Author: CIO Times

Derrydean Dadzie is a seasoned technology entrepreneur, digital transformation consultant, and policy advisor. Over almost two decades, he has become a respected leader and visionary in technology and fintech. He champions innovation and societal transformation through groundbreaking initiatives and influential roles, advancing research commercialisation, digital transformation, and fintech. His work bridges technology and purpose, delivering lasting impact across communities, businesses, and ecosystems. For Derrydean, every day is a renewed quest to answer the question: How do we create a society better than yesterday?  

The Formative Years

Derrydean’s professional journey has been an exciting blend of discovery, impact, and the persistent pursuit of something bigger than himself. Growing up, he was fascinated by how systems work — how small, interconnected pieces can create something transformational. That curiosity became a driving force in his career and his faith in the power of technology to change lives. 

At DreamOval, which he co-founded in 2007, his team was pushing boundaries before digital transformation became the buzzword it is today. One of the company’s major milestones was creating Slydepay, now known as Kowri, a platform that revolutionised digital payments in Ghana and Africa. It wasn’t just about convenience; it was about inclusion—about giving people and businesses access to a digital ecosystem that was previously out of reach. But his work didn’t stop there.

Derrydean has always been drawn to solving big, systemic challenges. That led him to projects like CocoaLink, where mobile technology was used to support tens of thousands of cocoa farmers, or Motech, which delivered life-saving health information to mothers in rural areas. And then there was the paperless port project, which digitised Ghana’s port operations, cutting through layers of inefficiency and opening up incredible economic opportunities. In the banking sector, he has helped drive operational transformation, making financial systems more agile, accessible, and responsive.

“These experiences taught me something fundamental: technology isn’t just a tool; it’s a force. It can empower, uplift, and drive progress—not just for individuals but for entire communities, industries, and economies. I wanted to do more than deliver one-off solutions. I wanted to create a space where innovation could thrive consistently and purposefully, where big ideas could become real-world solutions that solve real-world problems. That’s what inspired me to start Heritors Labs,” says Derrydean.

The Innovation Hub

Heritors Labs is, at its heart, a place where innovation thrives. Derrydean likes to think of his team as more than just a technology company. Heritors is a hub for creativity, a home for bold ideas, and a partner to organisations that want to transform how society works with groundbreaking ideas, better serve their customers, and create sustainable growth. It sits at the intersection of technology, research, design, and business strategy, crafting solutions that don’t just meet needs but anticipate them.

Heritors Labs’ services are diverse, but they’re all connected by one central mission: to take ideas from minds to market and projects to prosperity. It specialises in digital transformation, research and innovation commercialisation, software engineering, and e-commerce. At the core of everything the company does is the belief that technology should empower — not complicate — lives and businesses.

One of Heritors’ flagship offerings is SMARTQORE, a low-code digital transformation platform that’s helping businesses rethink what’s possible. SMARTQORE enables organisations to build complex, scalable applications without the traditional cost and complexity of development. It’s designed to simplify operations, automate workflows, and create smarter user experiences. Whether it’s powering digital platforms for enterprises or streamlining processes for startups, SMARTQORE allows organisations to innovate at speed and scale.

In e-commerce, Heritors Labs‘ work with Ordabl stands out. It’s not just an online platform; it’s a way to make life more accessible for people. What makes Ordabl special is its focus on affordability, with people at its core. Features like the buy now, pay later model ensure that individuals and families can access the goods and services they need without financial strain. This approach reflects the belief that commerce should empower communities and foster dignity. For Heritors Labs, e-commerce isn’t just about transactions—it’s about creating opportunities and improving lives.

In the field of research and innovation commercialisation, Heritors Labs helps bridge the gap between bold ideas and practical outcomes, taking groundbreaking research and turning it into real-world solutions. Whether it’s through developing frameworks for innovation ecosystems, building platforms that support commercialisation, or connecting innovators with markets, its focus is always on creating value that lasts. It’s about ensuring that the great ideas born in labs find their way into businesses, communities, and lives.

Initial Challenges

When Derrydean started out as an entrepreneur in the early 2000s, the environment posed significant challenges, from minimal internet infrastructure to a market that undervalued local digital solutions. His team optimised limited resources, invested in creative problem-solving, and strategically partnered to access available infrastructure. Proving their worth through results, they built relationships with clients who began to value local partnerships.

