Technology transformation is often measured by the platforms deployed, projects completed or efficiencies achieved. At the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), however, technology is viewed through a much broader lens. Under the leadership of Chief Information Officer Subhash Chandra Jose, digital transformation has become as much about culture, purpose and collaboration as it is about cloud, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Now entering his third year leading technology at the development bank, Subhash reflects on a period in which strategy has continually evolved alongside a rapidly changing technology landscape. Rather than treating transformation as a fixed roadmap, the EBRD deliberately designed a framework capable of adapting as technologies matured and global geopolitical situations shifted.
Purpose, People and Technology
Ask Subhash what inspires him as a leader and his answer is immediate: purpose. “Purpose is at the core of everything that we do.”
As a multilateral development bank operating across emerging markets, the EBRD’s mission naturally shapes its technology priorities. Rather than viewing IT simply as an internal service function, Subhash believes technology should directly contribute to the bank’s development objectives. One recent initiative illustrates that philosophy.
Following the signing of an MoU with Microsoft, EBRD engineers are now working alongside Microsoft specialists to support SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa – not merely financing businesses but helping them to adopt AI technologies directly.
“Instead of just financing the SMEs, we are actually bringing technology expertise in AI to these SMEs.”
He sees this as an important evolution in how technology supports the bank’s mission. “We are actually in the field to create an impact in our countries of operation.”
The same philosophy extends beyond commercial aspects of the organisation. Working with Riga City Council, the EBRD recently hosted an AI hackathon for students aged 15 to 17, mentoring participants at their London headquarters after local competitions in Latvia.
For Subhash, initiatives like these demonstrate how purpose, technology and people reinforce one another. “The mix of purpose, people and technology is continuous. What has changed is the way it has manifested on the ground.”
Building a High-Performance Culture
Technology transformation ultimately depends upon people, and culture remains one of the central pillars of the EBRD’s technology blueprint. “Culture really is the heart of it,” confirms Subhash.
People and engagement sit at the top of the department’s ten-point transformation plan, reflecting the belief that technology programmes only succeed when supported by the right organisational behaviours.
Subhash acknowledges that building a high-performance culture is a continuous process where each stage of growth creates new challenges.
The establishment of regional technology centres in India and, more recently, Bulgaria has introduced fresh questions around collaboration, sustainability and distributed working. However, Subhash explains that significant progress has been made during that evolution.
Today’s technology organisation is, in his words, “collaborative, high-performing, empathetic, inclusive and strongly focused on merit”. Importantly, that cultural shift is measurable. Three years ago, employee engagement scores stood at approximately 6.8 out of 10. Today they have risen to 8.2. Yet even that achievement is viewed as another milestone rather than the destination. “We have set ourselves a target of 9.0,” Subhash says. “We still have more work to do.”
About the EBRD
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was established in 1991 to help build a new, post-Cold War era in Central and Eastern Europe, but because of its success has now expanded operations into three continents. It has played a historic role and gained unique expertise in fostering change, with a particular focus on developing the private sector and in green investments.
The EBRD is committed to furthering progress towards ‘market-oriented economies and the promotion of private and entrepreneurial initiative’. This has been its guiding principle since its creation at the beginning of the 1990s and, new challenges and the welcoming of new economies to the EBRD world notwithstanding, will continue to be its mission in years to come.