Janusz Parylo (pictured) is head of IT and Digital Technology at UK veterinary charity PDSA. He heads up a team responsible for all aspects of technology infrastructure and business systems, supporting a UK network of 250 sites and close to 2,000 users.
He joined PDSA in 2011 with the goal of setting a new IT strategy to provide the organisation with the platforms and tools to support strategic development plans and enable new ways of working.
Parylo's Hot Seat follows on from other high-profile IT chiefs such asthe IT manager of Waitrose Mark Purnell, the CEO of Workday Aneel Bhusri and Ticketmaster SVP of technology Gerry McDonnell.
V3: What does your day-to-day role involve?
Parylo: It varies but, in all cases, it is determined by what is happening around the organisation. At present we have several big projects in progress, so a lot of my time is spent in meetings with project teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders making sure that things are moving in the right direction.
As head of department I also need to make time for the normal operational responsibilities such as staff, finance, compliance and getting involved in organisation-wide initiatives. One thing is certain – there is never a day with nothing to do.
What would be your dream job (apart from your current role, of course)?
I’ve always admired people with entrepreneurial spirit. I have often thought of starting and running my own business. There’s still time.
Which mobile phone and tablet do you currently use?
For work we use BlackBerry, but are looking to move to iPhone and Android smartphones. At home we have a number of different devices, but the family preference seems to be Android tablets.
Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?
Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?
Probably the trio of Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt at Google. Under their direction Google has been a game changer on several fronts. I read with interest when they acquired the UK AI company DeepMind and wait with great anticipation on the outputs of that venture.
Which technology has had the biggest impact on your working life?
It has to be the portfolio of mobile, wireless and communications technologies, and the convergence of these over time. We are always looking for ways to leverage these technologies at PDSA, most recently by bringing in Azzurri to combine our voice and data services onto a single managed network. The continual advances in communications technologies have completely changed the way we access, process and share information.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Without a doubt, it was my time with Kautex-Unipart. I was part of a core management team that in two years turned a new empty factory into a thriving multi-million pound Tier 1 auto components manufacturer. It was an opportunity to work with leading-edge technologies in one of the most demanding and stimulating commercial environments. It was hard work and high pressure but very rewarding at the same time.
What was your first job?
I was a Polish-English interpreter on Perkins Engines training courses for Polish engineers from Ursus Tractors. I still remember my first assignment – five days technical training on heat treatment of the crankshaft…riveting stuff.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the IT industry?
It is the opportunity to work with all areas of the business. There are few jobs that provide that sort of exposure and involvement with the breadth of processes in an organisation.
What will be the next big innovation of the coming years?
I have a feeling that in coming years we will see great innovations in the use of technology in medicine.
What do you enjoy doing when you finish work?
Spending as much time as possible with the kids, which means that I spend a lot of time as a ‘taxi driver’ between various sporting events. I also enjoy cycling and tennis.
What was the last book you read and was it any good?
I have a long commute to work and take the opportunity to listen to audio books on my iPod. My last ‘listen’ was Bounce by Matthew Syed – a very interesting study of the relevance of practice in achievement.
Who is your favourite band/musician?
No real favourites, but I enjoy jazz. I’m a big user of Spotify and tend to pick a different artist every month to explore. This month it’s the brilliant jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal.
Where’s your favourite holiday destination?
The Alps. I love skiing and my biggest frustration is that I only get the opportunity to do it for just a few days in the year.
Twitter, Facebook or Google+?
A bit of everything: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype and Yammer at work. I tend to be more of a ‘reader’ than a ‘writer’. I could never see the point of Google+ even though I use Gmail and Google Docs.
Favourite film?
I’ve got a few favourites – Goodfellas, Gattaca, The Godfather, and anything with Al Pacino.
Windows or Mac OS?
I’ve always worked with Windows. I can see the attraction of Mac OS for specific applications but, at present, Windows is the only option for me for the enterprise.
On-premise or cloud?
Whatever suits best. Cloud has given us new options, but like all technologies, it’s not a magic solution to everything.
What’s holding back women from entering the IT profession?
Nothing, apart from the misguided perception that IT is still about motherboards, memory chips and geeks. Not a very enticing option for girls choosing a career.
How can we get more school children interested in IT careers?
Make the IT curriculum more interesting and relevant. Get kids excited about innovation and the potential of new technologies rather than feeding them standard coursework on spreadsheets and word processing. Basic IT literacy needs to be considered a core skill, like reading and writing. True technology education needs to aim higher.
Did you always grow up wanting to work in IT?
No. Having an economics degree I thought I would end up in commerce or finance, but I did a post-degree course on programming and systems analysis, found it very interesting and went into the industry as a trainee programmer.
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