Talent acquisition was tough; sohe and his team would train individuals from scratch only to see them poached by bigger companies. This led to the creation of systems that emphasised culture and knowledge sharing, positioning talent development as a long-term investment. Funding was another hurdle, prompting him to bootstrap and ensure each project brought new opportunities.

“Navigating a politically influenced economy required focusing on core values and building a reputation for integrity and excellence. Despite these challenges, resilience, innovation, and a long-term vision have been key. The improved internet infrastructure and growing digital adoption now position us for sustained success. Each obstacle has shaped my business approach and leadership, making the journey deeply rewarding,” he says.

Factors for Success

Heritors Labs’ success hinges on a few core principles. Its vision is to transform everyday activities and make lives smarter by creating thriving ecosystems in all thinkable sectors. Empathetic innovation guides the company, ensuring people-centric solutions that deliver real value to businesses and communities. Its culture is pivotal, focusing on experiences that foster better outcomes for people, systems, and communities. Execution is key, and it excels at turning complex problems into scalable solutions with real-world impact. Most importantly, its people drive its success. It invests in resourcing and equipping its team, providing the tools, training, and opportunities to excel. This focus on development fosters a strong culture of ownership, aligning with Heritors’ mission and building a lasting legacy for future generations.

Staying Ahead

Heritors Labs thrives by focusing on mindset, people, and connections. With a culture of curiosity and adaptability, it not only keeps up with but also sets the pace of industry changes. Staying deeply connected to communities fuels empathetic innovation, ensuring its solutions are impactful and valued. Collaboration with researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders helps the team stay ahead and shape the industry’s direction. Derrydean’s relentless focus on research and development pushes boundaries and brings bold, practical ideas to life. 

“Our people are at the core, and we invest heavily in their growth, providing tools, training, and freedom to excel. This combination of mindset, community, collaboration, R&D, and talent, keeps us ahead, ready to meet today’s challenges and shape tomorrow’s opportunities,” he says.

The Approach to Innovation

For Derrydean, innovation is about constantly asking, how can we move this state another notch? It’s not just about solving problems — it’s about reimagining possibilities. He has a concept he calls ‘Nth-Dimension Thinking’, where he challenges himself and his team to look beyond the current dimension, to go from 3D to 4D to 5D and beyond. It’s about never settling for the status quo, always asking, what’s next?

This mindset is at the core of everything that’s done at Heritors Labs. It’s how they approach building solutions — whether it’s SMARTQORE helping businesses automate and innovate faster, or Ordabl rethinking affordability and accessibility in e-commerce. Every service they deliver is guided by the belief that they can push beyond the obvious, moving the needle for their clients and the communities they serve.

The importance of innovation is clear — it’s what keeps Heritors relevant, impactful, and ahead of the curve. Here, innovation isn’t just a practice; it’s a way of thinking. It drives the team to question, to experiment, and to create solutions that don’t just meet expectations but redefine them. This ensures that their work doesn’t just make an impact — it sets a new standard for what’s possible.

Meeting Client Expectations

At Heritors Labs, solution creation is a collaborative journey with the clients. The team immerses itself in their world, asking insightful questions to deeply understand their needs, challenges, and goals. Their approach is innovative yet thoughtful, ensuring smooth transitions and client confidence. They emphasise templating critical processes for repeatability, standardisation, and alignment with best-in-class models. Balancing agility with thoroughness, they anticipate future needs, creating future-proof solutions. Their commitment to empathy, understanding, and excellence drives them to exceed expectations, delivering impactful solutions that position clients for long-term success.

Keeping the Team Motivated and Ensuring Professional Growth

At Heritors Labs, team motivation begins with clarity. The core team connects each individual’s contributions to the company’s transformative vision, fostering natural alignment. Derrydean makes sure to invest in the team through tools, training, and growth opportunities, promoting innovation. Heritors Labs’ culture of ownership gives autonomy to lead and take risks, with a fail-safe environment for learning from mistakes. Recognising achievements and maintaining open communication ensures everyone feels valued and connected. This balance of trust, empowerment, and vision keeps the team deeply motivated and drives Heritors Labs forward.

Leadership is fostered through hands-on experience and active participation in critical meetings and challenges. This approach builds confidence, sharpens problem-solving skills, and develops leadership grounded in real-world experiences. The team is challenged with complex problems, and also equipped with tools, mentorship, and knowledge to thrive, fostering resilience and decision-making skills.

