Kenneth Catugas is ING Hub Philippines’ Head of Information Technology Division who is responsible for the entire IT Operations and Innovation with over 3,500+ ING staff in the country in three office locations. He has over 14 years of experience in IT Infrastructure, Operations and Management with extensive hands-on experience in Managing System, Security, Network, Project Management, Data Center Transformation using a wide variety of technologies. Working before with different industries such as IT Consulting, Renewal Energy, FMCG, Management
Consulting, and Shipping gave him vast knowledge in the use of Information Technology. Recently, we had the opportunity to sit with Kenneth to discuss the world of digital transformation.
It is now the year 2022 and it is plain to see that everything around us has digitally developed. Digital transformation should be prioritized to improve efficiency, achieve eminent business agility, to develop strategies, etc. Filipinos should know more about this and its importance. “For the people to know about the digital transformation in the Philippines, we need to accelerate it further to catch up with the different neighboring countries especially here in Asia Pacific.” Kenneth stated. According to research, the economy will grow by 6.3% in 2023 which means that the country needs to invest more in the Philippines’ technological innovation. It is important to join forces with the government that’s in charge of the sphere, as well. Collaboration and synergy are the essentials to achieve economic growth. Speaking of transformation, Kenneth revealed that he’s fond of attending events that tackle digital transformation and networking with his fellow leaders where they get to share information between organizations across the board. Also, according to him, in order to transform a business, it is important for the companies to implement technologies that are able to counter their competitors, to be able to continue to innovate on things that are being done within the arena of their competition.
According to research, the Philippines is slowly improving in terms of adapting to technology. However, beyond any doubt, there are still things that are lacking and need improvement. Based on Kenneth’s experience, “There’s a lack of skill set here in the Philippines”. Everything is prepared in terms of technology, suppliers, partners but when it is finally the time to put it on the table, there’s an issue on who are the right people who are going to do it, who have the capacity to do it. With these issues piling up, we will not be able to keep up with the neighboring countries. Added Kenneth, younger generations need to be trained and embedded in the new technology not just in organizations, but also in campuses to be able to fill the lack of skill set in the industry.
With over 14 years of experience in various IT industries such as Managing System, Security, Network, Project Management and Data Center Transformation, we asked Kenneth on the most important skills a digital transformation leader should have. According to him, “The most important one is having the growth mindset. Digital transformation is a never-ending process. Its evolution is continuous. There would be new things implemented, yet it would face new disruptions.” Leaders must understand its possibility, probability and plausibility so that they would be able to strategize on dealing with any kind of disruption in their digital transformation journey; and to be able to select the right technology, right partners, and the right roadmap that will be implemented within the organization.
Catch Kenneth Catugas for more astounding perspectives regarding digital transformation at 10th Digital Transformation Asia 2022, co-located with 4th ITSEC Asia 2022 on November 16th, 2022 at Shangri-La Fort, Bonifacio Global City.
