Thursday, September 16th, a GCF’s online event “Boost your career with CTO mentoring” took place and brought together CTO representatives of leading tech startups and software companies from around the globe: Europe, Asia, Africa & the USA.
The GCF’s President, Ozgur Aksakal opening speech introduced participants to the Global CTO Forum platform and its pillars. Ozgur is a seasoned CTO, entrepreneur, angel investor, and experienced speaker based in Zurich, Switzerland. As the President of Global CTO Forum, Ozgur seeks to bring the world’s CTO community together, lobby for technological leadership and elevate the CTO profession.
“We aspire to make this world better by uniting the leading minds and technology professionals”, he stated, “We want to support every CTO in their journey of personal and professional development and make an impact on this world via technology. Global CTO Forum stands for constant career growth, new business opportunities, tech education, and personal branding development for each tech leader or those who strive to become one.”
Ozgur highlighted the importance of the mentoring role in this challenging process: “There are two ways to succeed as a CTO – learn by making mistakes or learn with a mentor. In todays’ digitalized world it becomes crucial as mentorship helps transfer objective knowledge into the subjective experience and advance your career”.
Our guest speaker Bashir Agboola shared his personal story of success and his valuable insights on the power of mentorship. Bashir is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Vice President at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York – the global leader in musculoskeletal care. Award-winning Information Technology Executive/Chief Technology Officer with extensive experience in Information Technology strategy, executive management, technology-driven transformation and operations, enterprise cloud computing, as well as cybersecurity. Experience developing and leading teams to deliver business value through the alignment of IT strategic goals with organizational objectives. Frequently sought-after subject matter expert speaker at industry events, with the extensive technology industry and Healthcare IT experience.
“When I moved to the United States and started my career path, I had a lack of organic network, and I was disorientated and fought the feeling of discomfort. So, I had to invest in myself.” he said, “‘I am convinced that mentoring is definitely the way to propel your career at any stage.”
Bashir has not only shared his personal story with the event participants but also revealed the best ways to make the most of the mentorship experience. How to find a mentor that is right just for you? What is the best way to approach him? What is the most effective way of communication between the mentor and mentee? What is the difference between mentoring and coaching? These and more questions were answered during the event.
Summarizing his speech, Bashir concluded that knowledge transfer in mentoring relationships is not one-sided, both the mentee and the mentor are able to learn from each other. Mentoring has the power to accelerate our self-development, career, and business growth.
Presentations were followed by a Q&A and a matchmaking session where participants were able to find a mentor or mentee.
Our event ‘Boost Your Career With CTO Mentoring’ might be officially over but we are always planning more exciting events for you! Stay tuned for what is coming up and check out our calendar for updates.
To participate in GCF events or become a speaker please send your request to: https://globalctoforum.org/contact/