“Our ’leader of the week’ model ensures everyone, from the CEO to the janitor, can shape operations and solve everyday challenges, embedding leadership across all levels. Continuous development through training programs, courses, and mentorship ensures our team is prepared for the future. Personal mentoring is key, sharing lessons and guiding growth. By involving everyone in meaningful work, challenging them, and investing in their development, we cultivate leaders ready to shape the future,” emphasises Derrydean.

Impact of Emerging Technologies

Emerging technologies like AI and automation have transformed Heritors Labs, reshaping its perception of possibilities. It leverages these technologies for efficiency and innovation, embedding them into the organisation’s core processes. By developing AI-powered tools, Heritors helps researchers and innovators navigate markets and value chains, enabling seamless transitions from labs to markets. Its solutions empower institutions to evolve faster, solve problems effectively, and make transformative decisions. Emerging tech isn’t just a tool — it’s the foundation of Heritors Labs’ approach, driving it to anticipate, innovate, and deliver. This forward-thinking mindset ensures it creates impactful solutions that address today’s challenges and open up new future possibilities.

The Vision

Derrydean’s vision for the next five years is ambitious: expand Heritors Labs globally and become a leader in innovation and transformative tech solutions, creating meaningful impact. The company aims to commercialise African research, scaling it globally to build vibrant research economies, bridging value chain gaps and creating livelihoods.

Global expansion is key to identifying impactful markets and driving transformative innovation. Heritors Labs helps organisations and communities move from labs to markets with groundbreaking yet practical solutions. Building ecosystems through partnerships with businesses, academia, and policymakers, amplifies its impact.

People are central and Heritors will invest in talent and leadership development within the organisation and communities. Strengthening R&D capabilities will ensure it stays ahead of trends and meets emerging needs.

“Our goal is to scale impact, empowering organisations, creating enriching livelihoods, and transforming lives. The next five years are about building a future I’m excited for,” concludes Derrydean.

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A Quote to Live By:

One quote that has always resonated deeply with me is, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

It’s a constant reminder that while the future may feel uncertain, we have the power to shape it. For me, this is the essence of leadership and innovation — taking bold steps today to build a future that reflects our vision. Whether it’s through the solutions we create, the people we empower, or the ecosystems we nurture, this quote serves as a guide to stay proactive, purposeful, and forward-thinking. It’s not just about waiting to see what happens; it’s about making it happen.

Thoughts on the Future of Technology and Innovation

The future of technology offers infinite possibilities, dissolving boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological realms. As a futurist, I believe it’s defined by using technology to transform lives meaningfully and sustainably. At Heritors Labs, we embrace “Nth-dimension thinking” — constantly pushing boundaries while deeply understanding the needs of people and ecosystems.

We’re not just leveraging technologies like AI and automation; we’re reimagining their potential. Our AI-driven tools help researchers and innovators navigate value chains and accelerate from labs to market, shaping new paradigms. Empathetic innovation is embedded in every solution, ensuring they are human-centred and advanced.

Collaboration is vital, and we partner across industries, academia, and governments to shape the future. We invest in our people, equipping them with the mindset and tools to lead in this evolving landscape. At Heritors Labs, we’re not just preparing for the future — we’re building it, creating solutions that anticipate what’s coming and empower people and institutions to achieve more, leaving an enduring legacy.

This forward-thinking approach ensures we remain at the cutting edge, making a real impact on the world.

Derrydean’s advice for Business Leaders to Scale their Companies

Start with a vision. Set it vast — so vast that it exceeds your lifetime. A strong vision serves as your north star, anchoring and guiding you even when the path gets unclear. Scaling is a journey, and you must navigate it relentlessly, staying nimble and adapting as circumstances change. The tech world moves fast; your ability to adjust while holding onto your core vision is what will set you apart.

Next, document and template. Many leaders underestimate the power of writing things down. Your culture, your operations, your aspirations — capture them in words and frameworks. Writing your reality, or even your ambition, has a way of manifesting it. It gives clarity to your team, consistency to your operations, and scalability to your business.

Then there are people — your most valuable asset. The right team can take you from zero to a hundred; the wrong team can bring you from a hundred to zero. Invest in your people, empower them, and make them feel part of the vision. With the right talent, you can create something out of nothing, but without it, even the best plans will falter.

