I find myself in the company of honest, visionary professionals, which is highly inspiring - Péter Szalay tells IT Business in an interview. The former COO of IBM starting his new position as COO for Capture Group, finds the timing perfect for a level up in developing the company further.
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"I believe I can do great things"
– You previously worked in a management position for IBM Hungary. How could Capture convince you to join their team?
– During my 20 years at IBM, I learned a lot and worked with amazing people. But the time comes when you ask yourself what you really want to do. I knew that I needed a break for a while and when I decided to leave IBM last autumn, I knew I wanted some time out, at least half a year, without even thinking about business. I have to say that the 8 and a half months were memorable and I think of it as the best decision of my life. Around February, I already started to contemplate considering what opportunities I could have. After some consideration, I had a shortlist of two companies - one would have meant changing the industry I would work in, and the other was Capture. During our interview, discussing with the stakeholders of the company, and taking future opportunities into consideration, I thought working for Capture is a chance I shouldn't miss. And with the experience I have, I believe I can do great things.
– What were your impressions at the interview, talking to the stakeholders?
– The thing I deem important is the humility and modesty while still being highly professional. After all these years, you already have an intuitive feeling about who you would be a good match for, and this match was there from the start with Capture. I met honest, serious, visionary professionals - and this is very inspiring. The company culture is attractive, the team is great, from the juniors up to senior management, the atmosphere is good, and the management does a lot to keep it this way.
– What will you do at Capture?
– Capture is a dynamically growing company with an increasing footprint in Europe, providing IT services, project portfolio management and automation licences and services. They support more than 350 enterprises, 85% in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It has strong global partnerships with - among others - ServiceNow and Broadcom that allow them to develop at a pace way above the market average, offering solutions to support enterprise processes. The international projects are carried out with Hungarian professionals, opening up the opportunity for learning for the team. My job is to harmonize the background processes for the whole company so that it could operate in a transparent way, and to prepare the team to serve the strategic initiatives. I see a big dynamism within the company and we have all circumstances ready to level up and create a well-functioning successful group.
– What past experience do you think will best serve your new position?
– At Capture, there are great opportunities coming from the smaller company size, the more flexible decision-making process and the more dynamic stakeholder attitude. I would like to make an impact on the company. This position allows me to put my previous experience into practice and I am confident that there are areas where I can apply my knowledge and mindset better than I could at a multinational, enterprise-size company.
– What are your expectations? What would make you satisfied?
– If I can reach the goals that we decided on with the management, you will hear a lot more about Capture. In a few months, I would like to get to understand the entire group, its product and services portfolio and to have a clear vision of my own contribution. Within a year I would like to have a direct impact on the efficiency and success of the company.
