Transforming Leadership: CTOs Embrace AI, SaaS, and Cybersecurity

The role of CTOs is evolving rapidly, driven by the transition to cloud-native SaaS solutions, the integration of AI, and increasing cybersecurity challenge.

Key CTO Trends: AI, SaaS Growth, and Cybersecurity Priorities

Think & Grow’s CTO Report examines these transformative trends, focusing on how they’re reshaping leadership in post-pandemic shifts such as remote work and hybrid work.

These forces, along with fast-paced technological advances and notable security incidents, are redefining the priorities and strategies of technology leaders.

I had the pleasure of hosting our Think & Grow CTO Webinar that brought together experts to share insights on these trends and their impact.

Panelists included:

• Pierre Bergamin, CTO of InDebted - a global fintech specialising in debt collection - operates in six countries with a team of nearly 400 people. Pierre highlighted two key challenges keeping him up at night: the complexities of rapid growth, particularly integrating M&A activities into their platform, and navigating the evolving landscape of AI.

• Rajini Carpenter, CTO of Beforepay, is the leader of a consumer lending company that also operates Carrington Labs, its B2B arm specialising in AI-powered credit risk models and lending solutions. She highlighted her key challenges, including managing a cloud-native, SaaS-based infrastructure, addressing AI integration, and mitigating cybersecurity risks.

• Joseph Vartuli, CTO of CreditorWatch, leads a commercial credit bureau specialising in risk modeling to help businesses assess insolvency risks and manage interactions with other companies over time. Reflecting on six years of rapid growth, he noted the challenge of balancing productivity, morale, and developer happiness. His primary emerging concern is the use of AI by malicious actors in cybersecurity - a threat he sees as the next significant challenge for the industry.

A live poll during the webinar revealed that cybersecurity and compliance topped the audience’s concerns, closely followed by the challenge of staying ahead of emerging technology trends. Below are highlights from the panel discussion.

Joseph noted Australia's rise as a target for cyberattacks, coupled with stricter regulations like OAIC, has heightened the focus on security. Boards are now hyper-focused, driving teams to resolve issues rapidly. AI-driven threats, such as bots capable of advanced data scraping and penetration, are transforming the landscape, increasing the urgency for robust security measures. Joseph emphasised tools like ASD’s cybersecurity programs as valuable resources for knowledge transfer and threat intelligence.

Pierre says balancing security with rapid growth is challenging, especially with AI’s complexities. Operating across multiple markets with varying regulations enables InDebted to test features in less-regulated regions first, minimising risks before broader deployment. This phased approach provides a competitive edge against firms in heavily regulated markets.

Rajini highlights concerns specific to AI, such as data pollution (where bad or corrupted data affects model performance) and hallucination (AI generating inaccurate or fabricated outputs), which are critical aspects of building safe and secure AI models. She underscores the importance of strong security practices like managing access controls, permissions, and token rotations to protect sensitive systems and data.

Rajini emphasises that security is not solely the responsibility of a specific team but a shared organisational responsibility, requiring contributions across all levels of the company.

Balancing Security with Innovation

Security concerns can limit tool adoption and new processes, but smaller organisations like Beforepay can act more nimbly. They leverage AI tools internally and make quick decisions, avoiding bureaucratic delays. In contrast, larger organisations face challenges navigating red tape, slowing their ability to stay competitive.

Key Takeaways:

• Cybersecurity is a growing priority, driven by AI threats and regulatory pressures.
• Collaborative, organisation-wide accountability for security is essential.
• Smaller companies may have an advantage in adopting innovative tools quickly, while larger firms grapple with regulatory and operational constraints.

Developer Happiness and Productivity

‍Joseph emphasised the importance of keeping CreditorWatch’s developers motivated by minimising mundane tasks like bug fixing and security tickets through automation. This boosts productivity and satisfaction, enabling developers to focus on meaningful, innovative work. He highlighted the need for empathy and collaboration, ensuring developers understand the "why" behind projects to foster deeper engagement and innovation.

Challenges in Growth and Collaboration

‍Pierre shared how InDebted navigated challenges during a difficult year, including layoffs and a shift to a profitability-focused model. This approach strengthened cross-functional collaboration between engineering, product, and other teams, resulting in tighter alignment and better outcomes. After regrouping, they successfully raised Series C funding and are deploying it with an ROI-driven strategy focusing on sustainable growth.

Evolving Culture Beyond Silos

‍Rajini noted that engineering culture has matured, moving beyond silos to a collaborative approach involving product, design, and data teams. While Beforepay has cultivated a strong interdisciplinary culture, the current challenge lies in effectively integrating risk and compliance functions. She emphasised that creating successful products now requires holistic collaboration across all disciplines rather than focusing solely on engineering.

Key Takeaways:

• Developer Happiness: A clear shared understanding of goals is essential for maintaining morale and productivity.
• Collaboration: Cross-functional alignment between engineering, product, and business teams is critical for impactful outcomes.
• Evolving Culture: Modern engineering culture demands breaking down silos and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex challenges.

Agile Product and Business Alignment

Rajini says Beforepay has shifted from long-term, transformational roadmaps to a quarterly OKR-based approach, aligning all teams, not just engineering, to shared business goals. Prioritisation is ruthless, focusing on what’s critical for the business and its customers, including cybersecurity and compliance. Weekly all-hands meetings ensure cross-functional alignment and progress tracking. Celebrating wins every quarter over 80-90% of the OKRs is a much better outcome than not achieving anything over a while.

Pierre shared that after significant restructuring, InDebted abandoned traditional tools and rebuilt its roadmap from scratch. Quarterly objectives drive focus while allocating resources for unplanned work to minimise costly context-switching. During M&A activities, integration strategies are phased, with a focus on collaboration and leveraging synergies between teams. Vetting new teams through pair programming helps assess fit and problem-solving approaches.

Board Exposure and Mindset Shifts

Joseph noted that board interactions revealed a surprising focus on operational oversight rather than strategy alone. Taking an AICD course helped Joseph understand the board’s priorities, which include compliance, metrics, and risk management, particularly in response to heightened regulatory scrutiny. Adjusting to working with external board members required a shift in communication style, as they lack the operational depth of internal stakeholders and rely on concise, data-driven insights.

Key Takeaways:

• Agile Alignment: Quarterly OKRs help companies stay flexible while focusing on critical business goals and fostering cross-functional collaboration.
• Phased Integration: Gradual strategies in M&A allow teams to integrate effectively, leveraging shared expertise without disrupting operations.
• Board Dynamics: Understanding boards' operational and compliance-driven focus, especially external ones, is critical for effective communication and governance.

I would like to express my gratitude to our panellists for sharing such valuable insights. You can explore these topics and other interesting reports in our reports section.

At Think & Grow, we are committed to supporting your growth journey—whether it’s scaling your team, entering new markets, or developing successful growth strategies. Let’s connect!