Finally, focus on partners. Your partners want to be part of the journey — don’t ghost them. Scaling is not just about celebrating wins; it’s about navigating challenges transparently. Share your highs and your lows, your successes and your failures. Many partners value a transparent failure over an opaque success because it fosters trust and helps them support you better. Scaling isn’t just about the destination; it’s about building a journey others want to walk with you.

Lead with vision, empower your people, and nurture your partnerships. Scaling is never easy, but with the right focus and commitment, it’s not just possible — it is transformative.

Quote: "At the core of our vision is a simple belief: success should be generational. The work we do today should resonate far beyond us, creating opportunities and successes that ripple through time, touching lives and transforming futures."

Quote: “My professional journey has been a mix of grit, vision, and an unshakeable belief that Africa has what it takes to lead on the global stage.” 

Quote: “We’re not just participants in this digital revolution; we have the creativity, resilience, and ingenuity to shape it.”

Read full magazine: Africa’s 5 Most Empowering Business Leaders to Follow in 2025

As urban areas grow increasingly crowded, the demand for efficient and sustainable parking solutions becomes critical. Technology-driven parking systems can revolutionize the way we manage space, reduce traffic congestion, and cut down carbon emissions caused by vehicles idling in search of parking. These smart solutions, powered by innovations like real-time data, AI, and automation, streamline parking operations, enhance user convenience, and optimize the use of available infrastructure. By embracing technology, cities can create more livable spaces while addressing the evolving challenges of urban mobility.

Leading the charge in this transformative space is Mohamed Hediya, Managing Director of Limitless Parking. With a vision for smarter cities, Mohamed has combined his expertise in technology and project management with a passion for innovation to pioneer advanced parking solutions. Under his leadership, Limitless Parking leverages cutting-edge technologies like real-time data analytics and AI to tackle the challenges of urban parking. By reimagining how cities manage parking, Mohamed is not only enhancing convenience for users but also contributing to more efficient, sustainable urban environments. His work is shaping the future of mobility, one parking space at a time.

Mohamed has earned prestigious certifications such as Member of the British Computer Society (MBCS), Chartered IT Professional (CITP), and Project Management Professional (PMP). Under his leadership, Limitless Parking is redefining the future of parking by integrating cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices to address modern urban challenges.

Stepping into the World of Entrepreneurship

Mohamed‘s professional journey has been one of both learning and innovation. With a background in technology, he has always been fascinated by how new solutions can disrupt traditional industries. The idea of solving complex problems through technology is what inspired him to leap into entrepreneurship. Starting Limitless Parking allowed Mohamed to take control of his vision, focusing on the parking industry, which, though vital to urban living, often lacks efficiency and innovation. He wanted to create a solution that would simplify and modernize parking for both users and providers, which led to the development of Limitless.

A Forward-thinking Company

Limitless Parking is a technology-driven company focused on revolutionizing the parking experience through innovative, AI-powered, and ticketless solutions. The Limitless Ticketless Parking System was inspired by the frustration and inefficiency Mohamed personally encountered with traditional parking methods. He realized that technology, particularly AI, could automate and simplify the process, providing a seamless experience for users while reducing operational costs for parking providers. Since its inception, the system has evolved to include advanced features such as real-time parking availability, automated billing, and integrated payment systems, with plans for future innovations in the pipeline.

By integrating advanced technologies, Limitless Parking aims to create seamless, efficient, and secure parking systems that cater to the needs of individuals and businesses alike. With a strong focus on sustainability and user convenience, the company is shaping the future of urban mobility and infrastructure.

From Challenges to Convenience

One of the biggest challenges for Mohamed initially was overcoming scepticism about Limitless Parking’s system’s reliability and security. Parking management has traditionally been manual, and moving to a fully automated, ticketless system was a big shift. To overcome this, his team conducted rigorous testing, gathered feedback from early adopters, and refined their system based on real-world usage. Another challenge was ensuring seamless integration with existing infrastructure, which required working closely with city planners and parking operators to ensure compatibility with various parking environments.

With time and under Mohamed’s able leadership, Limitless has reached several significant milestones, including the successful deployment of its Ticketless Parking System in multiple locations across Dubai. It has achieved positive feedback from both end-users and parking operators, with improvements in parking efficiency and user satisfaction. Additionally, the company has expanded its technology offerings to include AI-based analytics for parking management, which has set it apart from traditional parking solutions.

