Episode 406 – Technology Leadership in the AI era

Prior to Joining Seaco as CIO, Damian Leach held the position of Chief Technology Officer for Workday Asia Pacific and Japan. Prior to his CTO position at Workday Damian spent 13 years in the Banking and Finance industry in Global Technology roles, most recently working for Standard Chartered Bank based in Singapore. Damian led the Digital Transformation program for the Bank to move to the cloud and pioneered Voice Biometric technologies for the retail Banking customers.

Prior to coming to Asia, Damian spent many years managing professional services teams to develop core banking interactive technology systems in Europe.

Damian is a certified AI professional having studied AI Bias and Governance at NTU and also completed an EMBA in Business Administration focused on Asian Leadership and Entrepreneurship with overseas segments in Wharton Penn university and UC Berkley HaaS.

In his spare time Damian coaches, mentors, and is a panelist on startups / innovation contest across Asia.

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In this interview, Damian shares the highlights of how Seaco, a global company HQ in Singapore leverages a network of shipping ports and depots and has over 3million TEUs in circulation. The Seaco IT team in partnership with the business are running a series of experiments with AI and Big data to help it adapt to stay ahead of the curve. While there is a lot of hype surrounding AI, Damian emphasizes the importance of understanding the core business problems before jumping to technology solutions.

He introduced the ACE framework (Analytics, Conversational, and Experience) which can help pinpoint the most relevant business cases for AI adoption. For instance, at Seaco, they evaluated 30 potential use cases and narrowed it down to 3 that deliver the biggest boost to productivity and revenue.

However, successful AI adoption goes beyond technology. Damian highlights the importance of employee and stakeholder buy-in. This means addressing fears of job displacement and showcasing how AI can actually enhance productivity. For example, he explains how success stories from pilot projects can pave the way for realizing the technology’s full impact.

He also emphasizes fostering a culture of “psychological safety” where employees feel comfortable experimenting with new technologies. Looking to the future, he acknowledged that AI presents both opportunities and challenges for business leaders. As such, it’s essential to have a clear vision and strategy in place, along with a commitment to ongoing learning and development for his employees.

Recorded 29th May 2024, ATxSG Singapore Expo, 12.30pm.