The Director of Fetch.je and business transformation and senior project consultant, Tim de Gruchy, takes a quick time out with Channel Eye ahead of Jersey. TechWeek
What’s your job and where do you work?
I’m the director of Fetch and a business transformation and senior project consultant.
Please tell us about yourself…
Met my wife at 15 years old, married at 27 and now have two daughters who, genuinely, amaze me.
Until recently I was the MD of one of the most exciting companies in Jersey – 365Tickets. Our growth trajectory was epic and 2020 was set to be our year, damn Covid.
I have travelled extensively, through Africa, the Americas and lived in the Antipodean countries for several years.
By profession I’m a qualified teacher, project, programme manager, consultant and director. I’m encouraged to learn each day, undertake new challenges and building exceptional teams.
What’s new and exciting in your field for 2020?
Two areas that’ll be honed in the coming years: collaborations and automation – I’m so excited about this space to see how far the needle is pushed. For me, looking at how Google is championing collaborative works is remarkable and I’m sure this culture will thrive as the latest workforce of talented individuals join the market and find their feet.
In terms of automations, take a look at Zapier and Salesforce. These companies are moving at such an incredible speed, you wonder where they’ll be heading next.
What significant developments or innovations are in the pipeline that you believe will be important in your sector?
Fundamentally, it’s about the customer journey (and therefore experience) and whether your product and/or service has a compelling proposition. Business decisions can be based on a whole heap of variabilities (marketing, technology, operational, financial) but ultimately, whatever the decision is about, does it smoothen the customer journey and uphold the experience? That’s where the innovation adds value.
How do you think the Channel Islands can become a player in the field of digital solutions and innovation?
Jersey is a unique jurisdiction and the fact that we’ve all coped and, in some ways, thrived (as Bear Grylls would say) is testament to the leadership, skill and resource we have in our community.
As an island with a rich history of trade and ‘collaboration,’ the chance for us to export world renowned tech, workflows using tech or even be the basis of a Tech sandbox community has always struck me as a remarkable opportunity – one that we can deliver. I’m very excited about where Jersey is positioned and the deliverables in the years to come.
I’m reminded not to… “worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats” – Howard Aiken. For me, the most important element is to work smart and team up with the talent that’s around you until the idea is delivered.
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