
Huw Owens
CEO
Huw Owen joined Ark in November 2012 as Chief Executive Officer to lead a new management team following the recapitalisation of the company. He has held key roles at a number of organisations, including BT Global Services and HP Defence & Security. Previous roles across a diverse career include Chief Executive of the Atlas Consortium, delivering the Ministry of Defence DII (Defence Information Infrastructure) programme and advisor to the United Nations on their efforts in Central Asia.
“At my first board meeting with Ark I simply said, look guys, why don't we, as a joint ambition, set about creating the company we all always wanted to work for?” reveals Owen. “It has proved to be the best way of finding our true north.”
Owen believes in the notion of visible model leadership. “I don't have an office. If I'm on site I find a desk in an open plan. That means I'm available to people and they can see me working. Visibility means that we need to model the behaviours we seek to encourage in others. That’s why, at my first town hall when I joined Ark, I gave everybody permission to do anything I choose to do. Body follows head… If I’m a lazy git that turns up late, leaves early, doesn't seem to commit, doesn't seem to care, everybody can do the same. But If I'm the guy that seems absolutely committed to this company and lives a sense of values about clients first and doing the right things in the right way and is driven and wants stuff to happen, please join me.”
That drive was forged via a Jesuit schooling in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) and his resilience saw Owen become a sub unit police commander in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force where he became a Detective Inspector. A fledgling career in law as a litigator with the royally appointed firm Farrer & Co. was followed by a stint with the Asia Foundation, formulating and driving national reform programmes in Cambodia. “I was working with judges in the provinces, trying to re-establish the rule of law,” recalls Owen. “After 25% of the population were exterminated, the Vietnamese occupation and the UN reconciliation force coming on board, they were heady times…”
“I'd say it's been a career where I've learnt if you're not trying to shoot me, stab me or blow me up, difficult conversations really are a bit like water off a duck's back. I’ve seen it, been there, gotten the scars on my back. Running towards the flames to solve problems really fascinates me. Big challenges have always been the attraction.”
Read the full article HERE
Featured Interviews
Microsoft Government CTO on the company's expansive role in AI adoption, Cloud migration, ethical governance, and cybersecurity within the public sector
Mansour Al Blooshi, Head of Procurement at Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), on delivering AI’s future talent
“Fairness, patience, and clear decision-making are crucial both on the football pitch and in procurement.”
President and CEO Nate Clarke and co-CEO and Chief Commercial Officer Albert Tinio explain how GoTyme Bank is bringing digital banking to the Philippines
Injazat’s Vice President & Chief Venture Builder, Nour El Ansari, lists the ingredients for innovation in his InGenius Ventures’ digital and tech incubator
Arun Garg (Taurus Group), Menno Kortekaas (Circle B), Alex Ninaber (ClusterVision), and Jitesh Kohli (Solulever) discuss inspirations and achievements
Microsoft Government CTO on the company's expansive role in AI adoption, Cloud migration, ethical governance, and cybersecurity within the public sector
Mansour Al Blooshi, Head of Procurement at Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), on delivering AI’s future talent
President and CEO Nate Clarke and co-CEO and Chief Commercial Officer Albert Tinio explain how GoTyme Bank is bringing digital banking to the Philippines
Injazat’s Vice President & Chief Venture Builder, Nour El Ansari, lists the ingredients for innovation in his InGenius Ventures’ digital and tech incubator
Arun Garg (Taurus Group), Menno Kortekaas (Circle B), Alex Ninaber (ClusterVision), and Jitesh Kohli (Solulever) discuss inspirations and achievements