Technology offers the best opportunity for people, young and old, who wants to seek a career. Leaders here can contribute to the opening up of access to technology careers for more people. Bernard Wanyama’s journey in the dynamic realm of Information Technology leadership reflects a trajectory marked by experience, resilience, and a commitment to technological innovation.
Here’s an interview you don’t wanna miss:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Syntech Associates Limited.What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
I started out as an Information Security Officer at Bank of Africa – Uganda in 2006, before joining Barclays Bank the next year in an IT Infrastructure Management role.
At Barclays I spent nearly five years as part of the team driving change in the Sub Saharan Africa region. The transformation was around modernizing network infrastructure, data centers, the core banking platform and moving towards a shared services model.
After those five years, I moved on and started SYNTECH along with partners who were friends from university.
We set out to run SYNTECH as a systems integration firm, focused on networks, server systems and a bit of custom software development. Our clientele was largely financial institutions and government entities in Uganda, as well as the other East African countries.
At a personal level, it was a transition from technical expert to a business leader, something that came with many hard lessons.
Three things still stand out for me:
- there is immeasurable value in staying close to your customers with a relationship-based approach
- partners and suppliers make it possible for any organisation to access resources and opportunities
- people: one has to have an eye for good people and work hard to retain them
The money aspect has always been the hardest to navigate, access to finance, cost of finance as well as being able to afford talent.
Overall, the journey has been both challenging and rewarding.
Tell us something more about Syntech Associates Limited. and its mission and vision.
We are an IT systems integration firm, offering expertise in cybersecurity, networks, cloud computing and software development to clients in the East and Central Africa market.
We have been in business since 2010 and we represent major tech vendors such as Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco, VMware and many others.
At SYNTECH, our mission is “To offer practical, cutting-edge solutions with unsurpassed quality of service to meet customer needs and challenges”
Our vision is “become the most competent ICT service provider in the East Africa region and beyond with dedication to fulfilling our clients’ requirements”.
How do you build and manage a motivated and effective team?
In my view, it’s about taking a conscious decision to lead the team. Early on, what worked well for me was leading from the front and being part of hard work. Later on, I learnt that being able to communicate clearly and set expectations was more important than anything else.
Ultimately, people fit in the team for as long as it aligns with their needs, and there comes a time to part ways when that is no longer the case. One must be able to have career growth conversations with team members and enable them to have a stake in their personal development. I am proud of many team members who have moved on to do bigger things in other organisations and other continents.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Syntech Associates Limited?
Evolution is a question we all have to deal with, at a personal level, as well as at a business level. In the future, we shall transition into serving the entire African continent. We shall deepen our expertise in areas like cybersecurity, IoT and cloud computing. We also plan to diversify our service offering into new areas like training and R&D.
What change would you like to bring to the Tech industry if given a chance?
At a personal level, my conviction is that tech offers the best opportunity for people, young and old, seeking a career. I believe I can contribute to opening up access to technology careers for more people. I spend a lot of time volunteering for ISACA and partnering with other organisations to close the skills gap and expand the tech industry in Uganda and the rest of the world.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into Tech?
Tech is the most exciting place to be right now for solving social and economic problems, and it is going to remain that way for a while. The opportunity to make a positive impact is very pronounced, especially in the emerging markets where there is immense demand for solutions in areas like finance, mobility, education and healthcare. In a sea of opportunities, budding entrepreneurs need to carve out a niche for themselves.
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