Vanguard Magazine

28 DECEMBER 2025/JANUARY 2026 www.vanguardcanada.com G A M E C H A N G E R See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? My career began in uniform. I served as an officer in both the British Army and the Canadian Armed Forces, lead- ing operations in Northern Ireland, the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, and Iraq. Those experiences shaped how I view leadership, technology, and the hu- man element of mission success. After leaving the military, I led global defence consulting at Ernst & Young and later managed Microsoft's Defence, Intel- ligence, and Federal Government busi- ness in Canada. Today, as a Partner with IBM Canada, I help defence and public sector organizations harness AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies such as quantum comput- ing to achieve their missions securely and responsibly. Q What is your role at your organization today? I lead digital transformation programs for government, defence, and national security clients. My focus is translat- ing policy into capability – making sure technology decisions strengthen readi- ness, resilience, and trust. Q What was your most challenging moment? Commanding inter agency task forces in complex environments was always demanding, but the challenge that stays with me is helping teams operate effec- tively under uncertainty. The same prin- ciple applies to digital transformation: success depends on clarity of purpose, disciplined execution, and a sense of ur- gency. Q What was your A HA moment or epiphany? On operations, I saw how mission success was directly linked to the ability to share and make sense of data. Gaps in the op- erational picture were usually attributable to structural seams between organizations or data silos because of compartmental- ization. Real time data sharing changes outcomes on the ground. That realiza- tion – that decision advantage comes from trusted information – drives my work to- day in AI and analytics for defence. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture and how is it optimized? IBM Canada fosters innovation through multidisciplinary teams that pair technol- ogists with mission experts. We emphasize ethical AI and secure engineering prac- tices, ensuring that creativity is balanced with accountability and compliance. Q What are the biggest impediments to innovation in your sector? Legacy systems and fragmented data re- main major obstacles. The path forward is clear: modernize securely, connect in- formation across domains, and strengthen collaboration between government and industry. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Lead with purpose and never forget the people behind the mission. Technology should always serve them, not replace them. And it should deliver a quantifiable impact, at speed. DEREK DOBSON PARTNER IBM CANADA

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