Zara Zamani: Transforming Global Enterprises Through Disruptive Technologies

Data and Artificial Intelligence are crucial factors for digital transformation. By embracing the power of AI and machine learning, Meta Bytes is transforming lives through digital transformation and cloud infrastructure. Leveraging data analytics and research, Meta Bytes is known for its end-to-end digital solutions with strategy and planning. So what does it takes to be the brain behind this operation? In an exclusive interview with Zara Zamani, we asked her few questions to know more about her role and responsibilities at Meta Bytes, and her inspirations along this leadership journey.

Insights about the Company

Meta Bytes is a high-tech company based in southern Sweden that creates digital solutions through software development, disruptive tech, and cloud architecture. The company takes pride in delivering amazing tech with good business impact, designing solutions to fit the customers' needs, offering individual products, services, and end-to-end solutions. It offers an all-encompassing approach that covers strategy, analysis, and planning alongside the implementation and ongoing operations and support. Meta Byte's service doesn't stop at implementation as it also focuses on building long-lasting partnerships with its clients throughout their digitalization journey.

Contributing to the Rapid Growth

Zara works as the Head of Disruptive Technologies at Meta Bytes. She is a blockchain solution architect and has been working on several blockchain projects since 2015. Zara has multiple years of experience in entrepreneurship in the Fintech and Travel-tech industry, which built the foundation of her interest and passion for emerging technologies and specifically blockchain. She started her education with electrical and electronics engineering and pursued a Ph.D. in innovation sciences, focusing on the adoption of blockchain in small and medium enterprises.

Experiences that Paved her Leadership Journey

Zara began her career as a field engineer in the oil and gas industry; not only a male-dominated industry but also a tough place to start. It was a purely technical role as a wireline engineer in different countries, from Asia to the Middle East to Europe. Zara's international experience made her very patient towards various cultures and equipped her with communication skills. It helped Zara in her next journey in the Fintech and Information Technology industry. Since she moved to the IT industry in 2010, she developed from being a specialist to a professional.

Zara says, "I learned to solve problems, design solutions using the right technologies, look at challenges from different perspectives, be innovative, manage people, and in doing so I gained both technical and human skills that I constantly develop daily."

Overcoming Challenges with Confidence and Grit

Zara shares, "As a woman, the biggest challenge I faced when I started my career was my self-doubt, which is rooted in how societies raise girls. I found myself constantly in a battle against my inner fears."  She also faced external challenges like not being taken seriously, not owning her success, not being trusted as someone to invest in, and not being given equal opportunities just because she was a woman. However, she got used to it. She believes that these challenges were bigger or smaller based on where she was working, but they exist in different shapes or forms globally.

Serving Customers through Innovative Solutions

The company focuses on acting in an advisory role for the customers and their tech strategy. Digitalization comes with big opportunities but also new and unique challenges for every customer. Meta Byte's goal is to make this process a little easier and help its customers in their transition towards a more effective tech strategy, rather than offering off-the-shelf solutions that aren't tailored to fit their unique requirements.

Zara added, "Very few of our customers come to us with finished specifications for what they want and our innovation lies in being able to combine our progressive thinking with our cutting-edge expertise in disruptive tech to guide them to the best solution for their business."

Leveraging the Power of Disruptive Technologies

According to her, disruptive technologies are changing the world at a fast and dynamic pace. "We are no longer talking about the adoption of technology in an organization but instead about adoption and re-adoption, as emerging technologies like blockchain are evolving daily. Therefore, digital transformation is not a static event but a dynamic process today", Zara asserts. Consequently, leaders need to be more proactive, innovative, visionary, forward-thinking, and less change-resistant. Companies either run fast in this era alongside emerging technologies or watch their businesses die.

The Future Ahead

When asked about how the future would be she believes that in the current business climate, it's a case of digitalizing or die. This is how the company picturizes the future for its customers and its role in partnering with them on their digitalization journeys.

She adds, "We're only just seeing the beginnings of use cases for disruptive tech and consider this a serious focus for growth and opportunities. For our company, this means building long-term partnerships with our customers to support them every step of the way, building solutions using disruptive tech in the best way possible for their businesses.

A Piece for Emerging Leaders

According to Zara, transformational leaders should be reflective as they should know who they are, what they are good at, where they need help, and have high self-awareness. They should be inspiring, innovative, and visionary. Leaders have to be forward thinkers and constantly try to be innovative in eliminating obstacles on the way for their organizations to reach their goals. They have to be collaborative and authentic, and ready to take calculated risks.

She says to face your fears, be confident, learn, listen, invest in yourself, get a mentor and prove them wrong.