2021… Reasons to celebrate and be grateful

2021… The year we have left behind us. What words immediately spring to mind when we think of 2021? For me – I’ll start with celebration and gratitude. Surprised? 

It starts with “the why” I joined Ultima in 2019 and from this, the celebration and gratitude followed. In 2019, when I was preparing for my next CFO role, I knew I wanted to be part of a business where the strategy was in formation and where I could be the right hand to the CEO in supporting its delivery and the growth of the business. I knew I wanted to be part of a business that was starting to shift, so that I could empower the transformation. What motivates me every morning about my role at Ultima is that I love driving change, my energy and my sense of purpose is connected to pace, growth and supporting a culture that delivers the vision. 

Reasons to celebrate and be grateful for 2021

• “Build a strong foundation and you can reach even the most unthinkable heights”
  This has been Ultima’s year of foundation building and our people have been the most vital part of the support structure. There is a reason so many books are written about being part of and managing change – and that is because it is hard to change. There is a certain comfort that comes with routine, the side of the bed you like to sleep on, the barista knowing exactly how you like your coffee, driving a certain route to work, logging on to check your emails as your first task of the day – all of these can support your productivity and happiness. So, when change starts to happen, it is uncomfortable, unsettling and hard. Leaving a comfort zone is not easy and only very few people thrive on change.  
   
• In 2021, I celebrate and am grateful for Ultima’s people; for their energy, for stepping up each day to the change in their routine, their customer focus, dedication and for being consistent in being part of our transformation. It is the people of Ultima who have been intrinsic in laying the foundations for our growth. We launched our Employee Experience HIT (High Impact team) who support our business in building the path to grow our people throughout their time at Ultima. “Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people” Steve Jobs
   
• I celebrate our digital transformation – moving to be a next gen managed service partner for a sustainable always on world. We’ve changed our organisational structure so that we can consistently innovate, develop and support our customers in hybrid cloud services. The growth shift of a business as it increases the speed of innovation through cloud and automation requires the right tools and processes across the business to facilitate the delivery transition. In 2021, we hired a Head of ESG for Ultima as we know that having an environmental focus benefits everyone in the long term. We launched an ESG HIT team within the business, who focus on Ultima’s diversity and sustainability roadmap.  
   
• I celebrate the Ultima values of passion, autonomy, integrity and respect – these core values empower our people to consistently build the platform on which our vision lies which is the protection of revenue and reputation of our customers 24/7. 
   
• I celebrate and am grateful for our ability to invest. Our acquisition of Just After Midnight had the same rationale of incorporating a business with 24/7 global support coverage, with partnership opportunities, professional services and managed services.  We have recruited over 70 people in 2021 to join Ultima who are part of our investment strategy of transitioning our core to the cloud through cloud platform development, growing our cloud consultancy, building out cloud solutions and growing our capability in managed cloud services. Strong cash management, quick decision making and a team focused on customer satisfaction has given us the platform to build our foundations. 
   
• Innovation doesn’t take just a great idea – it requires persistence and a thick skin as 2021 has shown us.  I am excited and energised about being part of Ultima in 2022 as we continue to implement our vision  “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together” James Cash Penney