Vanguard Magazine

42 AprIL/MAY 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com G GAMe CHANGEr See the full interview online Q What is your role in your organization today? My role within QinetiQ Canada today as VP of Business Development, and now acting Managing Director, includes pro- viding a pan-QinetiQ view of our full product and services offering to the Ca- nadian market through sales, marketing, business development activities, and now management of our growing team here at QinetiQ Canada. Q What was your worst moment? Early in my sales career, my fiercest com- petitor convincingly told my key customer outright lies about my product, technol- ogy, and company, jeopardizing my larg- est opportunity and strongest customer relationship. I turned this critical moment into a positive outcome by telling the truth on all fronts (even some explana- tions that were not exactly what the cus- tomer wanted to hear), and then I walked the walk and demonstrated our com- mitment to that customer over and over again to deliver the required results and improvements along the way. Q Step back and analyze your journey, what is the takeaway you want to give to our audience? During my entire career, I have learned and proved that being honest and open with customers is the best way to be suc- cessful in selling in this business for the long-term. Today, I operate with the same level of integrity to achieve success. Now, with QinetiQ, I work for a company that appreciates and demonstrates trust and in- tegrity every day. Success follows not with- out hard work, but it follows naturally. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? I spent the last year learning all that I can about QinetiQ, its breadth of military and commercial offerings and the breadth and depth of just some of the science involved. QinetiQ has so many niche products and specialized skills to offer into Canada through technology and knowledge transfer – I have been told several times that "every time you turn a corner in the company you learn something new about QinetiQ." Q What is a habit that contributes to your success? I always make an effort to say thank you to those who've helped along the way. Life is so much easier when you appreciate oth- ers and their contribution of unique skills and abilities. Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your organization or industry sector? So often, a large defence contractor can morph to reflect the behaviours of its cus- tomer. To me, that is a critical moment where innovation can be lost. At QinetiQ, we look at problems differently to find a novel approach to our customer's prob- lems. QinetiQ has a willingness to lean forward on everything we choose to do. Q What are the biggest impediments to innovation in today's enterprise? A lack of interest to fund the smaller ac- quisitions and the smaller lead seed proj- ects is an impediment to fostering in- novation and new ways of thinking in a company. We are bringing together many QinetiQ niche products to solve unique and new difficult problems. For example, QinetiQ's fibre optic acoustic-sensing technology is not only used for perimeter security, but also in the oil & gas business for down-well sensing during fracking op- erations, delivering an increase in overall yield of each well. Q What technologies, business models, and trends will drive the biggest changes in your industry over the next two years? In Canada, the In-Service Support (ISS) model is now integral to the long-term success of any defence program in Cana- da. The ability to join teams and contrib- ute products and services to the delivery of ISS gives any company longevity to operate over the long-term. Unmanned autonomous vehicles and systems will drastically change the way we work and live and interact. They already are chang- ing the way we live and think about new problems. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Build your own Personal Board of Direc- tors with those people who have chal- lenged you to achieve and succeed along your career path. We each encounter tough managers during difficult times that in the end are there to teach and help shape us for future challenges. There are other people in this world who provide concrete examples of what not to do in business. While they were difficult jour- neys at the time, in each case I grew to understand that the real intention was to build on my experience and develop my skills up to another level. These key indi- viduals have become my Personal Board of Directors. I can call on them at any time for some guidance or even just a check-in. duAne e. BArry VP BusinEss DEVElOPmEnt anD aCting mD QineTiQ canada

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