Human on the Inside with Pathfindr AI’s Dawid Naude
Human on the Inside. We’re big believers in the power of human skills. But don’t just take our word for it - the evidence for excellence powered by human (‘soft’) skills is everywhere! In this engaging, ever-enlightening series, we speak with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers to learn a little about their personal career journeys, and how human-led strategies, philosophies and cultures are proving a force for good in their working worlds …
Maxme: Welcome Dawid, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight.
You’re currently CEO & CoFounder of of Pathfindr AI - Australia’s leading AI innovation studio.
In 1 sentence, what does this role entail?
Dawid Naude: Making sure we deliver on our promise to make AI work across every business area for our customers.
M: While you Founded Pathfindr in early 2024, your impressive career is of course much deeper.
Prior to Pathfindr, you held several senior roles at Accenture, including Generative AI Technology Lead for Australia and New Zealand and Managing Director for Technology Innovation.
For an intensive three year period (2013-2016), you also made significant contributions to cloud and analytics at Cloud Sherpa, leading to its acquisition by Accenture.
Prior to all this, you Founded Green Fig Design and spent almost eight years consulting in the web and application development space for businesses in Germany, South Africa, Australia & the UK.
And let’s not forget where it all began - in January 2008 for ~ five years with National Australia Bank (NAB) as Associate Director, Financial Markets!
How does all this speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
DN: I love tech, I’m immensely curious. My role at NAB was a bit of a misstep, trying to follow in the footsteps of my dad instead of doubling down on tech that I’ve always been obsessed with.
I’ve always been an early adopter of new tech, playing with it, tinkering with it, and then making others realise what it can do for them. Most of my career success has simply come from me playing with things, finding what works, and then sharing that.
M: Tell us a little about your personal education pathway/s - what led you to where you are now? How closely do your formal qualifications match your current career?
DN: I did study a tech degree, but honestly it didn’t have anything to do with where I ended up. It has always been the personal projects where I’ve learnt most. I did complete a very tough Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification in my finance career, which did help me get to a good place much quicker, but it’s my tinkering and curiosity that have made the most difference throughout my career.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...
DN: This is a tough one - I was in a bit of a lost space at that point in my life and I wonder if I’d be where I am now without having had to navigate it - I wouldn't change that.
I’d probably prefer a conversation with my 25 year old self, when I was wrangling a career that didn’t feel right, despite it looking great on paper.
All in all - just do it - try something new, explore, tinker - the world is so much bigger than a corporate role, and always in need of good talent.
M: Maximising the potential of individuals, communities and businesses through the power of human skills is the reason Maxme exists. Can you tell us a little about the role and / or value of human skills in your workplace or industry right now?
DN: Honestly my whole career has been built on simply playing with tech, and then being able to describe it in a relatable way. So I’d say communication, and in particular, the ability to explain things relatably, is the most critical skill.
The second is the ability to focus - not an easy skill for me, and one I’m working on now. Don’t multi-task, pick one thing, close email, Linkedin, put your phone away. If you’re able to focus on one task at a time for two hours a day without distraction, you’ll be in a different league to where you were.
M: Self Awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait / personal superpower?
DN: I’m often told that my passion for tech is infectious. Being able to really make people see what it can do for them.
I also seem to have a knack for looking at a small piece of tech, which most people brush aside as a small improvement, and identifying how it’s going to enable significant change. A recent example was the advanced voice mode in ChatGPT - people kind of said “cool”, but I saw what this would mean for voice agents in call centres, and now we’re rolling out several implementations of this for our clients.
M: And on the flip side, what’s one human / ‘soft’ skill you’ve had to really work on improving over the course of your career?
DN: It’s always been focus. I struggle to sit still and focus on a task for more than two minutes. It’s always very challenging and requires deliberate environmental design and habits.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work in the field of AI consulting, what would it be?
DN: Don’t join a big consulting firm or company, just don’t. Find a startup and jump in, you’ll learn tons. If you can’t get a job, volunteer to help an NFP use AI.
There are so many talented professionals entering the workforce each year and honestly I can’t think of a bigger waste of their skills than being part of a team of 1000s waiting for the reward of an annual performance cycle etc. when they could join a startup, mid sized company or NFP and be actively changing the course of a company, its products and customer experiences daily!
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University graduate to your business, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
DN: For us it’s very simple - we ask to see what they’ve built so far. We are looking for those who’ve been bitten by the AI bug - because when it bites, it bites deep. We simply ask to see a portfolio of what they’ve done, or a video of what they can do.
We’re not looking for people who want to ‘get into AI’, we’re looking for those already doing it after hours, but want to do it full time.
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”
What’s next on your #learning agenda?
DN: Right now, it’s all learning through the growth of our business. We’ve grown from three to 20+ in less than a year, without any funding. It’s a heck of a journey!
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