Welcome to the team, Marlon. We hope you’ve settled back into Sopra Steria. It’s great to have you here. As you take on this new role of ServiceNow Practice Director, let’s find out a bit more about you, your vision and plans for the future.
First of all, tell us a bit about yourself and your background in the tech world.
I’m married with three boys aged 17, 19, and 25 and we’re a very sporty household. Outside of my professional life, I’m a qualified Personal Trainer and a FIFA Licensed Football Agent, I studied the agent license to educate myself on the industry in more detail as one of my sons plays football in Germany. So, you could say I live in both the world of sport and technology.
My journey into tech started in a rather unconventional way. I began my career on a two-year graduate trainee programme at GEC-Marconi, where I rotated through various business departments Sales, Marketing, HR, Finance, and Commercial. IT wasn’t part of the programme at all, and at that time, it wasn’t seen as particularly exciting or cool. It was mainly about mainframes and back-office systems.
But something drew me to it. I asked to do a placement in the IT department, even though no one had done that before. I remember my mentor at the time saying, “Why would you want to go into IT? It’s just a tool, not core to the business.” But I felt strongly that they were wrong and pushed for the opportunity anyway. That six-month placement turned out to be a pivotal moment. It kick-started a career in technology that’s now spanned nearly three decades.
Since then, I’ve worked across both public and private sectors, with experience from the customer, supplier, and vendor sides including time in the startup and fintech space. I’ve also worked directly for ServiceNow across EMEA, gaining deep insight into their platform and a strong understanding of their partner ecosystem.
So, while my path into tech wasn’t traditional, that early instinct to challenge convention has stayed with me and it’s shaped how I lead and deliver in this ever-evolving industry.
Although an unconventional journey, you’ve gained a breadth of experience. From that experience, what do you think are the biggest challenges organisations are facing right now?
Organisations today are operating in a world defined by uncertainty, rapid technological change, and rising stakeholder expectations. The biggest challenges fall under several macro themes:
1. Navigating emerging technology: Hype vs. Value
While emerging tech like AI and automation offer huge potential, many organisations struggle to distinguish between what’s genuinely transformative and what’s just noise. The key lies in aligning tech adoption with business outcomes, operational readiness and ethical responsibility.
At Sopra Steria, we’ve developed an AI Maturity Matrix to help clients assess their current position and build a pragmatic, trust-driven roadmap to value.
2. Ethical AI and automation
The rise of agentic AI brings new levels of autonomy but also raises ethical and operational questions. Leaders must ensure AI is deployed in ways that enhance human capability rather than
replace it, and that it earns stakeholder trust. That means being intentional about governance, transparency and accountability from day one.
3. Talent shortages and workforce transformation
Organisations are facing a widening skills gap, especially in digital and tech roles. In a hybrid or remote world, it’s not just about hiring it's about reskilling, building inclusive cultures, and attracting diverse talent to drive innovation and long-term performance.
4. Regulatory complexity and data sovereignty
Global organisations are increasingly challenged by fragmented regulations from GDPR and CCPA to fast-evolving AI laws and industry-specific mandates. Data sovereignty is now a strategic issue, not just a compliance checkbox, requiring organisations to rethink infrastructure, governance and cross-border operations.
5. Cybersecurity in a hyperconnected world
Cyber threats are more sophisticated, persistent and widespread than ever. Defending against these risks across supply chains, devices and platforms requires not just technical resilience, but executive-level ownership and integrated risk management strategies.
6. Sustainability and ESG accountability
Consumers, investors and regulators are demanding more than ESG reporting - they want measurable action. Yet many businesses still lack the data, tools and transparency to track climate impact, manage ESG risks, or integrate sustainability into everyday operations without compromising profitability.
7. Evolving customer expectations
Today’s customers expect seamless, personalised and ethical digital experiences across every touchpoint from the front to the back office. Organisations must rewire how they engage, leveraging automation, data and design thinking to deliver the kind of experiences users expect in their personal lives.
In summary
The convergence of these challenges means organisations must lead with clarity, adaptability and trust. It's not just about reacting to change but shaping it with purpose and confidence. This is the Sopra Steria way.
With so much change happening, and so much uncertainty across the globe, how do you think emerging technology will impact people and society?