Innovative Solutions 

The Limitless Ticketless Parking System is unique in that it eliminates the need for physical tickets and barriers. Users can enter and exit parking areas without stopping, and payments are automatically processed via its app or linked payment methods. Real-time availability updates ensure users can easily find parking, reducing time spent searching for a spot. Additionally, the system integrates seamlessly with mobile devices, offering a smooth, contactless experience from start to finish.

“Our mission at Limitless is to redefine the parking experience by utilizing cutting-edge technology to simplify parking management, improve user experience, and create more efficient urban environments. We envision a future where parking is fully automated, convenient, and integrated into the smart city infrastructure,” says Mohamed.

By removing the need for physical tickets and automating payments, Limitless Parking provides a hassle-free experience for users. Its system also helps parking providers optimize space usage, reduce congestion, and increase revenue by offering real-time parking availability data. These smart-systems cater to diverse sectors, including retail, hospitality, healthcare, and urban infrastructure, addressing unique challenges like high traffic volumes and limited parking availability.

Integrating Parking and Secure Technology

Limitless Parking leverages AI and machine learning to predict parking availability, optimize space allocation, and enhance user experience. Its AI algorithms analyze traffic and parking data in real time, enabling its system to dynamically adjust parking rates, predict demand, and guide drivers to available spots efficiently. It also uses AI to continuously improve the user interface and experience, ensuring its solutions stay intuitive and user-friendly.

At Limitless, data security is a top priority. It employs end-to-end encryption for all transactions and uses secure servers to store sensitive information. Its platform is compliant with global data protection regulations, including GDPR. It also employs regular security audits and works with cybersecurity experts to ensure its systems are resistant to potential threats. “Users can trust that their personal and payment information is safe with us,” ensures Mohamed.

Urban Efficiency for the Future

Recently, Limitless Parking has focused on expanding its presence outside of Dubai. It has partnered with cities in the UAE and the GCC region to deploy its systems in more parking facilities, including malls, airports, and commercial centres. Additionally, Mohamed is exploring partnerships with smart city initiatives to integrate Limitless Parking’s technology into the broader urban infrastructure, making parking an integral part of the smart city ecosystem.

The future of parking technology is in smart, automated systems that are seamlessly integrated into urban environments. Mohamed sees Limitless Parking playing a pivotal role in shaping this future by continuing to innovate and develop technology that enhances user experience while helping cities manage their resources more efficiently. 

“With advancements in AI, IoT, and mobile connectivity, parking will become faster, more efficient, and more eco-friendly. Limitless aims to be at the forefront of this transformation, driving the industry toward a ticketless, fully automated parking experience,” he concludes.

Quote: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” – Albert Schweitzer. – This quote reminds me that true success comes from enjoying what you do and making a positive impact along the way.”

Lucas Sy is a Partner at Strategy& Germany, specializing in sovereign cloud and cyber strategies. With over ten years of consulting experience and 12 years as a cyber strategy officer in the German Armed Forces, Lucas is a renowned expert in advising government, defense, and IT organizations. 

He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Helmut-Schmidt University Hamburg and is an alumnus of the London School of Economics and the University of New South Wales Canberra. Lucas is dedicated to bridging the gap between digital transformation initiatives and cyber strategies, ensuring robust cloud resilience and cybersecurity.

Made for Leadership

Lucas has always been keen to learn how inspiring personalities have changed the world we are living in. For him, two of them are Albert Einstein and Katherine Johnson. Albert Einstein, the most famous scientist of the 20th century, transformed our understanding of the universe. Katherine Johnson was critical to the success of the Apollo Moon landing program, establishing the technology to meet international interests in space. Lucas’ family has always supported him in finding his own way of leadership.

Early in his career, when he joined the German Armed Forces in 2002, he assumed a leadership role as an officer. This was a time when the German Armed Forces opened up their career models more diversely, and Lucas is proud that he has contributed to shaping this inclusive leadership style alongside his comrades back in those days. The strong responsibility he held for his team during missions also shaped his leadership style during his later transition to the business world. 

