Kai Grunwitz

Senior vice president, NTT Security

Which tech figurehead do you admire the most?

First of all, there have been multiple great visionaries in the technology industry, starting with Conrad Zuse centuries ago, but it is not up to me to rate them. However, considering his actions beyond technology and leadership, I would select Bill Gates. He has not only changed the way we work today, but he is also ready to share, and after making a lot of profit, giving part of that back to society. A great attitude.

What's the biggest challenge facing the industry no-one is talking about yet?

Nowadays, we depend more and more on machines to help us with decision-making processes and also we let the intelligent systems act on our behalf. Sometimes we should take one step back and really think about the level of dependencies we have created. I think we still should have human beings acting - machines supporting. 

If you could invite three famous people to dinner, who would they be?

I love sport and so would invite Michael Jordan. I also love history - especially antiques - so Julius Caesar would be number two. Last but not least, Sophie Scholl - she inspired with her courage and, even without a title, changed the world.

How has 2017 been for you?

2017 has been a really exciting year so far with a lot of great experiences - the transformation of NTT Security is a fantastic journey in my professional life and I'm proud to be part of it. 

What's the most extravagant business lunch you've ever had?

Honestly I prefer more down to earth and healthy lunches, so it might be a bit boring, but I can't remember any extravagant lunches.

Which global city best matches your personality?

A person can't be described by one trait; it is a combination of multiple facets creating a unique personality. I'm a rock music lover and the combination of business and music in the Bay Area is very inspirational. The alternative would be beautiful Dublin.

What would be your super-hero power?

A photographic memory, for sure. There is so much information and knowledge out there and I would love to be able to memorise as much as possible, available for later use without a search engine.

Complete this sentence. The worst thing about our rivals is…It doesn't exist. It's mainly ourselves that limit our potential and creativity; not any external rival. So there is no excuse - we are responsible for driving our own fate and success. 

What makes you nervous?

A lot of things - but currently our inability as a modern society to overcome century-old schemes and have the tendency to fall back into silo thinking and isolation.

If you could eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

That's a hard one. I need two: good meat and a lot of red fruits/berries.

Sum up the channel in three words

"Important", and a "key function" for our go-to-market model. 

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