As we welcome the new year, we are thrilled to kick off our 2025 Employee Spotlight series by featuring one of our exceptional leaders, Irwin. Irwin leads our Transformation and Advisory practice, bringing a strategic focus and consulting-oriented approach to our organization. His role is pivotal in driving business and technology strategies, and his team’s expertise is instrumental in solving complex business challenges for our clients. Let’s dive into Irwin’s journey, background, and vision for the future.
How long have you been with GDT, and what does your role entail?
Irwin: I’ve been with GDT for almost a year. I actually started during last year’s Sales Kick Off (SKO). I run our transformation and advisory practice. Essentially, it is a more strategic focus and consulting-oriented practice designed to bring a new portfolio of GDT solutions and open business opportunities.
It is a tip-of-the-spear type practice focused on business strategy and technology strategy. We thrive on creating solutions for complex business outcomes. At times, there is no strict definition for the problem a customer is having, and that is where we come in. We become ingrained in the customer through this process.
I like that saying, “Tip of the Spear!” Where did you grow up, and what brought you to your current city?
Irwin: I am a first-generation immigrant and the product of a first-generation American family. My parents moved in the sixties and settled down in Chicago, mainly because it is in the middle of the country, and we have been here ever since. I have a big family here in the Midwest, and it is really the only place I have ever lived due to family and opportunity.
My immediate family spread out, such as my kids. One older son is an Officer in the military, two of my children are college graduates and are employed, and the last is now at the University of Illinois; so my beautiful wife and I are now empty nesters.
I love Chicago—it’s my favorite city! What drew you to this field, and how did you work your way up to your current role?
Irwin: Like most, I fell into technology. My first entry point was in the mid-90s, just when technology came to life. I had tried different fields like sales and engineering, and I wanted to sell because my background was in sales. But before I embarked on a selling journey in technology, I wanted to learn about technology. So, I created this training program from a technology provider and did that for 2 years to learn everything I could.
I started as a systems engineer to learn the business with the intent to sell and embark on a sales career. I got very technical, and something I pride myself in is that I have had every job that my team has done. As a leader, you can’t ask your team to do something you haven’t done yourself! I started as an engineer and moved to an architect, consultant, program manager, and then sales leader. So, every role I’ve led I have at some point had. The last 15 years or so have been in sales or sales leadership.
As a leader, you can’t ask your team to do something you haven’t done yourself!
I know you’ve built an incredible team. Can you describe your team, their role here at GDT, and the team dynamics?
Irwin: In order to be consultative to clients, you have to have done it before, so it is very important to have a team with a diverse skill set. The team is built with majors and minors, so each practice leader is a major subject matter expert in one kind of technology and a minor in other areas. The other practice leads major in that minor, which creates a balance.
I have a very senior team with lots of experience, including architects, previous practice leaders, and even a few prior CIOs. Collectively, across the six leaders that I have, we have 150 years of experience in the industry. That’s an extensive background and pedigree to bring to the table.
It shows when we talk to our customers. They know we know what we are talking about because we have been there and done that. We build a great consultancy based on the collective experience of the team and can relate to issues a customer is going through. We haven’t really come across anything that we haven’t seen before.
We build a great consultancy based on the collective experience of the team and can relate to issues a customer is going through. We haven’t really come across anything that we haven’t seen before.
Wow, that is really impressive and makes me excited to work with such high-caliber professionals. What are the key goals for your department in this new year of 2025?
Irwin: We want to establish brand recognition in the industry. Prior to this year, we dabbled in Advisory & Transformation, so we’ve seen success. Now, the goal is to create brand recognition and add value in how we give advice, consult, and solutions. We also want to grow the business internally and adopt this mentality to be more consultative, more advisory, and more strategic so we can be a more valuable organization to our clients.
It is a very competitive industry, and you have to find ways to stand out. We can do that by carving out service capabilities and unique, relevant, and transformative solutions for the industry.
I am excited to see what you all do in the new year! How can employees at all levels contribute to continuous innovation and harness their power to lead to success for GDT?
Irwin: I think it is about challenging the way things are. It is easy to be in the flow of doing things a certain way because this is what we’ve been doing. But change and innovation come with curiosity and thinking about how to do something better. My saying is ‘nothing changes if nothing changes,’ so we have to continue to look at how we can improve and be better.
But change and innovation come with curiosity and thinking about how to do something better. My saying is ‘nothing changes if nothing changes,’ so we have to continue to look at how we can improve and be better.
You have to take a step back and let things happen, but as a consultant, you take inventory, gather data, analyze, and make a plan. That is no different for GDT. What do you keep doing, start doing, and stop doing? When I have a new team member, I tell them to take inventory, gather data, analyze, and make a plan, and when they are 6-8 weeks in, I ask them, “Okay, how can we improve?”
I like that saying for my part of my New Year’s resolution! What motivates you as a leader, and how do you stay inspired?
Irwin: To see the next leaders come up through the organization. The most gratifying thing is when the people I led go off to lead. I’ve been at big organizations, and it doesn’t matter how big or small. There is nothing better than watching your team grow, watching their career trajectories, and knowing that I could play any part in that helps inspire me as a leader.
What aspects of our organizational vision, mission, or values resonate with you? What areas are you planning to drive in the new year?
Irwin: Collaboration. I am a firm believer that not one person will take you to meet your goals, but there are silos in every organization. I think we are starting to break those down a lot, and with what we want to do as an organization and in the industry, it’s not one single person or department. It takes all of us. Our core values lead to culture, and our culture and collaboration will lead us to our goals and a culture people want to be a part of.
It’s really rewarding to see our company collaborate together. Where is your favorite place to be or travel to?
Irwin: That is a loaded question! I would say Europe. I love European history and culture. I am also a big F1 fan, and there are some good races out there. My favorite country to visit is France. France is always my go-to.
Awesome, I loved Paris. What advice would you give someone just starting their career in your field?
Irwin: Learn as much as you can, meet as many people as you can, and get a lot of perspective. Don’t adopt one perspective. Get a few from others and be very curious. Immerse yourself in different technologies, pick more than a few topics that interest you, and be really good at those. I think in this day and age, specialization and multiple specializations are really important.
We hope you enjoyed learning about Irwin’s inspiring journey and his significant contributions to GDT. Stay tuned for more stories that celebrate the incredible individuals who make GDT a great place to work. Here’s to a year of growth, innovation, and success together! Learn more about GDT’s vibrant culture and explore our career options by visiting Life at GDT.
