Why I’m ready for the next technology revolution

  • About ServiceNow
  • Paul Smith
  • Culture
  • 2020
July 14, 2020

Paul Smith

In his Knowledge 2020 digital experience keynote, our CEO Bill McDermott signalled the start of a workflow revolution.

This month, I’ve embarked on a revolution of my own, stepping into my new role at ServiceNow as EMEA SVP and General Manager.

The time is right to take on the next challenge and, genuinely, there is only one organisation I want to do that with.

The time is now
ServiceNow has always been a great company, with its culture firmly grounded into the fabric of the company through its founder, Fred Luddy. However, 16 years on from its inception, it’s on a journey to become the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century.

In the midst of a global pandemic, our purpose and technology have never been more relevant to the world we live and work in today.

When I started my career in the mid-1990s, I was running a small field sales team at Procter and Gamble. We had no laptops, no mobile devices, and a fixed, tethered place of work.

Since then, technology has driven change at an unprecedented rate, redefining our experiences through connectivity, automation, AI, mobility, the cloud and more.

Yet even as recently as a few months back, no-one could have predicted the challenges and changes the world is going through right now. In 2020, the digital transformation buzzword is now an imperative — and ServiceNow is poised to take centre stage as the technology partner of choice.

Flexibility, resiliency, agility
This year is having a polarising effect on business. The organisations that are coming through 2020 well are way ahead in their digital transformation journeys.

They have put in place the platforms, workflows and tools to serve employees and companies well and respond rapidly to our dynamic world. They are emerging stronger as a result.

Other organisations are struggling to ride out the changes and we’re seeing the gap widening between the digital transformation leaders and those yet to embrace change.

Flexibility is critical to riding the changes of 2020 and beyond and that’s what ServiceNow brings. A platform with the scale to partner with the largest organisations, and the agility that is so necessary to manage the changes they have to make.

Redefining the enterprise in EMEA
The opportunity across EMEA is huge. The region is already home to some of the world’s greatest, most innovative companies. These firms are doing some amazing things.

Brands like Vodafone and Coca-Cola European Partners are using the Now Platform® to innovate, boost customer engagement and transform the employee experience.

Yet there is so much more we can do to drive digitally enabled change. CEOs and CIOs across EMEA are making fundamental decisions right now on the partners they need to navigate their business challenges.

As Bill McDermott again highlighted in the Knowledge 2020 keynote: “ServiceNow will be the catalyst to redefine the enterprise — not as it is today, but as it must be tomorrow.”

It’s about innovating, redefining business models, challenging the way work is done — and that’s incredibly exciting. By joining ServiceNow, I have the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of this workflow revolution in the EMEA region, where ServiceNow achieved an approximately $1bn revenue run-rate as of Q1 2020 and grew revenues 32% in 2019 over the prior year.

In my first week, I’ve been struck by the culture at ServiceNow, centred on inclusion and belonging, where there is a palpable pride and excitement at being part of this organisation.

In 2020, ServiceNow moves forward into its next phase of growth with a sense of purpose, grounded in values that set us up for the long term. I’m ready to play my part in our epic journey as we drive to become a $10bn+ revenue company globally.

Learn how you can transform operational productivity in this Forrester Research Study: Driving Digital Transformation and Business Value with ServiceNow.

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