My Journey to Thought Leadership

Give us a brief overview about your journey of being a tech influencer?  

Since my early school years, I have been interested in technology and I have been trying to be in line with the new developments in the field. While I was doing my Bachelor ’s Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications at London Metropolitan University and then my Master ’s in Creative Advertising at Solent University, I realized that the area of my future work is inseparable from technology, so this motivated me to dig deeper into information technology science. This led me to my second Bachelor ’s Degree in Information Technology and Computer Sciences.  

My work experience in some tech companies gave me the confidence to start sharing my expertise and foresight about the future development of technology with a wider audience, so I began to post on various channels like Twitter and LinkedIn. My posts gradually got noticed and in 2020 I was named “Top 100 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers to Follow in 2020”, “Women in Tech: Top 50 Women Influencers to Follow in 2020” by The Awards Magazine. I was also ranked 5th in the year final of IoT Community’s IoT Premier League Top 100 Thought Leaders and Influencers Division. Currently, I am continuing to build up my online presence. My website will soon be available at www.elitsakrumova.com. I can be followed on Twitter and LinkedIn.  

What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you?  

Although I was born in Bulgaria, I grew up and then studied in different European countries. This experience was a major factor which shaped my broader perspective on cultures and life in general. It made me a cosmopolitan person and boosted my interest in global challenges and developments. My education in both marketing and technology turned out to be a unique tool, enabling me predict future developments in the technological world and in society in general.  

Being an experienced tech influencer, what is your opinion regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the IT Services Industry?  

The COVID-19 situation shook deeply all industries globally. However, the tech industry was least negatively impacted, compared to the other sectors. As John F. Kennedy once said, “In the Chinese language, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity”. In the current health crisis leading to the economic crisis, a lot of technology companies manage to find favorable opportunities. The Big Tech Giants utilized their potential and found new and wider applications of their existing products. Such examples are Zoom and Microsoft Teams without which no one can imagine remote teamwork or online education.  

Meanwhile, a lot of startups, which by nature are more flexible and more adaptable, managed to find their niches. So, these are times when both giants and smaller players depend on their agility. Analysts in the field have also noticed an interesting tendency of cooperation between startups and giants over the last years and the 2020 situation gave impetus to the tendency. When utilizing this business model, the startups can help the big companies adapt faster and more creatively to the new manners of work or business processes. This can help the digital transformation of business and society and facilitate Industry 4.0 application in all spheres of life.  

What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses to align their offerings with newer technological developments, especially talking about Digital Transformation?  

I am convinced that businesses which fail to apply new technologies in their operational processes are doomed to disappear from the market in the long term. In order to be able to handle Big Data and to have access to Data Analytics, all companies need to complete the process of their digital transformation. This transformation is also a vital part of Industry 4.0 requirements.  

Some companies are still doing their first steps in the Digital Transformation Roadmap, trying to apply Artificial Intelligence, NLP-powered chatbots, IoT platforms, and devices. They need to complete the whole digitalization journey in order to be competitive in their offerings and market presence.  

As an established tech influencer, what would be your advice to the budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into Tech space?  

My experience has proved that success in the field of technology can be achieved only through life-long learning which is not limited to one area only, but is based on cross–disciplinary approach. Budding entrepreneurs should not be afraid to venture and experiment because it is experimenting that can drive the new wave of success. The time of crisis is ripe for people who are agile, versatile, creative and, most of all, brave. Entrepreneurs should follow tech influencers to be aware of the newest trends in technology so that they can discover niches for their business ventures.