How a country can become a leader in technology and innovation

According to EY alumnus Boris Podolsky, the key to a country becoming a leader in technology and innovation is people.

Policy makers are operating in a rapidly changing world. Digital disruption, changing demographics, urbanization and increasing citizen expectations are all making technological innovation a necessity rather than a welcome addition. How can countries embrace technology and innovation effectively, and thrive in today’s ever-changing world?

Boris Podolsky is an EY alumnus and now Chief Operating Officer at Rusnano, a joint-stock company established and owned by the Government of Russia with the aim of commercializing developments in nanotechnology. According to Boris, the key to a country becoming a leader in technology and innovation is people.

He also adds that recruiting the right people isn’t easy. “By definition,” Boris says, “talent is a rare resource and, with any rare resource, it's hard to find and hard to harvest.”

In today’s fast-paced world, it is even more important that we find the right people who actually want to do things better and faster, and the technology that can make it happen. However, “People always come first, technology second; it never works the other way round", says Boris.

Education and environment are competitive differentiators

Investing in people by providing the right education, establishing the right institutions and having the right processes is what Boris believes will bring the talents up the chain and “make them sparkle.”

While education is a start, more important is creating a competitive spirit and a conducive environment – one where people “feel loved, needed and can get remunerated for what they do.”

In the absence of such an environment, “no matter how good your education is, people would leave", says Boris.