From building his first PC aged 12, to working for major tech players including IBM, Accenture and now Salesforce, tech has always played a key role in Paul O’Sullivan’s life. But even though the Croydon-born (South London) software engineer would go on to become SVP solution engineering at Salesforce, it was in a local butchers shop where his career started.
How did you get into tech?
My first job was in a butcher’s shop. It was there I met my wife. They asked me to work full-time after the owner’s dad fell ill, and I agreed, as loyalty is an important value of mine. I ended up running the shop, which was a good lesson in running a business.
The owner, my first mentor, encouraged me to go to night school. That’s where I became a certified Cisco network engineer, which led me to my first real job in tech. It was with Research in Motion, the company behind BlackBerry.
What was the most important lesson you learned from working at the butcher’s shop that you still apply today?
My mentor there lived by three key rules, and they are also transferable into technology.
First, he lived by the principle of always having a door open in the butcher shop. The key concept there was about removing friction. If somebody has to open a door, there is immediate friction, and you can apply that to reducing friction in the technology experience.
Second, always keep a smile on your face. Nobody wants to work with someone who looks miserable. As a teenager working in the shop, I quickly realised that it is easier to sell meat with a smile.
The third component I still use today is that nobody will trust you if you sell them a bad product. I’ve carried this throughout my tech career — you’re only as good as your last project.
What attracted you to Salesforce?
Prior to this role, I was at Accenture, running the software engineering and innovation business. But our UK CEO Zahra Bahrololoumi brought me on board. She phoned me and said I would love it here, and she wasn’t wrong.
The culture is incredible, especially the way people are willing to support each other. The cherry on top was that there is no business problem that we can’t solve with our technology — being a technology geek, that really attracted me to Salesforce.
What excites you in tech right now?
Obviously, we are in the middle of an AI revolution. I don’t think this will slow down consumers; they will continue to demand more from businesses.
At Salesforce, we will need to help our customers navigate through this increasingly complex environment. But, what excites me is discovering how we can help our partners unlock value throughout their entire enterprise.
I’m also excited to see what happens when these foundational AI models make a pivot to quantum or when you bring quantum compute together with traditional compute to make a layered approach.
We’re already seeing huge benefits from a multi-LLM approach, where you bring predictive and generative AI together. But, once you add quantum into the mix, you’re going to get an exponential increase in value for the customer.
What do you do to unwind?
Family is so important to me. I’ve got a 12-year-old (going on 21!) and a five-year-old. I take so much pleasure out of seeing them grow.
It sounds daft, but I enjoy sitting on the sideline, watching them play sports. I’m not one of those shouty parents; watching them play and seeing how they develop really helps me switch off.
When you aren’t working, what are your hobbies?
I’ve got a couple of pet projects on the go. I’ve built a few mini robots — I am, at my heart, always a techie!
I also run a little bit, although my wife would probably say I don’t run as much as I should!
If you could have coffee with any person in history, who would it be and why?
Alan Turing.
Not only was he well ahead of his time, but he also faced personal challenges due to his lifestyle not being socially accepted at the time. We all struggle with that battle between a pursuit of passion and what we’re really about as a person; whether or not we’re pushing the boundaries of the tech revolution.
But, we also have personal lives; if they conflict, that balance can be quite difficult.
How do you take your coffee?
White. No sugar, and probably way too often!
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