Transforma Insights welcomes Brad Canham as VP Research in North America

The latest addition to the Transforma Insights team brings a wealth of experience from commercial roles in Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things companies, and deep insights through his recently completed doctorate focused on innovation in IoT.

Transforma Insights is delighted to announce the arrival of a new Vice President Research based in the United States, Brad Canham. Brad is a Digital Transformation growth and leadership expert, with over two decades of practical leadership experience growing technology firms and applying market intelligence research. Previously he served in leadership roles in SaaS, IoT, and AI firms including Aisera (Series D), Cassia Networks (Series C), Allot Communications (exit to NASDAQ), and ADC Telecommunications.

“Dr Brad” recently completed his doctorate, “Navigating Complexity in an Internet of Things Era: A Case Study of Entrepreneurial Leadership”, a topic that will be highly relevant to all of Transforma Insights’ clients seeking to marry technological excellence with commercial acumen.

Brad joins the team to help guide Transforma Insights’ technology vendor and adopter clients through the complexity of building and deploying disruptive technologies. His key focus areas with Transforma Insights will be the evolving market structure dynamics for AI and both the procurement of, and provision of, all aspects of IoT.

For the last few years Brad has focused on understanding the key success factors necessary for innovative companies to succeed. Leveraging that experience, an early focus will be to develop research to support Transforma Insights clients to:

• Build a success culture. To maximise a company’s effectiveness, everyone must be working towards a common set of goals. Backstage departmental power dynamics can prevent the development of a good company culture. Aligning to a ‘Vision Stack’ – in much the same way that most tech organisations are aligned to a technology stack – helps leaders to avoid friction and lost expertise and more quickly achieve their goals.
• Drive exponential growth by tracking and aligning dynamic processes. Technology firms may rely on plans, but internal and external forces and complex interrelated processes can make them less effective. As Mike Tyson said: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. Process models that track social and technological factors over time offer valuable insights. Leaders can dynamically align attention and resources across departments and markets, driving strategic goals more effectively.
• Identify and grow key differentiators. Technology companies must identify points of excellence within the company, to unlock maximum potential. However, it’s all too easy to overlook critical capabilities, often derived from small highly impactful actions, that are not formally part of the organisational plan. For instance, technology leaders must understand how to harness skunkworks, R&D, and experimentation play outside conventional channels.
• Make informed decisions based on excellent qualitative and quantitative information. Transforma Insights provides unrivalled market data and insights. But every company and every technology implementation is different. Shaping effective strategies depends on understanding and applying technical and commercial best practice to your organisation.
• Capture insights from bold innovators. Finding a shortcut to success is fraught with risk. Through objective independent research, technology firms can tap into the expertise of bold innovators across the space.
• Maintain a ‘North Star Vision’. Amidst all the operational and commercial complexity, it’s easy for technology leaders to lose their vision and stray away from being innovators. Successful tech leaders identify and alter fundamental factors to navigate the path between stability and progress.

According to Brad: “My ongoing research has illuminated the declining value of existing playbooks, based on ‘Internet thinking’ when they are applied to newer technology fields such as AI, IoT and digital transformation. These emergent fields need their own terms, metaphors, methods and perspectives”.

The founders at Transforma Insights agree. As Matt Hatton says: “Jim Morrish and I have spent the last 15 years developing new models for thinking about the IoT, AI and digital transformation. Such thinking offers a fresh perspective on how to succeed in these fast-moving spaces. But for Transforma Insights, such theoretical approaches are always combined with practical support for clients on market opportunity assessments, commercial positioning, competitive intelligence, and technology tracking. We’re delighted to welcome Brad aboard to support our clients with both!”

Brad is in full alignment: “What hasn’t changed is that technology firms aiming for growth seek new insights to avoid pitfalls and stay ahead. For technology vendors and adopters entrenched in self-interested market relationships, maintaining objectivity and a critical realism is challenging. Objective insights increase the pace of value-creation”.

Connect with Brad and the Transforma Insights team

If you would like to connect with Brad to understand how Transforma Insights can support your business, please contact us.

There will also be ample opportunities to meet with Brad at conferences and trade shows in the coming months. The next engagement is Mobile World Congress Las Vegas on the 26-28 September. Please get in touch if you would like to arrange a meeting there.