Inside a decade’s worth of experience, change, and leadership: meet CTO Martin Lau

It’s been just over a decade since Chief Technology Officer Martin Lau started working with Citation Group, and with time comes change – he’s witnessed every bit of it. Martin began his career at Citation Group in April 2014 as an Architect for enableHR, one of our business’s flagship HR software products. He now oversees the technology side of Citation Group, working on various projects related to IT infrastructure, ISO certification, and artificial intelligence, while still staying involved with enableHR.

Martin might be based over 900 kilometres from our main office in Mount Street, North Sydney but his impact on daily operations can be felt from the mostly remote-working marketing team to the employment lawyers occupying our Melbourne offices – and he’s seen the stages of Citation Group’s growth like no other person in the team.

Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Martin and learn more about his role within our business and dive deeper into why, 10 years on, he’s excited about the future change and the fresh challenges and opportunities it will bring.

What does your average day at Citation Group look like?

Since we started primarily working from home in 2020 (thanks COVID), not much has changed in terms of how I start my day: it begins with a coffee at one end of the house before migrating to my office at the other, and checking through the emails and urgent tasks that will no doubt dictate my day.

Even though I don’t do too much technical stuff anymore, I still provide daily guidance on our technology including our software offerings, helping others solve problems and hopefully succeeding in their jobs. Being able to duck in and out of different projects and problems is one of my favourite things about my job, I’m able to switch between the things that interest me the most and keep my technical knowledge up to date.

What’s the culture like inside the Development Team?

The Development Team (Dev Team) has historically been almost completely remote with colleagues in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hungary, and Sri Lanka, so we’ve never really been tied to an office.

There’s no doubt that the remote nature of the Dev Team does impact culture, but the tendency of the team to use online platforms for group-based communication always helped the team form strong relationships, even when we were all in the office together – tech-based chat is a funny world!

Our recruitment strategy also helps to keep fostering a good workplace culture. We aim to hire the right people for the team, finding the best personalities that will gel with the group we’ve got, and this really does come down to the overall culture that exists from the top down.

How does team culture influence collaboration?

It’s generally pretty easy to work with all parts of the business and I think that comes down to the easy-going nature of our team – and the wider organisation. Competing deadlines is our biggest challenge, and it’s because we work differently than other departments that problems can happen. Working in three-week sprints creates a unique set of expectations for the Dev Team and remembering this when collaborating can determine whether the deadline is met. Every team accommodates the different demands each business unit has and that’s one of our strengths.

What’s happening today that’ll inform our business for the next decade?

No two days are the same at Citation Group, there’s always something innovative waiting around the corner to spark ideas within the team. We’re currently working on ways to embrace artificial intelligence within the organisation to improve productivity, idea generation, and find efficiencies.

I’m also working closely with our Head of Operations and IT Manager to find new ways to enhance our processes and maintain the highest possible levels of compliance and security – a continual focus for our business because it’s a task that’s never really completed.

I believe these two projects will significantly shape Citation Group’s future and lay the foundation for its success and evolution.

How has Citation Group changed since you started?

The biggest change has come in the last two years, starting with our acquisition by Citation UK, and subsequent rebranding to Citation Group in Australia. As a business, we did a lot of growing up in a short space of time, and it transitioned us not only into our next phase of growth but also shifted our mentality from ‘How do we make this work?’ to ‘What’s the best way we can achieve that?’.

Describe yourself in three words

Focused, multifaceted, organised chaos is how I would describe myself and my working space, whether at home or in the office!

Have you got any words you live by?

I don’t think I “live by” any particular words, but I like to remember that ‘If something is too hard, you’re probably doing it wrong’. I hold this quote close when working through a particularly difficult task but also share it with my children, often reminding them that if the problem you’re trying to solve isn’t getting anywhere, it’s time to rethink the approach.

Work-life balance is currently at the forefront of the business world, how do you balance yours?

Time zones are one of the biggest struggles for me and for my wider team with meetings that occur outside our regular business hours now a weekly feature of our operations being owned by Citation – our UK-based parent company. The flexibility that Citation Group allows its employees to utilise really makes a difference in winning back lost time and adjusting our schedules to fit our lives rather than the other way around.

You’ve been at Citation Group for over 10 years, but what was your most interesting job?

My career in Information Technology started with the Australian Government, inside what was then called the Office of National Assessment, the country’s peak intelligence analysis organisation. This is where my interest in computer science really got its legs and was definitely a unique working environment.

Last question, if a movie was made about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?

Oh, that’s an easy one, Jack Black bringing the School of Rock vibes. (editor’s note: Martin’s response was far from 100%, and had no mention of vibes, we may have embellished).

About our author

Lauren Stariha is a Copywriter and Content Specialist at Citation Group. She’s responsible for creating engaging and meaningful content across various brands from eBooks and email campaigns to blogs and multiple social media channels.