This year’s London Tech Week runs from 10th-14th June. It brings together industry leaders to share their insights, offers deep-dives into the start-up ecosystem and enables the biggest industry names to have powerful conversations about the impact of innovative tech.
The four-day event allows enterprise tech leaders to offer their thoughts on the future of tech and what it could mean for their organisations.
To mark London Tech Week, Steve Fitzgerald, ec2i’s Managing Director - Technical took time out to answer several questions about the evolution of the company’s innovative Renaissance platform, what tech trends are likely to affect the retail sector, and why the culture of innovation and creativity was crucial to ec2i’s success.
What inspired you to launch Renaissance, and how has your vision evolved since its inception?
The current version of Renaissance that our clients use is actually Gen 3 of the product. The original was built to manage the digital workflow of ec2i’s pre-press production of retail catalogues.
Since then, it has evolved to deliver product information management (PIM), photography studio production management and digital asset management (DAM) including remote file approval and delivery.
The system also includes a publication builder called Sticky Board. It allows product teams to plan product placement on virtual representations of marketing collateral.
It is all done through a normal web browser with no special browser plug-ins required.
Can you share some of the cutting-edge technologies ec2i is working on and how they might impact the industry?
The next version of Renaissance includes automated AI file analysis. It can create factual metadata tags and opinion-based descriptions of files as they are uploaded or changed in the system.
Some of our clients invest lots of time setting metadata to aid their search results in our system, so this should prove to be a huge timesaver for them.
There are also potential time savings for anyone writing marketing product descriptions.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a tech founder, and how did you overcome it?
Resistance to change can be a problem but that is normally overcome with a logical discussion of the facts.
More seriously, in my experience, there is a tech skills shortage in the UK. The approach we’ve taken is to employ young people and train them ourselves. We have also used the Government sponsorship scheme where appropriate.
What emerging trends in technology do you believe will have the most significant impact in the next five years?
AI is the most obvious one, wearable tech is another. I’m really impressed by the tech in the Ultra Human and Oura Ring products.
Fitbit has been around for a long time and more recently, we have Whoop Bands and Apple Watch, however these rings have a stunning amount of tech built into something that literally weighs only a few grams.
Because they are so small and unobtrusive, they’re more likely to be widely adopted so the impact of this in the future could be huge for health care.
Problems could potentially be diagnosed long before recognisable symptoms manifest themselves and we seek medical advice. They’re not cheap at the moment, so cost is a barrier.
Also, as the volume of data in the world grows exponentially each year, coupled with the ‘work from anywhere’ boom post-pandemic, systems that centralise a company’s data and facilitate exact access control and workflow are absolutely essential for all businesses. Obviously, information security should be paramount at all times.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and creativity within your team and ec2i in general?
Dictating should be the last resort. Listen to others in general conversation. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for structured meetings but, in my experience, the very best ideas - or at least the inspiration for them - come during normal, everyday conversation.
What leadership principles have you found most effective in guiding ec2i through growth and change?
Patience and determination. Always try to see the overall picture rather than looking at problems in isolation, and never give up. If I can’t find a solution to something, it usually means I’m looking at it from the wrong angle.
How do you stay attuned to the needs and feedback of your customers, and how does this influence your product development?
I used to demonstrate our software, so I was in direct contact with clients. Discussing the issues they faced first-hand was priceless.
I now work closely with the Tech Sales Support, and the Sales and Marketing teams so I’m aware of discussions they have with clients, and I work in the same office as our Tech Support and Development teams.
I’m also included in First Line Support tickets so I can see trends in the type of support cases and feature requests we receive. I will often handle a ticket myself if needed as well.
What are your strategic goals for ec2i over the next few years, and what steps are you taking to achieve them?
Diversification is key. We have an exceptionally skilled team at ec2i, and the work being done with AI imaging by our retouchers in-conjunction with our photography studio is incredible.
We see that as a massive growth area where we can really show what we’re capable of and challenge the norm.
I’ve already mentioned the AI capabilities of the next version of Renaissance. There are some other features of the new system I can’t divulge but they’re truly exciting. We’re working extremely hard to get the system ready for its public release.
How does ec2i address sustainability and social impact, and why are these aspects important to you?
As a supplier to global fashion retailers, ec2i maintains and adheres to the following policies:
- Anti-bribery and Corruption
- Social Compliance and Conduct
- Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
I think it is vital for the integrity of any business to ensure that its clients, staff and people in their supply chain are protected from abuse in any form.
What advice would you give to aspiring tech entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in the industry?
I’m not an entrepreneur but I would say: if you’ve done your research about something and believe in it, be confident. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or won’t be able to achieve something.
Don’t try to be all things to all people. Recognise what you know and identify what you can learn to improve. Seek help and advice for the rest.
Diversify in ways that support the other parts, so that you build a connected web of products or features, and not a series of disparate islands.
As a tech founder, how do you navigate the challenges and opportunities of expanding your business globally, especially in diverse markets?
One of the greatest opportunities presented by the current global marketplace is the absence of location barriers. Digital technology enables real-time updates no matter where retailers and their customers are. It’s a game-changer.
Who have been your most influential mentors or sources of inspiration? What key lessons have you learned from them that have helped shape your approach to business?
The biggest is Steve Jobs. In 1997 he returned to Apple, trashed a large proportion of their product line and then set about creating a new line of products that - as we know - have far eclipsed anything that was being done at the time.
He is the perfect example of someone having confidence that they are right and pursuing it.
I would also recommend reading ‘Inspired’ by Marty Cagan. It’s full of great content about nurturing products, ideas and teams.
So Steve, what should a company do if they are looking to review their technical workflows and processes?
The tech team at ec2i has more than 20 years’ experience of production workflow management. We live and breathe it night and day, so they should absolutely call us.
You can email us at info@ec2i.biz or call +44 1702 541 311 between 9am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, fill in this contact form and we’ll get back to you straightaway.