This week, we spoke to Infospectrum's Chief Technology Officer about working at Infospectrum and developing our in-house solutions.
How long you have worked at Infospectrum?
I joined Infospectrum’s London office as an Analyst in August 2011, so I have just passed the 10-year mark.What did you do before joining Infospectrum?
In my early 20s (which feels like a lifetime ago), I served in the Norwegian Special Forces, but I left Norway and the military to pursue academic studies in the UK. I joined Infospectrum after finishing my Master's degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science. When I joined Infospectrum, I immediately felt at-one with the team and I was impressed by the company’s dedication and genuine passion about the industry, and commitment to delivering high quality research and counterparty risk appraisal products and services. Infospectrum continues to be, as it was when I joined, a great place to grow and learn.
I began working at Infospectrum as an Analyst, and quickly progressed to Senior Analyst. Before becoming Infospectrum's Chief Technology Officer (CTO), I also served as Head of Systems Development and Strategy. Going through the Analyst training program at Infospectrum was a very valuable experience - it instilled in me a deep understanding of the sectors we cover, Infospectrum’s research process and methodology, and the challenges faced by our clients. These foundations continue to inform and shape all the services and products we develop.
What does your job entail and what do you enjoy about it? Also, how does it influence Infospectrum’s clients’ experience?
As Infospectrum’s CTO, I am responsible for formulating and implementing the company’s technology strategy, and our technical product and development programs. Many of our platforms are very heavily used and some are accessed by a significant number of users on a daily basis all year round. Operating and continuously innovating on high-availability systems is challenging, but also very rewarding, as we can instantly see the value new features provide for our clients.
Infospectrum continues to invest significant resources into R&D and product enhancement. As part of this process, we have built up our own development capabilities in-house, successfully delivering several internal platforms, and tools for staff, as well as client-facing applications and platforms, such as the new client Portal, Infospectrum’s counterparty management system (ICMS), and Sirius, our new sanctions checking app. We have many new features and projects in the pipeline, and the list keeps growing due to client demand and internal requirements to always be future-ready.
Building the development team from the ground up has been a really enjoyable experience, both personally and professionally. Having development capabilities in-house has also allowed us to work very closely with clients to address and deliver technical solutions to some of their most pressing issues. This is what drives the whole development team - we invest in our own channels to serve customers directly and really thrive on solving technological challenges.
What is the best part of working for Infospectrum?
For me, the best part of working for Infospectrum is the people, without a doubt. I work with an incredibly talented team. As the CTO, I get to work closely with all parts of the business, from sales and marketing to our Analysts, admin staff, and leadership teams. We really have an extraordinary group of people here at Infospectrum.
What have you been doing to keep yourself energised during lockdown?
At the beginning of the year, my first child was born, so I have been spending a lot of quality time with my wife and daughter.
What’s the thing you’re most looking forward to when the world goes back to ‘normal’?
My wife and I both have family abroad and we normally travel frequently, so we are looking forward to seeing family and friends who can finally meet our daughter. I am looking forward to seeing colleagues and clients in person again, both here in the UK and internationally.
Click to learn more about Sirius and, if you would like to know more about Infospectrum’s other services, please visit our website.
