“When one discovers the impact of technology, the global scope of innovation, how it advances societies and is so critical to business, that’s when you know that the tech sector is now and will always be one of the most exciting industries in the world,” proclaims Kimmo Alkio, president and CEO of TietoEVRY, the Nordic software and services company.

Alkio has been traversing the world of technology since he graduated from Texas A&M University in the 1980s. He started his tech career with Digital Equipment Corporation (later acquired by Compaq), followed by F-Secure and Nokia before joining the former Tieto in 2011.

“Those who’ve been in this industry for a while have seen how we’ve been through a large learning curve across different technologies, different business models, and evolving ways of working,” Alkio said. “This experience, along with the development of close customer relationships, are the foundations for success in the field.”

Change has been constant throughout Alkio’s career. He had just wrapped up Tieto’s merger with EVRY (in December 2019) when society shut down shortly after, prompted by the Covid-19 outbreak. Alkio describes it as an exciting but challenging time.

The dual forces of a life-changing pandemic and a newly settled merger posed an opportunity for us to question our old habits, to learn how to engage virtually with employees across the globe, and maintain and even intensify the activity levels with customers,” he said.

According to a Tech Pro Research survey, 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one, an impressive figure which might suggest that the vast expanse of industry is well on its way to a promising digital future. In reality, 70% of digital transformations fail, most often due to resistance from employees, according to research conducted by McKinsey.

Stakeholder demand and public expectation continue to rise at pace. Driven by the pressure to decarbonize, nearly every sector is setting more rigorous sustainability standards with digitalization at their heart. If companies can’t manage the change, they risk reputational damage and becoming irrelevant.

“When it comes to digitalization, what companies need most is to outline their commitment and goals and formulate a plan to offer structure and translate strategy into action for their people,” says John Sczurko, executive president of consulting at Wood.