Andy Chen’s secrets to career and business success

Andy Chen, president & CEO of Catronic Enterprises, was a top keynote at IFIP World Computer Congress (WCC) in Korea earlier this month, where he shared his years of experience as a top global executive.

Who is Andy Chen?

He’s the head of Catronic Enterprises, the consulting firm for the utility industry worldwide. As chair of IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) Professional Education Board IT Committee Andy analyzes the demands of skills and competencies of ICT professionals today and in the future job market. Recently he’s been executive vice president operations, and is now the board director (2015/16) for the Federation of Enterprise Architecture Organization (FEAPO).

Chen held the position of the chief technology officer and vice-president, enterprise strategy and architecture of the largest Canadian-based electricity generator. This public utility company provides the generation and sale of electricity in Ontario and to interconnected markets. He has received professional engineer and project management professional accreditations.

Top 6 secret codes to success from Chen’s keynote

1. Change is good:
   Always be ready for reorganization, mergers and outsourcing. Focus on the company’s bottom line and company needs. Volunteer your time whenever possible.
2. Build your brand:
   Get things done quickly and put out small fires before they rage into huge problems.
3. Make every encounter count:
   Ask yourself, “Who did I help today and are they in a better state after spending time with me?” Target to helping others solve their problems.
4. Practice to be a good manager:
   Avoid the “victim mentality of if only ….” Focus on what you can do and strive to be a great manager and leader – the roles are different.
5. Listen before you talk:
   Listen first and talk only if you can help. Follow the maxim that “people will not argue with their own idea.”
6. Expect the best but prepare for the worst:
   Watch out for Murphy’s Law. If everything seems to be going well, then you have overlooked something. “Begin with the end in mind.”

Chen also shared these 8 facts about the worldwide ICT landscape:

1. Canadian companies are hiring over 100,000 ICT employees in the next six years.
2. More than 30 per cent of ICT roles will experience an 80 per cent decrease in employment in the next six years.
3. ICT jobs will be automated: 48.1 per cent programmers; 20.6 per cent security analysts and web developers; three per cent of database administrators; 0.6 percent of system analysts
4. There is a demand for Enterprise Architects since enterprise architecture (EA) is a strategic component of organizations that want to grow/succeed.
5. EA involves: collaboration between business planning, business operations, processes and data; automation of information systems and databases; enabling the technological infrastructure of the business.
6. EA career path provides: a standard for those who want to enter the EA profession; clarity to stakeholders for creating a consistent approach to the EA profession; guidance for those wanting to build or improve their EA practices.
7. In an IEEE-CS survey, ICT needs: IT body of knowledge guide (70 percent of executives); Standards for core IT processes (74 percent); IT technical standards (76 percent).
8. FEAPO survey, career path needs: 19.6 percent understand what is required of someone to be successful in an EA career; 13.9 percent determine the skills and experience needed to enter into the EA career space; 13.9 percent manage my career; 10.6 percent to provide educational products that meet the needs of EAs