Kamal also says the unique attraction of IT has been the driving force behind his long career since, for him, the true appeal of it lies in the joy of problem solving. As he puts it, the IT department often goes unnoticed when everything runs smoothly, but the moment something goes wrong, it becomes the center of attention. In such an environment, someone who becomes intimidated whenever problems arise will find it difficult to adapt. But those with an open mindset and a ‘let’s solve this’ attitude will feel that IT is a true calling.
“The advantage of the IT industry is its transparency,” he says. “Ultimately, all challenges in the IT department come down to whether the technology works or doesn’t, and problems always occur in this process. And while total prevention is impossible, we can build systems to ensure the same trial and error isn’t repeated.”
Harmonizing centralization and localization
Mercedes-Benz’s global IT organization includes around 10,000 experts driving infrastructure, cloud services, software-defined vehicle platforms, and AI technology development, and much more. The company also places a CIO at the group level at its headquarters while assigning regional CIOs to key markets, and Korea is the fifth-largest market in terms of sales volume. There, Kamal leads a Korean IT team, which serves as the core driving force behind digital innovation, as well as a shared service center in the Philippines.
