The Transformation Trendsetter

In an exclusive interview with Gulf Business, GE’s chief digital officer Ganesh Bell explains how the conglomerate underwent a digital transformation, why the digital evolution won’t put jobs under threat, and what the implications are for security

- Neil King

Given the pace of digital evolution, it is hardly surprising that executive teams across the globe are scrambling to prepare their organisations for what can be complex and difficult transformations.

While people’s lives have become increasingly digitised, many companies have struggled to bring as much innovation into their operational structures, leaving some with an uphill task to introduce what could become vital changes to their infrastructure.

An Appian/YouGov survey last year found that only 14 per cent of the 400 billion-dollar companies they spoke to had fully migrated to all intended areas. Some 48 per cent had managed to migrate partially, leaving 38 per cent having made no migration at all.

A Progress Global Survey report in 2016 highlighted the urgency of digitisation, stating in its key findings: “Organisations have one or two years at best to make significant inroads with digital transformation before they suffer financially and competitively. Many are worried they are already too late.”

That being said, more and more companies are digitising, or at least recognising the importance of digital advances, with a 2016 Forrester study recording that 71 per cent of chief executives saw the improvement of the digital customer experience as being among their key objectives for 2017.

One global company that has taken the lead in digital transformation is General Electric. The development and launch of its cloud-based industrial operating system Predix has helped the company dramatically improve its performance, its efficiency, and its value to clients across the world.

Ganesh Bell, who has helped oversee one of the biggest upheavals in the conglomerate’s 125-year history, is leading this digital drive as GE's first chief digital officer.