Thomas Kuhlmann

For most people, thinking logically is the key to finding answers. However, I’ve found it’s when I add a dash of illogical thinking that creative ideas appear and I solve problems that seemed unsolvable to others. That was certainly the case with the relocation of Irdeto’s Canada office when, after it had stalled for a year, I was brought in to kick start the project. Working remotely from Europe, within nine months I had 170 people operating from a new office, without interruption to service, on time and $20K under the $4 million budget.

I have an insatiable curiosity about a million topics (I’ve read over 40 books in the last six months, from business intelligence to Scandinavian thrillers) because stepping back and seeing how interconnected things impact on each other helps me add real value to every discussion. It’s also why I love IT, because the continuous stream of new technologies feeds my inquisitiveness and allows me to be at the forefront of what’s evolving.

I consider more than the technology though because my approach to business is that people are human – customers, employees, shareholders – and that should be respected at all times. That’s certainly helped me navigate cultural differences as my career with international organisations like Hewlett Packard has taken me from Germany to Ireland, Austria, Australia and the Netherlands. I hope to work in many more, which will also give me the chance to expand my love of good food as I enjoy trying restaurants around the world.

People say the most surprising thing about me is my sense of humour (it’s unexpected for a German, let alone one who works in IT) and it helps me as a leader; I’m easy going and pragmatic, willing to crawl under tables and get my hands dirty because I can’t go in my direction alone. The only time I won’t listen to people is when they say I can’t do something, because when you overcome your fears you learn a lesson: do everything right and you confirm what you knew, but do something wrong and you grow.