Gary Hardy, BRM Institute Regional Ambassador for Sub-Saharan Africa, Joins Executive Council
We sat down with Gary to discuss the value of business relationship management in today’s digital economy, his goals for the BRM Institute Executive Council, and what he enjoys doing when he’s not driving value as a CBRM-certified professional.
Gary Hardy may serve as the BRM Institute Regional Ambassador for sub-Saharan Africa, but his commitment to the global BRM community extends much further. Passionate about enabling business leaders to deliver value from technology, Gary is the founder and owner of Cape Town-based IT Winners, a niche company focused on facilitating the improvement of technology capabilities.
After over forty years of experience in the IT industry, he is globally recognized as a thought leader in IT and business convergence, IT governance, and the adoption of best practices. In addition, Gary was one of the originators of the COBIT framework and a key member of ISACA’s COBIT development team for over twenty years. He is also a long-standing member, former board member, UK chapter president, and regional vice president of ISACA. Gary is CBRM-certified and is a CBRM and BRMP trainer.
We’re thrilled to announce the addition of such a dedicated professional to the BRM Institute Executive Council. To learn more about Gary and introduce him to the broader BRM community, we interviewed him about the value of business relationship management, his goals for the council, and what he likes to do in his free time.
Gary, what led to your involvement with BRM Institute?
The Institute’s approach to business relationship management is refreshingly current in many ways. The BRMIBoK is practical and usable, when too many best practices are complex and hard to apply. Additionally, BRM Institute leadership is passionate, knowledgeable, and approachable, and they practice what they preach—a rare commodity in institutes.
What differentiates business relationship management from other disciplines? What problem(s) does it solve?
In the digital economy, networking has never been so important. Interaction and collaboration is what everyone is striving for and this depends on trusted relationships with a focus on stakeholder value. This is exactly what business relationship management offers.
BRM is a capability, role, and discipline. Can you tell us how you see all three areas driving success in organizations?
It is great that we take an holistic approach to BRM. In addition to being a capability, BRM is still seen by many to be just for the role called a BRM, whereas it is for all roles that have a relationship with a business partner. The art and science approach recognizes that good practices depend on the people who use them. The art is the way we behave and communicate, which is very important in building trust and a big contributor to solving the IT and business alignment challenge with convergence.
How do you see your involvement in the Executive Council impacting the global BRM community?
The Executive Council is focused on guiding how BRM Institute can best deliver value to its members and the enterprises they serve. We can provide insights to the leadership team based on what we see in the real world and the extensive experiences we have gained ourselves. It helps make sure we are responsive to current issues and trends.
I hope the community will see there is a commitment and a desire to share and grow our knowledge and provide really valuable guidance to the leadership team. It is a proactive team, not just a back office oversight group. Input is welcome.
The Executive Council is focused on guiding how BRM Institute can best deliver value to its members and the enterprises they serve…it is a proactive team, not just a back office oversight group. Input is welcome.
What do you hope to accomplish as part of the BRM Executive Council?
One of our challenges is reaching out to enterprise executives to show the value of BRM, and to widen out from a focus on the IT business function into HR and finance as well. The Executive Council includes many executive peers, so I believe we can accomplish a lot in this space and build BRM credibility.
What is the single most important takeaway from your experience with business relationship management and/or BRM Institute?
The relationships within. The ease of networking in this community is very impressive, as is the passion that everyone has for sharing and growing.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment in life thus far? What are some of your future goals?
Probably having the nerve to reinvent and relocate from the UK to South Africa fourteen years ago. I want to work for as long as possible and feel that I have helped others.
What are some of your hobbies and passions?
I escape into dining and cooking and listening to music when not working. I have also been fascinated with technology and am a great fan of Elon Musk—I’ve already ordered my Tesla Model3!
There is a link between building relationships and the African “Ubuntu” philosophy: “I am who I am because of everyone else.”
Anything else you would like our community to know about you?
I’m excited by the potential in Africa and how there is a link between building relationships and the African “Ubuntu” philosophy: “I am who I am because of everyone else.” BRM is a bit like applying Ubuntu in the enterprise workplace—it would be great to see that happen.
Welcome to the BRM Institute Executive Council, Gary! We look forward to your continued success.
Gary Hardy is the founder and owner of IT Winners, based in Cape Town, South Africa. IT Winners is a niche company focused on facilitating improvement of technology capabilities. Passionate about enabling business leaders to deliver value from technology, Gary has over 40 years experience in the IT industry and is recognised globally as an expert and thought leader in IT and business convergence, IT governance, and adoption of best practices. He is BRM Institute‘s Ambassador for sub-Saharan Africa and is a CBRM® and BRMP® trainer.
Gary holds a BSc. (Hons) in Computer Science and is CBRM-certified.
