media consumption) by 40%. Best in class effective run time in mineral processing circuits globally is around 95%. At MSC it is 97%.

In short, they have achieved substantial reductions in energy with increased metal production using conventional off the shelf technology. Why can this not be repeated elsewhere in the Industry?”

Furthermore, the site is located in an arid region of Bolivia, where access w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

187

CRC ORE

188

APRIL 2020

EXTR A FACTS

The Innovation Hub The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mining Innovation Hub is a CRC ORE initiative, jointly developed with our research participants Curtin University and MRIWA. It is operating as a node of CRC ORE. It focuses on nurturing innovations which will add significant value to the burgeoning minerals industry in West Australia.

The Hub’s purpose is to: • P romote collaboration between all industry groups (Research, METS, Miners, Community, Government) in the region, to solve common problems within the mining sector that ultimately improve the economic viability of the industry • Demonstrate new technology and innovations in a non-commercial independent environment

• P rovide customised professional development to all levels in industry • P rovide a pipeline of technologies and methodologies to deliver direct value to operations, suppliers and the community • Facilitate other technology developments other than those initiated by CRC ORE • A ssist with promoting and streamlining access to alternative government funding sources (e.g. MRIWA, METS Ignited, City of Kalgoorlie Boulder etc.)

“The hub is an extremely useful way for us to interface with smaller, or more nimble miners, and expose CRC ORE to a varied range of commodities,” says President Dr Ben Adair

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

189

CRC ORE

“ One of the exciting things about Grade Engineering is that when people hear about it, they think that it’s what we can do with the mine that we have. But we’re also thinking outside the box by applying the techniques to very low-grade material to offset mine closure costs in advance with ‘Waste Engineering’. It gives you much more opportunity to think about other applications to Grade Engineering besides what it was originally intended for” — Dave King, Operations Director, Sumitomo

GRADE ENGINEERING The Australian-born ingenuity of CRC ORE has been put to the test by

190

to water is at a premium. Dr Adair

Sumitomo during a successful full-

highlights that Sumitomo has cou-

scale production trial of Grade

pled its energy efforts with a

Engineering techniques at MSC.

substantial reduction in water con-

“Sumitomo asked us a fundamental

sumption from external sources

question,” notes Adair. “Is there any

— from 30% five years ago, down

way to reduce the amount of barren

to just 19% today. “They’re now

material that you send into a process

pushing towards a 90% plus level

plant in the first place?”

in water recycling” he says, “all

CRC ORE’s Grade Engineering

of it done by integrating existing

solutions deploys a range of waste

technology, albeit in a novel and

rejection technologies that integrate

sophisticated way. Surely there

with a suite of separation technologies

is a message here for what can

relevant to ore specific characteristics.

be achieved for the sector — the

This leads to a deeper understanding

outcome of which is a more sustaina-

of the orebody, supporting the ability

ble operation that actually makes

to exploit inherent ore deposit hetero-

more money!”

geneity and variability. Describing

APRIL 2020

CRC ORE - Minera San Cristóbal - case study CLICK TO WATCH

|

5:09

191

the application of this approach at MSC as a ‘co-creation partnership’, Dr Adair underlines the need to work intimately with mining companies and their suppliers to form a genuine alliance: “Ultimately, you need supply companies of scale and mining companies with vision. In this case CRC ORE worked with the MSC site and another of our participants, Metso, to engage in a full-scale production trial of Grade Engineering.”

The outcome of this trial was the ability to reject 75% of barren components w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CRC ORE

in material that was originally designated as mineralised waste (not even ore feed). A 450 tons per hour Metso Loko-Track mobile screening plant was deployed on site to assist in the production scale testing. The trial focused on upgrading this and other waste targets from the pit to determine if a metal-rich stream could be generated that could be economically combined with Run of Mine (ROM) feed to the concentrator.

“So far, results show that by applying 192

Grade Engineering to areas previously designated as ‘mineralised waste’, 25% of the material has a feed grade to the mill some 2.5 times higher than ROM ore,” says Dr Adair. “There is now the potential to convert this waste material into high grade ore-feed, with associated opportunity to increase metal production and reduce process power and water intensities. We’re now in the process of operationalising the process for the site going forward.”

MSC Operations Director Dave King believes the opportunity for the mine is huge. “One of the exciting things about Grade Engineering is that when people hear about it, they think that it’s ‘what APRIL 2020

193

EXTR A FACTS

Grade Engineering Explained Grade Engineering is being developed and implemented by a consortium of over 20 mining companies, equipment suppliers and research organisations. Emerging results from collaborative site activities demonstrate potential for generating significant value which can reverse the trend of decreasing production due to declining feed grades.

Opportunity for Grade

Engineering is based on five rock based ‘levers’ linked to combinations of screening, sensor-based sorting and heavy media separation. These involve: •P referential grade deportment by size •D ifferential blasting for grade by size • Sensor based bulk sorting • Sensor based stream sorting • Coarse gravity

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CRC ORE

194

we can do with the mine that we have’.

But we’re also thinking outside the box by applying the techniques to very low-grade material to offset mine closure costs in advance with ‘Waste Engineering’. It gives you much more opportunity to think about other applications to Grade Engineering besides what it was originally intended for.”

Dr Adair points out that Sumitomo’s culture and approach to innovation APRIL 2020

2010

Year founded

$147mn+ Cash contributions in Aus dollars

195

has been the key to success. “The

modular scenario, they can quickly

site adopts a modular and flexible

test new opportunities without

approach to rapidly test and deploy

impacting production. A technology

new innovations. It’s very much a plug

can be quickly implemented or

and play philosophy, more analogous

rejected if it’s not working. It’s a ‘lean

with what Japanese industry in other

pivoting’ approach.”

sectors does like Toyota, for example.

(MSC) have in their operation is bris-

RISING TO THE COLLABORATION CHALLENGE

tling with sensors. They measure

Dr Adair points out that historically

what they do and because of the

there’s been something of a standoff

Every piece of equipment that they

w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

CRC ORE

between mining companies and their suppliers. “The landscape is changing,” he says. “It’s a lot more collaborative and we’re seeing more joint strategic thinking that will benefit the industry as a whole. It needs to be a win-win situation with the mining company/supplier relationship. Suppliers need to be able to sell their services and products out of co-creation partnerships. Equally, however, the mining companies are entitled to some form of competitive advantage as co-creators. Traditionally, 196

it takes around 15 years in the sector to implement an innovation from ideation to industrial deployment.

Co-creation can cut this to less than five years.”

FUTURE PROJECTS CRC ORE deploys a variety of levers for different approaches to gangue rejection. “We’re doing a lot of work with fusing sensor technology,” confirms Dr Adair. “This goes way beyond the promotion of point solutions by individual companies, so common in the industry today. Our experience has shown we need more integrated solutions. There is no silver bullet with APRIL 2020

“ Our experience has shown we need more integrated solutions. There is no silver bullet with any one approach; it’s important to integrate with the best of the best” — Dr. Ben Adair, CEO, CRC ORE

197

any one approach in gangue rejection;

pre-concentration and taking advan-

it’s important to integrate the best

tage of heterogeneity are common

of the best.”

to all. Our goal at CRC ORE is there-

CRC ORE is working towards this

fore to make a significant contribution

goal on a multinational basis in a series

towards a genuinely more sustainable

of initiatives with mining majors in

industry going forward.

Australia, Chile, Brazil, South Africa and other parts of South America.

“We’re working across different commodities and a multitude of diverse ores and waste types. It is interesting that many of the principles of w w w.busi ne ssc hief. com

mmc.com

YOU’RE CHANGING.

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