In a strategic move that promises to revolutionize its technological approach, AZLOGICA®, a leader in industrial IoT and AI solutions, has hired Peter Meek as its new Chief Operating Officer ( COO). With vast international experience in the energy sector and a vision focused on sustainability, Meek arrives to drive innovation and expand the company’s global footprint.
In today’s dynamic technological landscape, AZLOGICA® , a leader in industrial solutions for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, and with a presence in ten countries in Europe and America, continues to take bold steps, now by incorporating engineer Peter Meek into its staff as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) . A strategic decision that promises to drive innovation and growth for the company in an increasingly competitive and demanding market.
As a mechanical engineer with over 17 years of experience in the energy sector, Peter Meek has come to AZLOGICA® with a unique and global perspective. With a career that has taken him from New Zealand to the United States, via the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany, he has developed a comprehensive vision of technological and business challenges at an international level.
In this interview, we explore how his experience in these different work environments aligns with AZLOGICA® ’s mission amid a clear focus on international expansion. We will discover how Meek brings a strong track record in business development, project management, risk management, cost control and efficiency, as well as in the leadership of multicultural teams, highlighting his approach to the integration of these and his ability to solve complex problems, which promise to take AZLOGICA® to new heights in its mission to remain a leading company at the intersection of IoT , AI and sustainability.
Meek makes one thing clear about his presence at AZLOGICA® : beyond the continuous advancement of technology, it remains a tool. For this reason, for AZLOGICA®, business is truly “ done by building human relationships and delivering results, but technology is nothing more than a tool to achieve the clients’ objectives,” he says.
To begin with, and on a professional level, what do you think are the most notable challenges you have faced throughout your career?
I would say the first was when I was working for a Japanese construction company on the Mega Project, which was a project worth over a billion dollars. It was highly complex, not only technically but also because of its interests. There were many groups involved, each with particular interests that could ultimately generate conflicts. So, as an engineer, it was essential to find a resolution to these with technical solutions that would satisfy the various requirements that existed, and which were also between different cultures. It required a lot of communication skills, listening and interpreting the needs of each member of the project to keep moving forward. Because these projects can easily stagnate, not move forward, and that is the worst thing that can happen, because in the end everyone ends up losing.
Another challenge was changing from an international career to starting a food company in Latin America. There were many changes, I had to adjust a lot of things, understand the local regulatory standards, understand the market, the needs, the employees. That meant having a very open mind and being willing to learn and also, sometimes, to fail.
What motivated you to become COO of AZLOGICA® and what are you most passionate about when leading its various initiatives?
I am passionate about two things: the decarbonisation of industry in general and energy and business efficiency, that is, optimising business. And in this regard, AZLOGICA® is very well positioned in its work to help companies improve on their path to these two objectives.
What skills and knowledge do you consider most valuable in this role as COO of AZLOGICA®?
I would say optimization, team management and leadership. First, there is a technical knowledge that I have acquired throughout a very successful professional career in several countries and in energy, food plant and manufacturing projects. That good technical knowledge of the industry helps us to choose the best solutions for our clients. But within AZLOGICA® , I have knowledge in team management and optimization. As I mentioned, I am passionate about achieving team efficiency, getting the best out of its members and making it exceed the sum of its parts. What I am trying to create at AZLOGICA® is something that I learned, not only throughout my career, but by being a manager of my own company.
How do you think your work experience in different multicultural environments is leveraged to develop strategies for managing an interdisciplinary and multifunctional team at AZLOGICA®?
What I have learned from working in different places is that the basic concepts do not change. Despite the culture of each country, the fundamentals and the necessary things to build a high-performance team or a successful team do not change. That is like a sports team. And like a company team, a clear vision of “where we want to go”, a clear strategy of “how we are going to get there” and clear values around that we are going to follow that path are required. And with those three things, the business culture is generated, which, for me, is the fundamental thing.
In your opinion, and with your analytical and strategic vision, what do you think are the differentials that AZLOGICA® has, its greatest business challenges, and how do you plan to address them?
At AZLOGICA® we optimize our clients’ businesses. The difference of this company is that we do this optimization using whatever technology is necessary. We are not limited to a certain technology, because many times the client comes to us with a problem, but does not know what technology they need to solve it. That is our difference. We find and identify the best technology to solve and optimize our clients’ businesses. One of the biggest technological challenges we are facing is today’s ” buzzword ” with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that everyone wants, but very few understand. But the first challenge of Artificial Intelligence is to feed it with reliable data, so we follow an approach of delivering reliable data to our clients through technology. By ensuring that both we and our clients have reliable data, the part corresponding to Artificial Intelligence is one step easier, simpler and more accurate.
How do your responsibilities as COO of AZLOGICA align with the company’s mission and strategic objectives?
My responsibility as COO of AZLOGICA® is precisely to fulfill the company’s mission and strategic objectives. Executing them is a fundamental part of my role. I am focused on optimizing resources and aligning the entire team with that mission and those strategic objectives. Once we are all aligned and understand where we are going to get to, we will understand how we are going to do it. The rest is execution and culture.
From your perspective as an engineer, within the continuous advances of IoT and AI, how do you think these technologies will evolve in the immediate future, what trends will impact the industry in general and what guideline is AZLOGICA® following to stay at the forefront of these trends?
These are two fundamental pillars that do not change. The first is to understand the customer’s pain very well. What is the customer’s problem and how to solve it. Because many times the customer has a pain but does not know where it comes from, does not know how to solve it and it is a bit our job to guide him towards the resolution of that problem. The second point is to be very clear about what solution we are looking for and the collection and interpretation of quality data. Clearly, the evolution of the market and the global trend is towards the use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Our approach in that sense does not change: first, quality. Because rubbish in , rubbish out (if garbage comes in, garbage comes out), so the focus does not change in the sense that we have to feed that with very high quality data that we are collecting for our clients. In this way, we will deliver a well-fed Artificial Intelligence that can help them make future decisions and learn based on that data that is reliable.
Being a market that moves and evolves very quickly, what aspects of AZLOGICA®’s infrastructure and performance do you value in order to improve its products and services?
Regarding AZLOGICA® , in addition to its very high technological and professional base, I think the most important thing is its vision, strategy, culture and values, and all of this leads the company in a certain direction. And the fact is that, despite the changes, we have a culture of learning and continuous improvement that keeps us up to date with technological advances. The fact that the market is evolving very quickly is very interesting for us because it makes it a very dynamic place to work. AZLOGICA® has a technological foundation that it has developed over time, but I think the most important thing is the company’s culture of continuous improvement, of being up to date and at the forefront of technology to offer the best solutions to our clients. But above all, beyond the infrastructure, the technological performance, for me the value is in the team, in our human capital.
What kind of operational strategies do you think are necessary to put AZLOGICA® on a higher level in the market ?
The way to get to the next level in the market is precisely with human capital. With a good team, well organized and structured, and everyone moving in the same direction, with the same values, with a culture of growth and execution. It is worth repeating: we are a human capital company.
As a provider of IoT and AI tools and solutions, AZLOGICA® believes that these will affect customer relations in the near future, in key areas such as marketing and technical support?
More and more, we see the integration of Artificial Intelligence on our side and on the side of our clients. However, that does not take away but rather magnifies and amplifies the need for the human touch. Artificial Intelligence was configured as a tool, but interpersonal relationships, relationships with clients, human contact, remains a fundamental need.
Finally, as COO, what are your long-term goals for AZLOGICA® and how do you plan to achieve them?
We want to be the number one company worldwide in Data Collection for Business Outcomes and we will achieve this by employing the best human talent that our countries have to offer.
