Q&A CA boss gives tips on getting to the top

As part of our IT Leaders campaign, Computing caught up with Tim Bisley, CA's vice president for UK and Ireland, to get his advice on how best to get to the top at an enterprise software firm.

What skills are required from staff at CA?

We look for alignment to our core values: It's important that our staff have respect for people, consistently innovate and advance, create team spirit, and inspire customer loyalty.

Above that, a passion for technology and solving complex business issues with technology solutions in a fast-paced environment is very important. Although it is dependent on the role and position, we tend to look for in-depth knowledge, experience of the market place and a proven track record.

Are deep technical skills enough to get ahead at CA, or are people skills and business acumen essential?

People skills and business acumen are essential from all our staff. In the UK, our roles are mainly: sales professionals, technical, pre-sales, solution architects, sales operations, customer success teams, marketing, consulting services, customer education, finance, legal, HR, procurement and customer support. We also have some R&D in the UK.

Does the UK skills market provide suitable applicants for your most high-profile IT roles, or do you find better candidates overseas?

In general, we find the majority of the skills that we're looking for in the UK. If that isn't the case, we tend to find them in the wider European market place.