CEO Monthly November 2017

CEO MONTHLY / NOVEMBER 2017 13 Right OnTrac to the Digital Revolution g This is an ethos we endorse in-house too. Martyn attests a large part of the company’s continued success to the people he chooses to work with. Firmly believing that innovation isn’t restricted to a single area of the business, Martyn has facilitated a culture of collaboration throughout the company. As a result, each area of the business, from front of house, to director level, are encouraged to bring forward ideas that are welcomed and explored in regular company- wide communication sessions. Martyn truly understands and appreciates that good people – namely those who think outside of the box and truly want to make a significant impact on the world – are ultimately the foundation of a truly successful business. “As most will tell you, it’s very much about the timing in business. But, the right ingredients have to be there if we’re going to create a ‘perfect storm’ in both business and disruptive technology. This starts with finding the best people; those with lots of passion and drive. Everything else can be taught.” – Martyn Cuthbert. All goals achieved at OnTrac are as a result of a genuine team effort. This has made the pursuit of great ideas over the past few years an easy process. The entire OnTrac team consist of truly dedicated professionals; experts in their field, who share similar values, principles and aspirations that help drive – not just company-wide motivation – but continued success for OnTrac. “OnTrac staff are able to flourish in their roles, knowing that their individual talents aren’t just being nurtured, but are also truly valued. This inspires people to go that extra mile.” – Chris Johnson, head of product design (rail). OnTrac’s reputation as one of the most innovative companies in the country, is further bolstered by the people who are genuinely enthusiastic about coming into work each day, knowing they are making a positive contribution and difference to the people who use our products on the frontline of the United Kingdom’s most historic industry. “I certainly don’t demand excellence, but I feel very lucky to receive it in droves from the team. Collaboration is the cornerstone of everything we do here, and the company culture we’ve curated makes it easier to understand our customer’s needs, and that by harnessing the true potential that lies within collaboration, supports the acceleration of rail’s digital journey.” – Martyn Cuthbert. Indeed, OnTrac’s company culture is fuelled by collaboration, deeply rooted within our core ethos. Regardless of department or responsibility, each member of the OnTrac family are driven by working together, by supporting and challenging each other to achieve company goals and better benefit the industry we serve. “The dedication that Martyn shows us is rarely seen in CEOs, and this treatment certainly inspires the whole team to truly embrace the company’s culture more willingly, leading to the excellent results we have come to expect from each other.” – David Smith, Project Manager. OnTrac’s product suite focuses on the benefits that smartphone and tablet technology can bring to the end user. Business automation, specifically with regards to data driven decision making enables our customers to become more digitally engaged and collect/analyse datasets more accurately. This enables the rail industry to operate more efficiently and paves the way for greater industry innovation moving forward. As 2017 draws to a close, we have our eyes fixed firmly on the future of rail, and our role in keeping it moving towards its digital future. This year has seen our software development team focus on the application of emerging technologies, namely virtual reality, to enable us to continue innovating and providing value to our customer base. Virtual reality complements what we are achieving with big data, which is why our software development team are adapting our products to incorporate the wider application of user generated data within a virtual reality. Currently, our smartphone accessible apps and software help our customers work more safely, and the application of virtual reality will enable a fully predictable service to support the planning of works deliver in a more integrated way. Scenario building within a virtual platform – underpinned by big data – will further transform rail safety and accelerate rail’s digital advancement even further. When asked how he felt about being selected as CEO of the Year, Most Innovative in Technology 2017, Martyn said: “I’m very proud to have been selected for this award, but the real stars are the team of dedicated people who work tirelessly behind the scenes, to make OnTrac such a great company. I know that most people would say this: but good businesses only become great, by employing great people.” He added: “We are incredibly lucky to have some amazing customers that have shared our passion for making a difference, and encouraged us to keep going when we had our doubts. After the first couple of years, we were pretty certain that we had found something special with OnTrac. Working with amazing, like-minded people, incredibly loyal customers and a few great products has been a truly rewarding experience. But I could have imagined that we would have come as far as we have in such a relatively short time.” OnTrac already have some exciting things panned for 2018, including securing a number of game changing contracts over the next three to six months. As a result, the company will be looking to expand the team and continue our reputation as one of the most innovative companies in the UK. Our passion to make a true difference in rail, will continue to be our main driver in business. Here’s to the future!