The Secret of my success – Irad Carmi, president and chief technology officer, TOA Technologies.
With success, firstly as a professional classical musician playing the flute at the highest level, and then as president and chief technology officer of TOA (time of arrival) Technologies, we felt that Irad Carmi was a suitable candidate to share the secret of his success.
VitAL: Name, company and job title please? Married? Kids?
Irad Carmi: Irad Carmi, president and chief technology officer of TOA Technologies. Wife Rebecca and three children.
VitAL: What got you started in IT?
IC: My background was in classical music. As an accomplished professional flutist I held principal positions with orchestras and performed solo at Carnegie Hall with great success. In the 1990s I had started working as a programmer, ending at a large insurance company on Wall Street, working nine to five with great benefits and lifelong security. Then I happened to see an ad for a small Israeli software company looking to open a branch in New York City. I wanted more adventure in my professional life, so I took the job and became the first employee recruited. That was where I met my business partner, Yuval Brisker. We eventually went on to create TOA Technologies, solving the infamous ‘Cable Guy Problem’ by using our patented solution to reduce the customer’s wait window to one hour with 96 percent accuracy. The adventure has never stopped.
VitAL: Was there any one person or organisation that was your inspiration?
IC: My inspiration is derived from my music teachers, who taught me about discipline, application and process. Also Tom Gillman – who taught the only computer programming courses I ever took at a small community college – he showed me that computer programming is fun! Classical music is so demanding that after that – anything, including computer programming, is easy!
VitAL: What was your first IT job, what was your first major IT triumph?
IC: My first IT job was programming COBOL reports for the California college where I took my programming courses.
My first IT triumph was creating a computer program version of the number guessing game ‘Mastermind’ which could always win against a human player. Of course, my greatest triumph is creating the first version of ETAdirect – the software service TOA Technologies offers.
VitAL: Did you ever make any embarrassing mistakes? What did you learn from them?
IC: Of course I made embarrassing mistakes. Mistakes are an unavoidable part of a learning process, and if one can get past the embarrassment, they can serve as great learning opportunities.
VitAL: What do you like best about your job?
IC: In my job I have the privilege of working with great, inspiring people. First among them is my business partner and CEO of TOA – Yuval Brisker. I am constantly challenged by new puzzles to solve, which I enjoy tremendously. Growing a company from two people to two hundred keeps me transforming as a technologist, manager and businessman.
VitAL: What is your biggest ambition?
IC: TOA provides its customer-focused mobile workforce management solution to some of the largest companies in the world. My ambition is to bring the proven efficiencies and improved customer service our clients enjoy to every company that has a mobile workforce.
VitAL: What are your hobbies or interests?
IC: I read voraciously. I enjoy swimming with the local Masters group, Yoga, and classical music. Above all I love spending time with my wife and three kids.
VitAL: What is the secret of your success?
IC: Not taking anything for granted and trusting my gut.
VitAL: Irad Carmi, thank you very much.
