Interview: Vladimir Rozanovich

Unprecedented

Massive increase in technology demand is unlike anything the industry has seen

Vladimir Rozanovich

Senior Vice President (Lenovo) & President, North America International Sales Organization – Lenovo

How has demand for your products shifted during the pandemic? The demand is unprecedented. The number of people who are still looking at PC products and infrastructure service products is at an all-time high. This is something the industry has never seen, so this is an exciting time for the industry.

There was a massive increase in demand from a variety of industries. Especially when the pandemic first hit, we saw substantial demand from school districts as they were trying to ensure they could provide a laptop to every child for remote learning. Then we saw an increase in demand for gaming. As people had more time at home and more disposable income, one of the things we saw was a significant increase in our Legion gaming product portfolio sales. One of our biggest driving factors, as people had to work from home, was the need to make sure they had laptops, high-definition cameras and good audio systems. Everyone was transitioning from their traditional office setting to working from home and needed to make sure they had the technology to remain as productive as they had been in the office. The transition to a remote environment helped to showcase our innovations and products that we feel really help the industry. The products that we put into the market actually enhanced business at a time when personal touch wasn’t possible.

What has been the impact of supply chain issues on the tech sector? Supply chain constraints have certainly been a challenge in the past year, not just for Lenovo but for the entire technology sector and beyond. Being a global company, with manufacturing in so many different parts of the world, we are better positioned than most and have contingency plans in place to ensure we deliver products to our customers in a timely manner.

Have you experienced any difficulties in finding good talent in the Triangle? Being a global leader, over the past year, we’ve invested over $1.4 billion in research and development. That creates a nice healthy employment pipeline for students coming out of school and people looking for high-tech, innovative jobs. Because we put so much money into our R&D, we’re doing a really good job of attracting and retaining top talent to the Triangle area. People know that the work being done here translates into some of the most innovative products in the market. We stand for innovation and that’s what draws us here versus somewhere else.