The Power of IT in Business

Senthu Saba, Regional Head of Tax, Louis Dreyfus Company

Senthu Saba, Regional Head of Tax, Louis Dreyfus Company

The closest thing in the IT world that I could be described to be is a technologist – but even then, it sounds odd to say it out loud. What I certainly am, is a functional leader, in a regional tax role that covers the greater part of the Asia Pacific region. I’ve worked in both country and regional roles for the last 15 years, first in Australia, then the Middle East with coverage of CIS and MEA, and finally in the Asia Pacific, all the while having the pleasure of working with some amazing people from a whole host of backgrounds and cultures. What unites us all, however, is how technology has transformed what we do and how we do it, in such a short period.

“Corporate functions recognize the need to evolve and adapt with technology, but lack the ability to integrate technology in a meaningful and value-driven way.”

The tax function of a company like most corporate functions, view IT in a very limited capacity – almost exclusively as a helpdesk function. We lack the understanding and appreciation of the full breadth of what IT can offer, and generally, that is no one’s fault but the fact that we speak different languages. Interestingly though, corporate functions recognize the need to evolve and adapt with technology but lack the ability to integrate technology in a meaningful and value-driven way. It is no wonder then, that corporate functions look outside their organizations, looking to purchase or license products, that invariably are not easy to integrate into an organization’s existing infrastructure, and generally have a short life as such solutions can be static or corporate functions are not willing to pay for upgrades. I can certainly attest to being of like mind until I began to fully comprehend the untapped potential within the IT organization – and I call it an IT organization because from what I’ve seen, it is truly the only way to describe your world. From the infrastructure team to the service delivery team, to the business intelligence team, to the SharePoint team, to the business architects, the security team, the front office, and back-office teams, the implementation and change management teams, to specific product offerings teams – RPA, PEGA, PowerBI, on and on. The challenge I find is not a lack of knowledge, skills, or talent, its being able to navigate the different areas to bring concepts to life.

Although the level of IT understanding is increasing within the corporate functions, it’s barely keeping pace with the speed within the IT organization. Business architects are therefore critical to bridge the gap and to demonstrate the value the IT organization can bring to the table. The next evolution (which has started already), is for corporate functions to hire IT headcount directly within their teams. This provides for prioritization of functional needs, the ability to bridge the gap further, and provides for dedicated resources to drive functional technology projects to completion without needing to draw on functional resources themselves. Strategic hires can also be useful for low-code / no-code developments that can target low hanging fruit and deliver almost immediate value to a corporate function. So, should you fear or embrace such functional IT hires? The answer should hopefully be the latter – a functional IT hire helps both the corporate function and the IT organization and can help market and promote the IT organization in ways the corporate function can understand and appreciate.

Writing this article, I ask myself, “what do I want you, the audience, to walk away with?” Fundamentally, how can my experiences help enrich yours? It’s a simple message - corporate functions need their IT organization more than you know – so next time they reach out to you, take the time to understand what they do and what they’re trying to achieve – bridge the gap – that’s our greatest obstacle and greatest opportunity.