As the painter Mark Rothko stated, art is an adventure into an unknown world, which is explored by those who dare to take risks. This is also the spirit of the companies and organizations that, today, are embarking on the journey towards digital transformation.
For Kyndryl, a world leader in new technology services, the creative and disruptive impetus of great artists is closely linked to the new paths towards the future that many companies are opening. This was manifested last Thursday, July 6, at this meeting of professionals and artists, before the spectacular views of the Miramar Terrace, in Barcelona.
The title of this act, “Innovation without limits: The art of promoting transformation”, is quite a declaration of intent. The session was introduced and led by Cesar Romera, VP Marketing of Kyndryl Spain and Portugal, who invited us to celebrate, enjoy and above all, to learn how three elements within our reach (technology, art and innovation) can come together, merge and activate to get closer to the success of our companies.
In a world that is constantly evolving, these three elements intertwine in fascinating ways. For a company that understands the business value that can be obtained from new technologies, thinking creatively and “with art” will open up endless possibilities to generate new products and understand new ways of approaching its customers.
To illustrate this idea, the event was attended by the renowned artist Miguel López-Remiro, who was in charge of creating a series of live works that were inspired by conversations with clients that followed one another.
David Soto, president of Kyndryl Spain and Portugal, welcomed the attendees, and reflected on how the current moment of uncertainty forces us to leave our comfort zone, make faster decisions and be more creative, that is, more “artists ”.
With the right innovation, technology can help us generate new business models. “It is a moment to be brave, to create, to innovate”, pointed out Soto. Faced with uncertainty, the recipe is curiosity, which together with innovation will definitely help differentiation.
But why do innovation, art and technology always go hand in hand? In each artist we have known there are always those components of curiosity, disruption and courage that have generated in us high levels of emotion and empathy. Customers buy from us out of empathy and convenience. The customer is the center and this is our great reality, the way to get closer to them and build their loyalty is by being relevant and convenient. The business needs a lot of innovation and a lot of art. Technology is an extraordinary way to energize and make all the innovation generated as a response to creative processes a reality.
Next, Lourdes Mercadal, Director of Transformation at CaixaBank Tech, and Javier Gallardo, Director at PORTIC and President of the International Port Community Systems Association, held an interesting conversation, moderated by Susana Peñafiel, Senior VP Partner at Kyndryl Spain and Portugal, about “the technological leader as a master of digital transformation”. Mercadal highlighted some essential pillars to face this process successfully, “such as talent management, fostering a culture of innovation within teams and agility in decision-making”. Gallardo, for his part, valued the importance of sustainability, in the social, economic and environmental spheres.
Both had the opportunity to recount their experiences of collaborating with Kyndryl in ambitious projects such as the trip to the cloud of transactional charges of CaixaBank, which Mercadal is promoting together with Peñafiel, and which will very soon continue in the new region of Madrid, or the creation of a robust telematization platform for the management of a large part of the operations in the port of Barcelona. They also highlighted the way in which these technological changes contribute to attracting talent, promoting quality employment and improving the lives of citizens. López-Remiro, after showing the work created for the occasion, condensed the conversation with the title of a famous song by Patti Smith: “People Have the Power”.
Romera claimed the importance of the so-called soft skills (which she proposed to rename as superpower skills) as agents of change and, immediately afterwards, gave way to the talk that Mireia Ollé, Client Executive of Kyndryl, had with Jordi Gabaldà, head of ICT at the Institut de la Salut (ICS) of the Generalitat de Catalunya, on the way in which innovation can transform the quality and experience of healthcare.
Gabaldà explained that Artificial Intelligence “helps to do things in a different way, for example in the digitization of pathology laboratories; to get doctors to take on more skilled jobs; and to create new options, such as the encouragement of a more personalized medicine” in crucial fields such as oncology. In addition, he explained how the crisis experienced during the pandemic fostered greater unity between the teams and the need to spur creativity.
Ollé was also in charge of moderating the conversation held by Cristina Pruñonosa, manager of the Business Management Office, and David Matas, director of the ICT area of ??the Department of Business and Labor, both at the Generalitat de Catalunya, on innovation at the service of companies and entrepreneurs.
In it, they discussed the transformation process, in which Kyndryl has collaborated prominently, for the creation of a single window that resizes the relationship between the Administration and companies. As Pruñonosa explained, “the objective has been to put the company at the center, facilitating all procedures and encouraging a 360º vision”.
Later, Adolfo Hernández, CISO at Sabadell Digital and Director of Security Operations at Banco Sabadell spoke with María Lafranke, VP Customer Partner at Kyndryl, about cyber resilience. Hernández explained the challenges they must face in the digital transfer in terms of cybersecurity, “to have the talent that is used to stop any digital threat, try to reduce the time from when an attack is detected until a response is given to it, and accompany the bank in the transformation process”.
Finally, López-Remiro showed the works carried out and closed the event with a conference in which he also painted one last work. Basing himself on the inspiring figure of Rothko, he proposed a series of characteristics of any artistic process, which can also be extended to creation in the business environment.
López-Remiro spoke of “purpose, or determination to carry out a project”; “sensuality, linked to the pleasure of finding solutions to unplanned situations”; “tension, which drives to put into action”; “irony, to be able to put the customer at the center”; “game”, to keep the creative attitude well alive; “chance, to know how to take advantage of the opportunity”; and “hope or hope”, to dream of a better future.
The artist invited everyone to “keep your eyes open, as creatives and entrepreneurs.” They were magnificent closing words for an act that confirms Kyndryl’s willingness to accompany companies and organizations in an evolution towards a new scenario that serves to modernize technological environments, creating a disruptive vision of business; offer differentiated experiences to citizens, clients and employees; and ensure cybersecurity and resilience. For all this to be possible, it is necessary to have the best “artists” in digital transformation, capable of painting a new canvas that will show a future full of possibilities.
