Information Technology

<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;">I have spent the last 15 years shaping product strategies for Fortune 100 companies, bridging the gap between technology and business value. My work revolves around translating market needs into actionable product visions&mdash;whether driving digital transformation in ServiceNow&rsquo;s AI-powered platforms or revolutionizing customer experiences in hospitality and e-commerce.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I specialize in:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>End-to-end product leadership</strong>: From ideation (Generative AI tools, chatbots) to execution (award-winning LMS platforms like Percipio).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Cross-domain agility</strong>: Hands-on experience in HRMS, portfolio management, retail tech, and Healthcare with a knack for adapting best practices across industries.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Data-driven Decision-Making</strong>: Leveraging AI/ML (Azure OpenAI, NowLLM) and analytics (Tableau) to prioritize features that drive retention (e.g., 20%+ B2B customer retention lift at ServiceNow).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q2. How is IT spending segmented within each sector (E-commerce, Retail, Banking)? Which segments are seeing the most significant growth and why?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>E-commerce</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Growth areas</strong>: AI-driven catalog personalization (e.g., NewMine&rsquo;s 20% return-rate reduction), BOPIS integrations, and real-time inventory analytics.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Why?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Consumers demand hyper-personalization, so retailers invest in tools to predict demand and streamline fulfilment. This reduces the return rate of products.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Retail</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;">POS modernization (touchscreen redesigns cut turnaround time by 50% at TGI Fridays), dynamic pricing engines, and food-cost analytics.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Inventory Management</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Why?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Margin pressures and labor shortages push automation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q3. What new opportunities are emerging as technology evolves, particularly with the adoption of AI, blockchain, and cloud computing?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Generative AI</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At ServiceNow, we built a self-service chatbot that cut product managers&rsquo; workflow time by 65%.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At SkillSoft, AI-generated SEO tags boosted search efficacy by 15%.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Opportunity</strong>: Democratizing AI for SMEs&mdash;think no-code LLM fine-tuning.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q4. How are traditional banks integrating NFC and other fintech innovations to compete with emerging digital-first banks?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Cultural shift</strong>: Banks must adopt &lsquo;product-led growth&rsquo;&mdash;like embedding NFC into lifestyle apps (e.g., travel loyalty wallets).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q5. How are changes in consumer behavior driving the adoption of mobile commerce technologies? How are these solutions being received by different demographic groups?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gen Z/Millennials</strong>: Demand social integrations (e.g., shareable itineraries).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Boomers</strong>: Prefer guided UX (big fonts, step-by-step checkout).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Behavioral analytics&mdash;tracking drop-offs per cohort (I reduced learner drop-offs by 65% at SkillSoft via similar analysis).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q6. What are the latest product innovations in IT that are specifically designed for the E-commerce, Retail, and Banking sectors?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>E-commerce</strong>: AI &lsquo;style matchers&rsquo; (FindMine) + return-prediction models (NewMine).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Retail</strong>: IoT kitchen displays (Oracle) + real-time promo engines (TGI Fridays).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Q7. If you were an investor looking at companies within the space, what critical question would you pose to their senior management?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;">What&rsquo;s your moat when OpenAI&rsquo;s App Store commoditizes LLMs?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For example, we differentiated NowLLM by curating domain-specific training data&mdash;how are you future-proofing uniqueness?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>