Dominic Mensah, Director, Strategic Accounts, Lakeside Software
Who was your hero when you were growing up?
I look up to people who inspire curiosity, creativity, and kindness; for example, Marie Curie, who broke barriers in science (becoming the first woman to win a Nobel prize), and Nelson Mandela, who spread forgiveness and reconciliation.
What was your big career break?
My first career break was landing a role as a support engineer for a theatre booking platform. It taught me a lot about patience, active listening, troubleshooting computers, and understanding the challenges users face with their devices and applications while trying to stay productive. This experience cemented my love of technology, and opened my eyes to the complexity of IT operations and their impact on customer experience, leading me to where I am today.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be an explorer – setting off into uncharted lands, discovering hidden treasures, and learning about new cultures. Now, in my current job, I channel that same spirit of exploration as I delve into the impact of technology and network integrations on workplace dynamics. My focus on Digital Employee Experience (DEX) allows me to uncover how these integrations enhance employee satisfaction, which is crucial for maintaining engaged and productive teams.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Be more interested than interesting. This means focusing on curiosity, listening deeply, and genuinely engaging with others rather than just trying to impress them. It fosters stronger relationships and continuous learning. It’s this focus on being a good colleague and maximising my knowledge base that has resulted in job satisfaction each and every day. I am very lucky to work somewhere where the be more interested than interesting methodology works perfectly.
If you had to work in a different industry, which would you choose?
Top of my list is music production. The idea of using AI to create, mix, and produce music fascinates me. Music is both an art and a science, blending creativity with technology. I’d love to experiment with AI-generated compositions and collaborate with artists, real or virtual, to enhance their sound. But perhaps the reason behind my interest is more the use of AI in orchestrating a future where music is personalised. AI has such great potential to change so many different industries, meaning music isn’t the only one that will benefit from that technology moving forward.
What would you do with £1 million?
Invest in an AI company, as artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the digital landscape. The next big thing that AI is going to be invaluable for is self-healing technologies, for example, PCs with smart agents that can fix issues and ensure they run smarter, faster, and more efficiently. In fact, we’ve been working with Intel and the firm has already unveiled neural processing units that combine with our endpoint monitoring platform to optimise performance, and IT management, and enable predictive analytics and maintenance.
Where would you live if money was no object?
I’d fully immerse myself in experiencing different cultures by travelling and living in diverse places around the world. The people, landscapes, cultures and traditions fascinate me. I imagine how fun it would be to live in far flung places like Thailand, Vietnam, the Galapagos and even the Antarctic. I live in the UK and would love to visit America more often to see my colleagues over there, as Lakeside Software has offices in Boston and Atlanta.
What’s the greatest technological advancement in your lifetime?
The rise of Artificial Intelligence. AI has transformed countless industries, from healthcare and finance to entertainment and space exploration. The ability of AI to process vast amounts of data, automate complex tasks, and even engage in human-like conversation has reshaped how people live and work. AI adoption in companies has not only automated business processes but also acts as a digital colleague for bettering employee experiences. Breakthroughs in deep learning, natural language processing, and robotics continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible – in proactive and predictive IT, digital employee experience, self-healing AI PCs, and much more.
