Jan Hruska , CTO at O2 Czech Republic , discusses the company ’ s ongoing digital transformation of both its technology and commercial functions
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A challenge often faced by customer-facing tech companies is the internal conflict between marketing and IT . After more than a decade working on the commercial side of telecommunications , O2 Czech Republic ’ s new CTO , Jan Hruska – a mathematics and computer science graduate from the Charles University in Prague – has the unique advantage of seeing the country ’ s largest telecommunications provider from both sides of the equation . “ I ’ m lucky to be one of the few people who are able to understand and know the company from every perspective ,” he explains . “ Because I spent over 10 years in different positions on the commercial side of the business , I can apply a deep understanding of its marketing , commercial and distribution issues , programs and challenges to my technical role . At almost every company there ’ s a tension between the technicians and the commercial guys . I see my current mission as not only mitigating this tension , but bringing the two halves of the company together to establish a creative dialog that helps us progress , and strengthens both