Tiago Veiga, CEO of next-generation reconciliation software specialists Aurum Solutions, has had a varied career which has seen him navigate a variety of business situations across industries and across the world. In times of market uncertainty, it is this experience which enables Tiago to not only drive Aurum Solutions forward as a business but give clear and data-driven guidance to its clients as well.
Rather than following a conventional route to the role, Tiago has taken considered risks, jumping into new opportunities, learning from his peers to shape him into the business leader he is today. Drawing on these experiences and continuing to learn from his environment has enabled Tiago to grow Aurum as a business despite current wider uncertainty.
Coming to the table with an open and progressive mindset, Tiago has implemented an ambitious growth strategy, aligning the team behind an elevated, shared, and common ambition for the future. Part of this included a complete brand transformation, a strategic initiative which reflects Aurum’s commitment to continuous innovation and a refreshed brand identity that best resonates with the changing and evolving company.
At Aurum, we specialise in data – consolidating it, reconciling it, and presenting it in an easy-to-digest format
Aurum works with companies that span sectors including banking, fintech, asset management, hospitality and insurance, among others, in over 35 countries. Attributing its success to a client-centred mentality and ability to develop purpose-built solutions, over nearly two decades the business has worked with hundreds of household brands both in the UK and globally, including Stonegate Group, Octopus Investments, Ladbrokes, HTB, Admiral and more, supporting finance teams and transforming departments’ data quality and operational efficiency.
But with ongoing uncertainty, is now the right time to be pushing boundaries in order to succeed? “It’s not enough to march with the masses,” comments Tiago. “Volatile environments require a new approach to devising strategy. We all must change our mindset, push the boundaries, and ensure we have the right tools at our disposal in order to navigate challenging waters.”
Create a senior team with different but complementary expertise
“Leading a business is often a team effort, which is now even more true at Aurum,” comments Tiago.
Many business leaders carry a sense of bravado and the belief that the challenges they face, they must tackle alone. However, this attitude can create further problems and a feeling of isolation. Business leaders have faced a number of evolving and changing uncertainties over the past few years, many from completely uncontrollable external factors, from a global pandemic to war, natural disasters and the reshuffling of supply chains and capital structures. In situations of ongoing uncertainty, it is important for leaders to draw on their network of people for insight and perspective. This includes not only from within the walls of the business, but sharing ideas, thoughts, strategies, and guidance with external business leaders.
Aurum benefits greatly from having seasoned leaders and ownership, which in turn provides valuable advantages to the young CEO.
Tiago adds, “We have an incredible team from diverse backgrounds, each bringing their own experience, thoughts and ideas. Everyone is willing to go the extra mile and by working together, not against each other, we’re able to drive innovation and be forward-thinking, as opposed to being stuck doing the same thing time and time again. Take the time to stop and listen to ideas – you never know where inspiration may come from.”
Focus more on the client and less on admin
Imagine if instead of spending crucial time on administrative tasks, teams could be empowered to focus more on strategic thinking, client relations, and problem-solving to build a true competitive edge.
“When I joined Aurum in 2018 to lead the sales team, I knew we needed to take a customer-centric approach. Building strong relationships with our clients – both existing and new – was essential to our strategy, alongside expanding internationally and taking the company to new markets and new clients, to create a more sustainable future for the company.”
Volatile environments require a new approach to devising strategy
Business Leaders should always have a focus on their customers as part of their business strategy, with careful consideration given to creating solutions to their problems, listening to their wants and needs, and how as a business, you can help your clients achieve their goals.
“Since becoming CEO, my day-to-day role has changed, but my attitude has not. People – whether the Aurum team or our clients – remain at the heart of every decision I make. I’m fortunate enough to have had a varied and interesting career, spanning events to advertising, fintech to fruit. I’ve built and sold my own businesses, created strategies, mentored teams, and so much more. This puts me in a unique position when our clients come to us with a specific challenge to tackle by drawing on my own experience, as well as those of our wider team, to develop a solution. In the long run, this allows Aurum to be seen as a problem-solving business and crucial to our clients’ strategies. In the long-run, this can only be a good thing for our own success.”
Create data-driven decisions
“At Aurum, we specialise in data – consolidating it, reconciling it, and presenting it in an easy-to-digest format. Our software tackles unimaginable levels of data on a daily basis for clients. So, we know the power that data holds and the ramifications of incorrect business data on wider decisions,” remarks Tiago.
To not only survive but thrive amid uncertainty, businesses must embrace data as a powerful tool to identify, assess, and mitigate risks. But increasing volumes and complexity, paired with strict regulations, means that ensuring the integrity of data is impossible to achieve manually, which is why they have developed a solution which eradicates risks of errors. By automating the process, it frees up finance teams, and senior leadership teams, to instead focus on what the data is saying rather than trying to process it, leading to better and more accurate strategies.