AN INTERVIEW WITH
AN INTERVIEW WITH
I grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia and went to Morehouse College here in Atlanta. After college, I moved to Seattle, Washington, to work at Microsoft. I worked in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Partnerships and Venture Capital for nearly three years. I gained a wide array of experiences working on products that had shifted to subscription-based models such as M365 and Xbox.
I was interested in coming to NCR VOYIX because the company is in the midst of a massive transformation to being even more of subscription/software-based business. I am looking to grow my career in this space since there is no shortage of opportunity to be a leader during this type of transformation.
Today, I work in the Commercial Strategy and Operations Organization and I lead NCR’s Product Strategy for both Retail and Hospitality, with a focus on improving how we develop products systematically.
The company not only has a large presence physically at GHQ in Midtown, but can also be seen in the field through major customers like Chick-fil-A, and several of my Morehouse classmates work at the company as well. So, I actually found the opportunity on LinkedIn. I was informed that I could build on the experience I was already gaining at Microsoft – around strategy for subscriptions and those type of products – and this was an opportunity to directly apply that knowledge to NCR. The ability to transfer and grow my skills was a big reason for me to really consider this opportunity.
I considered the level of impact I could have at NCR VOYIX during this time of transformation. Other technology companies might be in Atlanta, but there’s a big difference when a company is headquartered here, has a stake in the ground, is well-known and is currently investing in the community. You definitely see that reflected within NCR. NCR reflects the community of Atlanta.
With this in mind, the decision just made sense for me at the time.
I wanted to make sure that when I asked about my role, I learned about the people I would be working with most and what role I would take in certain meetings. I wanted to know if I would actually be able to make change or influence change with decision-makers.
I’ve worked with many other tech companies, including my time at Microsoft and I’ve never seen a company where the executive team is so visible, available and wanting to connect.
You may only see stuff in the front-end like the self-checkouts, but there's actually many more solutions. NCR is helping to facilitate a lot of the transactions for most of the things you do, from an in-person standpoint.
I participated in Microsoft’s Rotational Program and felt that CSO should have one, too, in order to attract top talent. So far, I’ve been able to see positive impact from the new hires within the program.
One of the great things about NCR VOYIX is that if you have an idea, leadership is open to letting you run with it, which I really appreciate.
I love playing golf/tennis with friends and letting the Falcons break my heart on Sundays 😉. And of course, you may also catch me going to eat at one of our customers’ restaurants!