CEO MONTHLY / CEO OF THE YEAR 2024 13 CEO MONTHLY / MARCH 2025 9 of the product roadmap. “It became a ‘put up or shut up’ scenario,” he reflects. This drive for meaningful change, combined with the departure of a much-respected CEO and a second move to California, led to the creation of a company that would fundamentally reshape mainframe modernization. Leadership Through Trust and Empowerment Crook’s leadership philosophy, which he describes as “steer and trust,” has been instrumental in building a high-performing, distributed team spanning multiple countries and cultures. The approach is deceptively simple: hire curious, committed, and brilliant people, make the priorities clear, and empower them to determine the most valuable work to pursue. Gary has been keen to implement trusted leadership initiatives, and he refers to the book “Good to Great”, by Jim Collins, who refers to the most effective leaders as being “an individual who blends extreme personal humility with an intense professional will.” “The most powerful shift in my leadership evolution was the gradual realization that you must let go,” Crook shares. “This means trusting others when you are the one being held accountable.” This philosophy has fostered a unique culture where team members work from wherever they are, at whatever time they choose, with the flexibility to take as much time off as needed. Real Impact, Real Results The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the number of Heirloom in-production clients worldwide today, coupled with the strong team of professionals working with Gary to ensure the success of each customer’s unique journey. Looking ahead, Crook’s vision for Heirloom Computing centers on scaling and innovation. The rise of Generative AI marks a new era for enterprises worldwide, and Heirloom is fully embracing this transformation. Through the release of h/GENAITM, Crook and the Heirloom team are bringing these AI capabilities to their solution and customers. Gary’s advice for aspiring leaders is simple: work with great mentors, embrace personal development through coaching, adhere to your vision, and, most importantly, surround yourself with brilliant people. Under Crook’s leadership, Heirloom Computing has emerged as a pioneer in mainframe modernization. The company’s innovative platform combines the reliability of legacy systems with cloud capabilities and AI integration through h/GENAITM, enabling Global 2000 organizations to transform their mission-critical applications into agile, future-ready assets. With a proven methodology and growing portfolio of successful implementations, Heirloom is showing how legacy systems can drive innovation and create lasting business value for decades to come. For more information visit: https://heirloomcomputing.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1MjM3