Diligent Corporation is a software-as-a-service company specializing in secure productivity and collaboration tools designed to streamline board meeting management and to facilitate better board communications. We invited Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Michael Flickman to provide us with a fascinating overview of his role in the firm and the part he has played in its success.
Diligent is the leading provider of secure corporate governance and collaboration solutions for boards and senior executives. Over 4,700 clients in more than 70 countries and on all seven continents rely on Diligent to provide secure, intuitive access to their most time-sensitive and confidential information, ultimately helping them make better decisions.
The firm’s flagship solution, Diligent Boards, is the world’s leading board portal solution, providing administrators, executives and board members with the technology to increase board engagement, promote effective decision-making and improve corporate governance. With more than 140,000 users worldwide, supported by a dedicated 24/7/365 customer success team, Diligent has set the standard for excellence in product and service for the world’s leaders and boards.
Michael, who has been CTO at Diligent for more than five years following vast experience in the same role in other leading technology firms, talks us through his previous experience and how he draws on this in order to offer the very best technologies to his clients.
“Personally, I have worked as a software engineer at several software companies, progressing through various levels before reaching C-suite positions. My focus has been primarily on technology and commercial software product development.
“However, I started my career in the military. It was there that I developed my passion for technology and software development. My time in the military also taught me the value of teamwork and how to effectively manage people through building trust and forming strong relationships. I have applied the principles I learned during my military career to every opportunity since (as manager, director, senior director and, finally, CTO): manage people well, foster teamwork and build trust. As such I am now able to offer Diligent this drive, passion and commitment to excellence.”
His role currently as CTO is broad and requires strong leadership and drive, which he aims to offer at all times. He details his responsibilities in more detail and explains how he aims to lead the organisation to greatness through his experienced leadership.
“As CTO, my responsibilities are threefold. I oversee the product development organization, which includes software development and quality assurance, alongside the Global IT, which includes MIS, ProdOps and DevOps, Release and Change Management, and Engineering, and finally the global security department. This range of operations comprises more than 120 people globally.
“Therefore I have to employ a flexible approach in order to properly support such a vast array of staff working within a variety of departments. My organization encompasses more than 120 people spread out between New Zealand, London, New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina and in order to support all of them I travel a great deal in order to spend face-to-face time with my employees. I am alternately very hands-on and very hands-off, and I hire smart people who are great at what they do, and I give them the autonomy to do their job. I give them my support, mentor them, and advise my employees on everything from technology to people management so that they are empowered to do their best.”
Moving forward, Michael is dedicated to Diligent’s ongoing success, and is proud to be a part of this as the firm seeks to build upon its current success.
“Looking ahead, my aspirations are that Diligent continues to be the market leader, as we broaden our product portfolio, and continue to build world-class software and services.”
