Doing business with Scott Leader of Pegasystems: Transforming and thriving in the digital era

‘It is important to upskill staff needed to execute a successful digital business strategy’

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Name: Scott Leader

Title: Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand

Twitter handle: Not a tweeter however you can find me on LinkedIn

How long have you been in your current role? Two years

What business technology issue is your organisation focusing on?

From on premise to the cloud and digital disruption – these are just some of the themes highlighted by our customers when they look to our business technology solutions.

Many businesses are looking to survive in the age of digital disruption, but Pegasystems focuses on giving businesses the tools, in the cloud or on premise, to transform and thrive.

Pega develops strategic business applications for sales, marketing, service and operations. Through application development, Pega has seen a shift in the way businesses not just consume technology, but also with how they look at transforming their culture and train their workforce to best service the needs of the customer.

Pega’s applications, built on its unified Pega 7 platform, act as the change agent for businesses to adapt to meet rapidly changing market requirements. The digital transformation solution focuses on streamlining critical business operations to give the business the fastest route to market and time to value across core operations and gives this time back to the enterprise to connect their customers seamlessly in real-time across channels and for talented staff to focus on upskilling, needed to execute a successful digital business strategy.

I worked at a petrol station after school as a 14-year-old pumping gas to get some extra pocket money. This was my first foray into driving the customer experience!

Scott Leader, Pegasystems

What are your interests away from work?

I love spending time with my three young kids (Charlotte, 11; Emma, four; and Luca, four months old) and getting involved in their interests. I also enjoy the occasional game of golf, seeing my Super Rugby team The Waratahs play…and sometimes win! I’m also an avid reader and investor.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

'You have two ears and one mouth…use them in proportion!' My strongest personal and professional relationships have come from being an effective listener. To truly understand a customer, staff member or indeed anyone you have an interaction with, this skill is extremely important and must be prioritised.

Professionally, who do you admire most?

Michael Bloomberg. I worked with Mike back in 1999 at Bloomberg when he was still active as the CEO prior to becoming Mayor of New York. He’s one of the most charismatic and intelligent people I’ve had the pleasure to meet and work with. In addition, he had a real interest in every customer and staffer and he made you feel this when you spoke with him.

Mike also had a very kind and charitable spirit so he remembered where he came from and helped those less fortunate through his charity work.

What was your first job?

I worked at a petrol station after school as a 14-year-old pumping gas to get some extra pocket money. This was my first foray into driving the customer experience!

What will you do when you retire?

It may be a common response that is not always seen through, but I never plan to retire. My focus may change from driving a high growth software company to spending more time with my family, playing more golf and indulging more in my passion for investing. I really enjoy working so I don’t see myself putting my feet up long-term.

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