Fida Khattak joins Columbia Road

Hi Fida, How did you get good at what you do?

I’ve always been interested in computers and thus studied a Computer Engineering B.Sc. and followed that with an M.Sc. in Computer Networks from Aalto University. For the next few years, I worked with a wide array of IoT technologies ranging from energy metering to heart rate monitors and weather stations. This was an invaluable experience that helped me understand how to utilise evolving technologies to bring value to society and I carried these lessons with me when I transitioned to business technology to help businesses with their digital transformation.

Where have you earned your spurs?

My passion to create elegant and efficient digital solutions for businesses has landed me at Columbia Road. More than 4 years ago, I decided to work with Salesforce and joined a young SaaS company, Flowhaven. There I helped develop licensing business applications for the brand licensing industry. It was a great experience and I enjoyed the visible impact that digitalisation brings to a company. Since then, I’ve worked as a consultant with many companies from different domains, helping them evolve their sales, services and marketing strategies and implementations.

During these years, I’ve worked with some excellent people and I learned a lot from their clarity of thought when solving complex problems. It has reinforced my belief in simple, elegant solutions which are developed iteratively by constantly engaging relevant stakeholders.

Why Columbia Road?

I had heard great things about Columbia Road and its culture. I love the fact that Columbia Road is a technology agnostic company that focuses on the solutions. When a former colleague approached me regarding an opportunity, I had little hesitation.

Eero, what will make our clients love Fida?

Fida has a broad technical experience and interest in business processes. His broad experience allows him to have the skillset and insights to plan and implement creative solutions with impact. He always wants to understand the big picture and help in the most effective way. On top of that, he is a good listener and a great team player!

What makes your heart beat a little faster?

I’m a father to a four-year-old, so he keeps me occupied for most of my free time. I also enjoy reading about what’s new in the technology scene. Apart from that, I’m a big cricket fan and try to follow it whenever I get a chance. I also like to explore nature and there is plenty of that in Finland.

How would you fancy working alongside Fida at Columbia Road? We're constantly looking for new skilful and nice people to join our crew! Take a peek at our open positions 👇