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Within the pages of CIONET Cookbook No. 3, discover a compilation of success recipes shared by 21 of today’s most influential and dynamic information technology leaders across all business sectors. This unique volume presents new recipes for digital success based on CIONET TV interviews with top digital leaders across Europe.
Right now, it’s clear that we all face extraordinary technical and business challenges. This third edition of the Cookbook presents further insights into the best practices required to flourish in a new digital era.
Let's delve into the next recipe provided by our Master Chef, Hans Roth, Senior Vice President & General Manager EMEA at Red Hat.
Red Hat’s success is built on three core components – its people, its ecosystem and its openness. Delivering long-term success means staying true to these principles at all times.
Hans Roth has degrees in economics and finance from the Euro Business College in Hamburg and the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht. He started his career at retailer C&A and then specialised in consulting with KPMG, IDS Sheer and HP Enterprise. In 2016, he joined Red Hat, where he is senior vice president and general manager for EMEA.
Red Hat is an enterprise software company with an open-source development model. The company was formed 30 years ago and its revenue has doubled during the past five years. The firm employs 20,000 people. Hans says Red Hat’s growth is based on three core components: its people and culture; its ecosystem, including partners and customers; and its innovative, open-source development model.
Hans says people join Red Hat because they want to make a positive impact. He describes people and culture as the “secret sauce” of the firm, with employees sharing a passion to help the business grow. He says that, unlike other resource-rich IT companies, Red Hat’s key asset is its collective brain power.
His colleagues overcame the challenges posed by not working in close proximity during the coronavirus pandemic by reminding themselves of Red Hat’s open culture every day. Diversity and inclusion are more than just buzzwords at Red Hat. Rather than focusing on the significance of titles, everyone has a voice and their opinions are heard.
From early relationships with manufacturers to the certification of its nascent software, Red Hat’s ecosystem of partners and customers have always played a crucial role in the growth of the company. Today, Hans says the ecosystem is even more important. The company works closely with its partners. These relationships are built on an open and inclusive culture.
He says Red Hat works with its partners to create choice for customers. Availability is another ecosystem priority. Whether it’s working with distribution partners or cloud hyper-scalers, the company makes its software available on as many platforms as possible. Finally, he says the ecosystem plays a key role in helping to expand the broad use of Red Hat’s technology.
Hans says the open hybrid cloud is at the core of Red Hat’s activities and the technological availability it provides to customers. The open hybrid cloud provides sovereignty. The approach gives customers the power to make decisions because it allows applications and workloads to be interoperable across technology platforms and infrastructures.
In the modern digital age, Hans says CIOs must establish sovereignty and maintain control of their data and algorithms. Effective sovereignty entails being able to decide your own destiny. Sovereign businesses can make their own decisions about where data is held, where applications are run, and on what types of infrastructure.
Hans recognises that sovereignty is also a big challenge for Red Hat. Providing flexibility and choice to customers means ensuring the company’s software is standardised and can run on all platforms. Whether on the cloud or in internal data centres, Red Hat wants to give its customers the power to work across networks and national borders.
Hans spends a lot of time speaking with CIOs. He says the traditional, operational-focused role of the CIO is being usurped by a new focus on innovation. Successful CIOs are involved in high-level conversations about improving business models through the use of technology.
These conversations also involve a range of other key topics, such as security, cost and sustainability. Hans says the key issue for CIOs going forward is to think carefully about how innovation will fuel business growth. Rather than just focusing on removing legacy systems, CIOs must embrace the next wave of innovation.
Whether it’s working with partners or mentoring teams, Hans is focused on delivering a positive impact for Red Hat’s customers. He runs the field organisation in EMEA, which means dealing with everything associated to customer sales, revenue leadership and technology adoption, especially via partners.
The most challenging element of his role is staying true to Red Hat’s cultural heritage. While the company wants to make sure all its employees’ voices are heard, it’s also a commercial organisation and some element of conformity is crucial. Hans describes his role as a “balancing act”, where he provides an equilibrium between freedom and accountability.
He says the key to Red Hat’s long-term success is ensuring it continues to attract a diverse range of people who are attracted by the company’s culture and openness.
With his broad EMEA responsibilities, Hans manages diverse teams across disparate geographies. He describes his management style as “visionary”. He enjoys working with staff to develop a route to success. This process involves creating a joint understanding of what his vision means and how it will be delivered by autonomous and empowered teams.
Hans’ leadership mantra is “it’s alright” – it’s alright to try and fail or to innovate and continue. The most important success factor for any leader is to keep on learning. Integrity is a crucial element of his leadership style. Like Red Hat as a business, Hans strives for openness and respect, so that his teams can work effectively together to deliver the vision he creates.
He advises next-generation leaders to have a vision, but to not get stuck. Have a plan about where you want to go and remain open to change. Take on leadership opportunities when they emerge. He also says professionals should build networks of trusted advisors who can guide them during their careers.
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