This week, we’re focusing on what makes a good leader in tech, celebrating the art of being humble and learning from mistakes to drive innovation on business transformation.

Kumar Sundaram has spent his entire career refusing to stand still. After a grand total of 18 years at Anglo  Eastern, where he's spearheaded everything from leading the engineering team of LPG ships to installing Starlink across a fleet of vessels, his approach to leadership boils down to one simple philosophy: never stop being curious.  

"I'm eternally hungry for more, in terms of knowledge, in terms of pursuit of new things,  learning new things," Kumar explains. It's not just personal motivation either. This mindset has shaped how he builds and leads his IT teams across Anglo Eastern's 770-ship fleet.  

His journey from chief engineer to Senior Manager of Business Transformation illustrates exactly this point. Most people would have settled into a comfortable technical role, but Kumar kept pushing boundaries. When he left sailing, he didn't just move into IT - he taught himself to manage the software life cycle, built his own company,  failed spectacularly, learned from those failures, then eventually found his way back to maritime with a completely different skillset.  

What makes Kumar different as a leader is how he applies this learning obsession to team development. "I realise that as an individual, I could not achieve much. Learning that taking  your team together and supporting them was probably one of the most important tasks that a  project manager could do."  

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His leadership style reflects this collaborative approach: "I was at the back, like a shepherd  saying, 'Let's all work together.'" Rather than barking orders from the front, Kumar guides his team through challenges, ensuring everyone grows in the process. 

"I love to surround myself with youngsters. The next generation are incredibly intelligent because they've grown up with advanced technology. So they can pick up new tools very quickly," he says. Instead of feeling threatened by team members who might know more about emerging technologies, Kumar actively seeks them out.  

This approach proved invaluable during Anglo Eastern's huge Starlink implementation project across 475 ships. Kumar didn't just manage the technical rollout - he made sure his team understood they were changing lives. "When you switch on the system and the ship is connecting… To see people’s reactions - wow. And then they make a video call to their  homes, and then they call me back and say our life has changed forever."  

Kumar's learning-first approach creates what he calls a multiplier effect across his organisation. When team members feel supported to experiment and grow, they become more innovative problem-solvers.  

In an industry often criticised for being slow to change, Kumar represents something different: a leader who proves that staying curious might be the most important technology skill of all. 

And that’s all for another week of tech insights. I’ll see you back here next week, same time, same place! In the meantime, keep learning! Ailsa