A message from the Nomads
When we set out to launch Nomad Futurist early this year, we could not have anticipated the challenges that 2020 had in store for all of us and for the world at large. Our podcast set out to shed light on the often mysterious and undervalued world of critical infrastructure. Ironically, the demands of the pandemic have shone a bright light on it as well by putting digital transformation into hyperdrive as businesses and institutions struggled to meet the needs of customers and constituents.
Our lives and society have been significantly transformed in so many ways, virtual work, remote learning, telemedicine, virtual sports and none of this would have been possible without the underlying infrastructure – data centers and networks, AI and related technologies. Through these technologies, we have managed to remain operational and connected through it all, even reaping some unexpected benefits on both a human level, through deepened relationships and on a technological level, through accelerated innovation.
Our Nomad Futurist guests have come to the world of critical infrastructure from a range of locations as far afield as the Australian bush, India, Israel, Ireland and the U.S. and from a wide range of pathways including IT, engineering, business, real estate, pharma, construction, finance, and law. Some are autodidacts and others have advanced degrees.
Despite these differences, the fascinating personal career journeys that have led these individuals to tech leadership positions reveals certain shared characteristics – curiosity, boldness, determination, passion, optimism…inspiring qualities that are especially important in the uncertain times in which we find ourselves. By and large, these experts believe in the future of critical infrastructure and the promise of new technologies, viewing the potential benefits as far greater than any possible dystopian outcomes.
As we welcome 2021 and anticipate a new version of normal on the horizon, we are planning to release a new set of Nomad Futurist episodes. We are grateful for the wonderful Nomad Futurist community we have formed this year and look forward to growing it and reaching out to inspire a future generation of technologists.