Insights from CTO Craft Con: A Day with the UK’s Tech Leaders

Yesterday, Jack Hollocks, Client Partner at Gathered & Found, had the pleasure of attending CTO Craft Con in Westminster - a gathering of some of the UK’s most forward-thinking technology leaders. From navigating the balance between innovation and execution to rethinking the role of intuition in data-driven environments, the event was packed with valuable takeaways.

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Here are a few reflections Jack brought back from the day:

✅ Play to Your Strengths

While it’s important to acknowledge and improve on areas of weakness, the most successful leaders don’t shy away from doubling down on what they do best. In high-growth environments, leveraging your core strengths can often drive more impact than spreading yourself thin.

⚖️ Innovation vs. Operational Excellence

One of the recurring themes was the ongoing tension between innovation and operational excellence. The takeaway? You can’t always optimise for both at the same time. Knowing when to lean into experimentation - and when to focus on consistent delivery - is a critical leadership skill.

📊 Data vs. Intuition

We talk a lot about data, and rightly so. But it was refreshing to hear a reminder that intuition - informed by years of hands-on experience - is a valuable form of data in itself. Knowing when to trust your gut can be just as important as reading the metrics.

The event was another fantastic example of the community that CTO Craft has built, and we’re already looking forward to the next one.

Want to learn more about how Gathered & Found partners with tech leaders to build smarter, more sustainable systems? Get in touch - we’d love to chat!

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