Honing the Leadership Skills

Lucas suggests that to achieve business success as a leader, you need different types of qualities and backgrounds in your team. Hence, you must be able to combine these competencies for your business, clients or customer needs in the best way. For you as a leader, it is important to lead by example in exploring the teams’ strengths. This might involve re-engineering an existing business function in an imaginative way and then balancing the potential risk vs. the value for the project or firm. It might also include being more ‘adventurous’ e.g., by questioning an existing IT function with regards to disruptive technology. 

“In all cases, it involves the courage of your team to rethink established business constellations. At Strategy&, we create an environment where every voice is heard, encouraging open dialogue, and ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to contribute their best. Exchanging ideas between countries and regions is also important for maximizing the global benefit of local inventions. The global PwC network serves as an essential driver for this international collaboration,” he says.

An Effective Leadership Style

Lucas’ leadership style includes different elements which he has picked up over the years to help him and his team to work effectively. At the beginning of a new project, his style might be more stringent, with clear directions and a vision for where to take the client with the project. This is essential for bringing the team together and working towards a clear, common goal. In the area of strategy consulting and the rapidly changing cyber domain, they are often confronted with a pacesetting environment. 

Lucas’ team of driven and experienced colleagues consistently does their best to meet challenging deadlines. “Holding yourself and others to high standards only works if you can also create balance and provide compensation for these efforts. To this end, we regularly run lessons-learned sessions and identify areas for individual growth. I take time to evaluate the team’s and each individual’s development areas both over the course of a project and throughout the year,” he shares.

Overcoming Challenges

The biggest challenges might occur when fundamental disruptions affect your personal or business environment. For Lucas personally, this was the transition from being an officer of the German Armed Forces to working in the private sector. Having studied business management, it was clear to him that he needed to experience business demands across different industries. Although he started in business valuation, Lucas always kept in mind how best to apply his military experience from the cyber domain to a business context. 

A major business challenge for the company was the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. As everyday commerce was shut down in 2020, Strategy&’s clients quickly shifted their focus, switching to fully remote work or adjusting production significantly. “We saw this as a chance to explore new ways of working on our projects. In the post-pandemic reality, this experience became crucial for us and our clients to evaluate which changes were here to stay,” says Lucas.

Taking Risks

During the different stages of his career, Lucas has been confronted with many types of personal, operational, and business risks. He has learned from the military how to deal with operational risks, such as pre-thinking alternatives, the effects of your decision, or sensing your environment. The decision to leave the Armed Forces and start in the business sector was a significant risk for him personally. The motivation came from his passion for business strategy and his aim to fuse his military cyber know-how into new business approaches. He did not take this step without thinking of alternatives within the Armed Forces or the broader government ecosystem.

In the first years, Lucas was absorbing every learning from different industries and strategic approaches in the project work. Over the years he identified more and more where to support organizations within the public and defense sectors. 

“Due to increasing geopolitical turbulences, cyber resilience, and sovereign strategies became main global drivers for my clients, and I was able to combine the best of my experience from both worlds, military and business, helping them to succeed,” shares Lucas.

Motivating the Team

Lucas feels that understanding one’s team members’ long-term goals, for their personal and professional development, is key for reflecting aspirations and achievements and hence for providing adequate advice. Strategy& enables its team with dedicated training to work on their development needs and to grow everyone’s personal strengths, for example in advanced cybersecurity methodologies or strategic project management. Challenging strategy projects naturally lead to an intrinsic motivation of the team to help the client via well-proven as well as new and innovative approaches.

“Setting development goals with your team helps to effectively improve everyone’s potential. This can be set up as short-term (project-related), mid-term (fiscal-year focus), or long-term (perspective for the next 3 years). The more concrete the development plan is set up, the better we can work on each team member’s goals. Appreciating project and team success with an off-site activity furthermore helps us to reflect and generate team power for the next projects,” he shares.

Fostering an Innovative Work Culture

Lucas believes that a culture of innovation is fundamental to enabling new approaches in times of technological disruption. The transformative power of the digital era we are living in is enormous, and organizations must perform innovatively to keep up with that speed. Fostering Strategy&’s culture of innovation he pursues three main elements: an agile project management, an inclusive and diverse work setting, and a strong coaching and mentoring environment. 

Agile project management helps the company and its clients to evaluate an initiative faster, accelerate the team’s learning curve, and emphasize flexibility. Daily stand-up meetings and specific sprint reviews help the team with effective project management. In an inclusive and diverse working setting it is important to have the best expertise on board. Innovation is only possible by supporting a variety of viewpoints and perspectives to create new approaches and eventually achieve improved business results. 

