CEO Insights Magazine

In the bustling tech landscape of Singapore, Chief Product Officers (CPOs) play a crucial role in driving innovation and steering companies towards impactful solutions. As key decision-makers, CPOs in Singapore navigate the complex interplay of technology, market demands, and user experiences. Among these trailblazing CPOs, Nuno Jonet standsout as a visionary leader with an illustrious career spanning diverse industries.

His expertise, honed through roles in banking, advertising technology, logistics, and mobile devices, uniquely positions him as a force in shaping Singapore's tech narrative. As the Head of Product and Technology at Necto, Nuno's contributions extend beyond individual achievements, marking him as a key player in advancing Singapore's prominence in the global tech arena.

Engaging in an idiosyncratic interaction with CEO Insights Asia magazine, Nuno shares his professional milestones, his leadership guidelines, and much more.Let’s hear it from him.

Define Necto as an organization and elaborate on its current market position. 

Necto is a finance technology startup that is navigating the stormy waters of enterprise connectivity. Specializing in aggregating Corporate Banking APIs from global banks, we facilitate seamless interactions between finance applications and corporate banks. As a trailblazer in this space, we address the inherent fragmentation, striving for homogenization and standardization in accessing multiple banks which is a crucial challenge for multinational corporations.

The excitement within our team at Necto stems from empowering corporates and multinationals to enhance automation and leverage real-time data because we recognize its growing significance as a competitive advantage. Our journey is driven by a commitment to ushering in a future where corporate banking connectivity is treamlined, automated, and as seamless as a consumer banking experience that we all benefit from as individuals.

Share insights into the quality control measures implemented by you, as the head of product and technology at Necto, to ensure the delivery of top-notch products and solutions.

At Necto, quality control transcends technical metrics because it begins with empathy for our clients. We cast a wide net to identify customer pain points and address them directly, ensuring our products align with their requirements. A pivotal aspect of our success lies not only in our team’s experience but also in robust test automation, especially for end-to-end and acceptance testing. This becomes crucial as we integrate with numerous banks, demanding ongoing validation.

Embracing an unusual approach, we target continuous delivery, instilling discipline and prioritizing process automation, quality control, and validation. This commitment ensures we craft repeatable, high-quality products that not only meet but anticipate our client's evolving needs, whether expressly communicated or intuitively anticipated.

Discuss your leadership approach, outlining the guidelines and methodologies you adhere to as a leader within the company.

My leadership style is deeply collaborative and is marked by diplomacy, empathy, and agility. In my role, I’m balancing the competing needs of product, engineering, and sales. I do a lot of mediating to achieve favorable outcomes for all involved. Empathy is the cornerstone, allowing me to grasp the diverse perspectives within our team, as well as clients. Agility is non-negotiable since I champion lean practices and rapid responsiveness to dynamic business contexts.

Reflecting on my journey, the Manager 2.0 concept guides me which is transitioning from authoritative control to a coaching role, empowering individuals to contribute with their unique skill sets and values. This approach fosters a culture of shared purpose, where every team member feels heard and valued, creating a cohesive and innovative work environment.

Provide a glimpse into the future direction of Necto under your leadership and the goals you aim to achieve.

Our global mentality is centered on expanding integrations and aggregating a diverse array of bank APIs. The immediate goal is to broaden our scope and add more partners and customers. Beyond this, our ambitions focus on creating more added-value features and enhancing the daily workflows of our clients. Regular collaboration with partners and customers guides us in understanding their evolving needs.

As for my personal journey, having spent nearly 2 decades in product management, I foresee a continued role in product leadership, coaching, and mentoring. While the vibrant energy required for startup leadership is essential, I still look for exciting projects that align with my passion, like my current one. Time will tell, but whether it's through coaching, consulting, or a new entrepreneurial venture, I think there are plenty of ways for me to contribute and grow.

Drawing on your extensive industry experience, offer advice to emerging leaders in the field.

Based on my industry journey, my advice to emerging leaders is rooted in self-awareness. Identify your strengths and play to them passionately. While addressing weaknesses is valuable, investing excessive time in areas outside your natural aptitude may lead to suboptimal outcomes. If you're not inherently people oriented but excel in detail orientation, explore roles like quality assurance. For those with structured thinking and algorithmic prowess, consider development. Unleash your creativity in roles like product design or marketing. Success stems from aligning your innate abilities with your chosen path. Embrace your unique strengths, and the journey will organically unfold.

Nuno Jonet, Head of Product & Technology, Necto

Nuno Jonet, with almost two decades in product management, currently serves as the Head of Product and Technology at Necto, a FinTech startup specializing in corporate connectivity. His extensive journey includes roles like Chief Product Officer at Pocketmath, contributing to advertising technology, and leading product teams at Standard Chartered Bank and Fusion Garage in mobile applications and devices. Nuno's time at Savi Technology, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, marked his transition from software engineering to product management. Recognized for excellence, Nuno earned accolades as the recipient of the Best in Mobile Banking Asia 2014 award from Global Finance Magazine during his tenure at Standard Chartered Bank.

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