AND Digital are excited to announce that Ben Greenwood has joined the business to focus on Financial Services and Cloud.
With an impressive background in the financial services and insurance sectors, Ben brings a wealth of experience from renowned tech firms like Genpact and Thoughtworks and cloud firms including Google, AWS, Rackspace and VMware.
We sat down with Ben to uncover what excites him about his new role.
Q: Can you tell us about your journey in the tech industry and your experience in the financial services and insurance sectors?
A: I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing clients in the FS and insurance sectors for quite a long time. My journey has taken me through both larger and smaller tech firms, each contributing to my understanding of the industry. From BPO and tech at Genpact to agile development and tech at Thoughtworks, and cloud/managed services at Rackspace, I’ve had a diverse and enriching experience.
Q: In what way will your role shape AND’s ability to deliver for FS organisations?
A: My experiences with clients in capital markets, retail banking and insurance will inform our approach and allow us to best serve our AND clients in these sectors. How we align with them and work with ecosystem partners is super-important to driving value.
Q: What do you predict in 2024?
A: Legacy modernisation to cloud in Financial Services !! More businesses are adopting new ways of working in tech to drive new products in new ways and at the same time reducing legacy dependencies on old tech and ways of working. It sounds easy to do but it isn’t; Good news is these are exciting and important programmes of change that we love helping with to get there quicker.
Q: What sorts of projects do you enjoy most?
A: I personally love seeing culture change that underpins tech change within an organisation. You can see it percolating through to the point where we now have to carefully manage the overflow of client stakeholders requesting to work with our change programmes. The results are measurable and that is fantastic for perpetuating incremental business change.
Q: With the rapid pace of technological advancements, what excites you most about future tech trends and innovation?
A: It’s a dynamic time, and what excites me the most is finding practical, meaningful applications for technology in our clients’ markets. It’s about making realistic and valuable contributions that help their customers today. And it’s about fewer buzzwords and more tangible, positive steps forward.
Q: What has surprised you most about the way the industry has adopted tech to date?
A: FS businesses have usually been at the forefront of adopting change for business and competitive advantage. That’s part of the reason I have always liked working in the sector. Helping businesses find real uses for new technology is one of the most exciting parts of all our roles in the technology space. Combined with new ways of working to really drive out technology value, these are the programmes that will always get my attention.
Q: What drew you to AND Digital, and what aspects of the culture or values appealed to you the most?
A: I’m here because our culture and club model are simply amazing. It’s the not-so-secret-sauce behind our success. I believe in it, our team believes in it and — most importantly — our clients believe in it.
This year is AND’s tenth anniversary. So much of our success is down to our club model and culture. It’s why we’ve grown to a team of more than 1,600 ANDis across 25 clubs, and it’s a big part of why clients choose us. It’s helped us create an environment that fosters success for all of us, for each other, our clients and, on a personal level, for me and my family.
Q: What role does AND play in the success of the FS and insurance sectors?
A: The financial services and insurance sectors are the backbone of the economy. They are where innovation meets stability, and that’s what makes them so crucial.
AND Digital, already a recognised player in the industry, plays a pivotal role by guiding our clients through the ever-evolving tech landscape, and we’re excited about the future.
Q: How do AND’s communities of practice support our work and add value to our FS clients?
A: We always want to carefully align with our clients’ businesses. For our FS clients, that means bringing together a blend of skills within our delivery teams so that those involved fully understand the impact of the changes we are part of. Whether that’s technology-specific or sector-specific skills, getting the blend right within these communities of practice helps us to ensure a faster time to value and deliver more successful outcomes.
Q: Can you share some of the clients AND Digital is currently working with?
A: Absolutely! AND Digital has the privilege of working with clients such as Nationwide, Ruffer, Shawbrook, Mollie, Capital Rise, Open Money and many more. These partnerships showcase our commitment to delivering exceptional results and driving innovation in the financial services and insurance sectors.
Q: Lastly, what are your long-term career goals, and how will your role at AND contribute to them?
A: My long-term career goals are simple: to keep working with great people, great clients, and great tech while having fun and bringing positivity. At AND, I see the perfect environment to achieve these goals. It’s a place where collaboration, innovation, and a passion for excellence come together seamlessly.
If you’d like to find out more about our services and what we do for our clients please visit our services page here.
If you would like to get in touch with Ben please contact him direct here.