“Embracing the unique perspectives in my team is essential to encourage creative thinking and problem-solving. We have a well-established mentoring and coaching program for the team. This helps to quickly participate from others’ experiences and integrate smoothly into different project settings,” explains Lucas.

Balancing Business and Other Aspects

Lucas concurs that the fast-paced strategy consulting business requires a lot of energy. The more important it is to find ways to refuel this energy. He spends his free time with his wife and three kids. While he does certainly enjoy this, it can also be quite demanding. Especially with regard to the unique learning needs of every child. 

“Supporting your children’s education is about developing skills that will help them become better decision-makers, problem-solvers, and critical thinkers. Another joyful  way for me to spend my “quality time” is a joint sports interest, for example, skiing during the winter holidays. But it can also be a simple hide-and-seek game with the small toddler, which often helps to switch your focus. A passion that I do not (yet) share with my children is good coffee. This is an essential ingredient for every type of day. Good days become even better with coffee, at bad days you have had at least a good coffee,” says Lucas.

Mentoring Young Leaders

Mentorship always has been key in Lucas’ leadership journey. In the Armed Forces, this has been fostered through a strong connection between the graduate classes in the officers’ academy and university. He learned early on how to engage the next generation of leaders and guided selected mentees during their military careers. Also, in the business sector mentorship is an important function. 

Strategy& has a mentorship program where everyone has two mentors: a junior and a senior mentor. The junior mentor supports daily project life and more operational needs, whereas the senior mentor is an important anchor for career development and sponsoring of the mentee’s strengths for successful positioning in the firm. Lucas is using his role as (senior) mentor to support his mentees’ career plan by critically reflecting on their self-assessment in both ways, over- and underestimation. They work throughout the mentorship on re-calibrating potential self-biases. “There are many great people in my team, who have the potential to excel at something. Through active mentorship we work together in achieving this individual excellence,” says Lucas.

Gearing Up for Goals

At Strategy& Lucas has built up a team with expertise in sovereign cloud and cyber strategies. With its strong PwC network, Strategy& can support its clients along the entire cloud and cyber value chain, from sovereign strategy to cyber operations. 

Focusing on the public sector, Lucas’ goal is to further support Strategy&’s trusted clients in their ambitions towards sovereign cloud and cyber initiatives. Especially in Europe, but also in other territories, the requirements for sovereign solutions will stay a hot topic within the next years. His focus on solving strategic challenges will help his clients to update their cyber defense strategy in light of increasing needs for their resilience in turbulent times, and to create strategic sovereignty through secure cloud strategy and transition. 

“I will continue to link the necessary knowledge through my client and the firm’s network to drive forward our new approaches and anchor their strategic relevance. I empower my team with a special skillset and inspire them for my endeavor by further strengthening a culture of trust,” concludes Lucas.

Life’s Lessons

Summing up the most important lessons he has learned throughout his career, Lucas says:

“Motivate others, trust yourself, and team up for innovation. Innovation comes from your intrinsic ability to re-think an approach, a client project, or your own situation. During extreme (training) situations at the Armed Forces, there were days when you thought there was not much energy left, however, we were trained how to steer yourself through this low and raise your energy level. It is not just about being optimistic; it is enabling you to power up. Trusting yourself is essential for bringing this power into action. When I left the Armed Forces and continued my career in the private sector, I was asked by many colleagues if this was fulfilling me, changing from field suit to business suit: The answer is yes, because I wanted to expand my business knowledge and gain experience quickly – transferring military assessment into business valuation. Additionally, teaming up was essential for me in shaping my way to lead. Teamwork provides an opportunity for both personal and professional growth. The effects of collaborative efforts and enthusiasm are significant.”

Message for Aspiring Business Leaders 

Lucas’ message for aspiring business leaders is:

“First, it is important to know and trust your strengths. This will also help to identify your own areas of development needs. Establish a strong network of peers to stay connected over different phases of your personal career. The further you advance in your career, the more you can benefit from this network. You should also expand this over the years with trusted clients. This will help you to solve problems with allegedly non-connected areas of expertise. Setting up your own goals is as important as setting up team goals and defining how you can divide and conquer business aspirations. Practice and repetition will help to expand your own range of leadership varieties. Stay humble with your team in each of your career steps, however, actively steer your own career and professional development with your superiors.”