Eugene Roman promotes ‘innov-action’ at Café X

McMaster students, staff and faculty attended the second installment of a new series of talks, known as Café X, hosted by the Faculty of Engineering last week.

Ishwar Puri, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, invited guests to sit in on a chat with technology and global business leader Eugene Roman as he spoke about the future of digital content in the business world.

As chief technology officer and senior vice-president, Information Technology, for the Canadian Tire Corporation, Eugene Roman is at the forefront of the company’s efforts to integrate the digital world into everyday business.

During the session, he shared insights on the ideas of evolution in our digital world, as well as the state of innovation and technological advancement in Canada. Or, as he prefers to see it, “innov-action” — a different way of looking at problems and engineering smart solutions.

Offering insights about well-known organizations such as BlackBerry, Roman conveyed his belief that companies — and countries — who do not embrace new technology and adapt to current trends are doomed to fail. He suggested the retail world is in retrograde, and bringing it forward to serve our mobile focussed society is essential for any company to succeed and thrive.

His desire to break new ground started at a very early age, and continued through university. Having led technology development for companies such as Nortel, Bell Canada and Waterloo’s Open Text Corporation, Roman revealed that he gained much hands-on experience during the creation of much of the digital infrastructure younger generations take for granted every day.

“My mother taught me to give back more than you take out of the system,” explained Roman. “When I was a student people helped me out and I firmly believe in mentorship; in helping the next generation grow and thrive.”

Ultimately, Roman believes having a valued online presence with “big content” is increasingly important for businesses of all sizes. He also suggested the development of new technologies is no longer limited to tech-based companies, and that businesses of all sorts should pay attention to societal cues and concentrate energy on meeting actual consumer needs.

Inspired by questions from the audience, Roman proposed that students challenge norms and step outside the box, even while they are still in school. The most important step towards success, according to Roman, is finding something you are extremely good at and marketing it. Roman also encouraged faculty to “nurture genius” in their students.

The third installment of Café X will be held on Feb. 26, and will feature McMaster’s own John Bandler, professor emeritus in Electrical & Computer Engineering.

Click here to read about the inaugural Café X featuring Facebook’s Jordan Banks.