Emerging technologies, especially AI, are fundamentally reshaping how we live, work and connect. The AI revolution is no longer on the horizon; it’s here, accelerating at pace and presenting both opportunity and disruption across every sector.
The rise of agentic AI is pushing organisations to rethink the boundaries of work. Intelligent agents are not just augmenting tasks they are beginning to own decision cycles, execute autonomous workflows, and interface directly with customers.
But while the transformation is within reach, organisations are at varying stages of AI maturity:
- Some are navigating cultural shifts, rethinking the relationship between humans and machines.
- Others are redefining roles and responsibilities in hybrid human AI teams.
- Many are still working to integrate complex BI and multi-model systems into operational workflows.
Leadership must proactively guide this transition ensuring trust, accountability and clarity of purpose as AI agents scale.
Real-world impact across key sectors
Agentic AI, genomics and wearable technologies are transforming healthcare. From early disease detection to personalised care pathways, we’re seeing dramatic improvements in diagnostics, treatment precision and patient outcomes. Sopra Steria is at the forefront of this work, delivering innovative, AI-powered solutions across global health systems.
- Education and knowledge access
AI tutors, immersive learning (AR/VR) and adaptive platforms are breaking down barriers to quality education. These tools democratise access, personalise learning journeys and open up new pathways for lifelong skill development.
- Productivity and quality of life
Automation and AI are freeing people from repetitive tasks, unlocking time for creativity, strategic thinking and innovation. This shift is enabling better work–life balance and redefining the employee experience, particularly in hybrid work environments.
The opportunity and the responsibility
The next decade will be defined by how well organisations can harness emerging technologies responsibly, upskill their workforce, and embed ethical frameworks that align innovation with impact.
This is not just a technology challenge it's a leadership imperative.
Thank you for that insight into the challenges that organisations are facing, and the possible impacts of technology on society. What is your vision for Sopra Steria’s UK ServiceNow practice? How do you plan to use ServiceNow technology to deliver a positive impact?
Our vision is to build a world-class ServiceNow practice in the UK powered by AI and centred around our customers and partners.
We aim to drive innovative, industry-specific solutions that accelerate time-to-value and deliver excellence across every engagement.
We’re creating a safe, inclusive and accountable environment where talented individuals can thrive using sound judgment, continuously developing their ServiceNow skills, having fun and feeling genuinely rewarded.
By leveraging Sopra Steria’s strong internal ServiceNow capabilities and our Group-wide expertise, we will enable co-sell and co-create motions with ServiceNow. This will embed a truly collaborative, “partner-with” approach in the ecosystem building on our recognition as ServiceNow Public Sector Partner of the Year.
But more than that, we want to tell our story loudly and proudly. We have a unique heritage, and we want our people to share how Sopra Steria’s ServiceNow technical solutions can deliver meaningful transformation for our clients, across sectors like:
- Public Sector: Streamlining operations, improving citizen services, and accelerating digital transformation across government departments.
- Defence: Enabling mission-critical operations, supporting inventory and logistics, and strengthening critical national infrastructure.
- Health: Supporting the NHS workforce transformation agenda, virtual wards, “hospital of the future” solutions, and connected patient care.
- Transport & Infrastructure: Helping National Highways advance road safety and traffic flow through smart digital platforms.
- Education: Powering the “Connected Student Experience” a seamless journey from enrolment to graduation.
- Financial Services: Enhancing Know Your Customer (KYC), redress, remediation, and ethical approaches to debt management.
- Utilities & Enterprise Asset Management: Optimising infrastructure management in Defence, Transport and Utilities.
- Insurance: Driving the “Predict and Prevent” model to transform customer service and risk mitigation.
- Retail: Automating and improving Payroll and HR operations to increase agility and employee satisfaction.
It sounds like the start of an exciting journey! Who is your inspiration for that journey? Whose impact will keep you on track?
My grandmother. She was the greatest example I know of treating everyone regardless of background with love, respect and dignity. Her resilience, integrity and tireless work ethic have shaped the way I lead today.
She wasn’t afraid to speak up when it mattered, and she led by example every single day. Her values kindness, fairness and courage continue to guide me both personally and professionally.