How to be a technology leader in your organization
Nir Feldman, Chief Engineering Officer at Skai, would be considered the epitome of the Israeli dream. Meaningful military service as an officer in the IDF, passion for technology, university and climbing the ranks to become a chief engineering officer — not to be confused with CTO.
Nir was always attracted to technology. He started fiddling around with an old XT with a green screen (pre windows and internet era!). Unlike many tech gurus, Feldman served as a field officer commanding soldiers in the front line and still lives in the southern district in a relatively small village rather than the bustling city of Tel-Aviv.
Your team doesn’t always come from a technical background
In tech, the industry can often be divided between technical experts in charge of the actual solution development and business professionals who help with the actual go-to-market strategy of the product.
As chief engineering officer for Skai (formerly Kenshoo), Nir has to balance both hats, understanding what clients need for a better product and translating that into actual technical features. Having moved between the corporate world at HP to the startup world, Nir values the dynamic character of startups, which allows him to take a more lead role in shaping the company’s growth trajectory.
A chief engineer isn’t a CTO but the chief engineer also must look at the long run.
As the main tech-savvy player in the management team, his peers don’t come from a technical background. This positions the chief engineer in the unique role of confirming the company’s strategy is backed by the right technology and the people to carry it through.
Crisis management is part of the job, your solution must fit the market needs
A big part of the job is constantly assessing the company’s solutions market validity. You can create the best solution in the world, but if no one needs it, or buys it, or hears about it, is it really the best technology you can provide? this is also part of your ability to stay in touch with clients. As the company matures your contact with clients declines, but don’t neglect your client service abilities. Even with established customer support sometimes the chief engineer needs to get on a call to assist the effort. On the other hand, you need to always know what clients’ needs are, and will be, so contact with clients is important.
Tell us about Skai
Skai is a new combined entity of former companies Kenshoo and Signals Analytics, Our platform is an AI-powered suite of technologies for brands and retailers including consumer and market insights, strategic planning, omnichannel media activation, testing and measurement.
Listen to the full episode on how to be a technology leader in your organization with Nir Feldman on our podcast:
Jordan Kastrinsky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-kastrinsky-9b8b2370/
Nir Feldman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nir-feldman-7648606/
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