Leading With Intent: Amit Mehta, CEO And MD of AQe Digital, on AI, Culture, and Global Growth

1 When you think about the next three years whatrsquos a ldquomoonshotrdquo goal for the company that others might call unrealisticFor me a moonshot goal is not about chasing a number but about redefining the scale of the digital transformations we offer to our clients Over the next three years my goal is to achieve 30037 growth for AQe Digital while expanding meaningfully across global markets not as a vendor but as a strategic transformation partnerWhat many might call unrealistic is doing this without diluting culture quality and trust But growth should amplify who we are not distort it If we can scale our business offerings across global markets while deepening client relationships strengthening leadership depth and maintaining engineering excellence and culture then the moonshot may be a small feat And the sky is not the limit2 How has AI changed the role of client success from a cost center to a measurable driver of growthFor a long time client success was seen by many industry leaders as an insurancelike function necessary reactive and mainly defensive AI has transformed this perspective by shifting client success from just responding to issues to proactively anticipating outcomesAt AQe Digital we had been proactive on client success since the beginning The introduction of AI has only amplified our focus on the proactiveness enabling us to detect early signs like drops in usage staffing mismatches compliance issues or inefficiencies turning them into actionable insightsAn example of this is RotaWiz an allinone NDIScompliant rostering and management software for Australian disability support providers we built using AI We reduced the development cycles for clients leveraging tools like GitHub Copilot Cursor and Google Antigravity3 How do you help organizations move from AI experimentation to tangible measurable business impactI believe in intent Let me give you an example If a tortoise experiments with flying and a fish experiments with walking in a desert both are doomed to fail Likewise if the intent of AI experimentation does not align with the business goal it will not deliver a measurable impactThis is where Friedrich Nietzsches philosophy of will to power comes into play According to Friedrich Nietzsche every living being has a desire to grow which keeps them going Applying this to the AI experimentation approach if the business is not experimenting for tangible growth the impact will not align with the goalsI make sure the organizational goals are clear and that parameters are set to evaluate what AI experimentation offers Is it tangible And by ensuring every AI experimentation project follows a pathway to tangible growth we at AQe Digital are assuring client success4 What kind of culture do you believe produces the best results and how do you protect that culture under stressI believe the best culture is one that reveals people not restrains them At AQe Digital culture is built on ownership and clarity but its real purpose is deeper It is about creating an environment where people feel confident enough to bring out parts of themselves they did not even know they hadEvery individual carries inhibitions selfdoubt and untapped potential My role as a leader is to remove the fear of judgment so that capability can surface I stay closely involved with teams not to supervise but to participate When leaders step into the arena alongside their teams it signals safety That is when fresh perspectives hidden skills and unexpected leadership begin to emergeDiversity plays a critical role in this When teams are composed of different experiences and viewpoints people stop trying to fit a mold and start contributing authentically This is why inclusivity at AQe Digital is not a policy but a lived reality reflected in strong representation of women across leadership engineering and delivery rolesCulture is truly tested under stress Anyone can talk about values when things are calm The real measure is how people respond when pressure rises In those moments our teams do not fragment or panic They close ranks They complement each otherrsquos strengths They act with calm intentThat is how we protect culture Not by enforcing it but by living it so consistently that it becomes instinctive Even in uncertainty the culture holds And when culture holds performance follows5 Whatrsquos your philosophy on maintaining high standards without driving burnout Where do you draw the lineFor me high standards are not about pressure they are about purpose Pressure exhausts people but purpose energizes them When standards are imposed without meaning they lead to burnout But when standards are connected to a shared mission they become a source of prideI draw the line where effort stops creating value and starts creating fatigue At AQe Digital I constantly ask one question Is this challenge sharpening our people or slowly dulling them If the pursuit of excellence begins to compromise curiosity creativity or health then the standard itself needs to be questionedHigh standards should stretch people not strain them Growth like muscle happens through tension followed by recovery Without recovery even the strongest systems collapse6 As AQe Digital expands across regions and industries how do you ensure local relevanceExpansion is not about replicating a template across geographies but translating intent into context A strategy that works in one market may survive in another but relevance only thrives when listening comes before executionAt AQe Digital we treat every new region as a learning ground We invest time in understanding local business realities cultural nuances and decisionmaking patterns This allows us to operate with a global mindset but a local conscienceTrue global expansion happens when your values remain consistent but your expressions evolve So we cocreate each solution with the local ecosystem ensuring relevance and scale without compromising on the quality7 How are you ensuring continuous upskilling at AQe Digital to keep pace with rapid technological changeI view upskilling as a longterm capabilitybuilding exercise rather than a shortterm response to technological change In a technologydriven organization the ability to evolve skills systematically determines sustained relevanceAt AQe Digital we are deliberate about where we focus our learning efforts We align skill development with our clients strategic direction and the platforms and technologies that will shape enterprise transformation over the coming years This ensures that learning is purposeful and directly connected to business impactAnd to encourage such purposeful learning we have a policy of paid courses allowing team members to avail themselves of any advanced course at our expense Equally important we emphasize application over accumulationLearning that does not translate into realworld execution remains theoretical Our teams are expected to apply new skills within live projects under real constraints so competence develops through experience rather than abstractionPlus we also have live sessions for team members to have a community learning experience For example we recently had a threeday live AI session from an expert like Vaibhav Sisinty8 How do you encourage teams to think like founders while operating within a structured enterprise environmentA founder mindset begins where comfort ends It is shaped by conviction From my perspective structure should never dilute ambition but should sharpen itNietzsche spoke about growth as an act of self overcoming I apply this idea by placing people in situations where they must think beyond execution and confront consequence At AQe Digital teams are not shielded from difficult decisions They are trusted with them When individuals are given real ownership they evolve They stop optimizing for approval and start optimizing for outcomesMachiavelli on the other hand understood that ambition without order leads to fragility That is why we design systems that reward judgment and initiative thrives because people understand the rules of engagement and the cost of failureTeams act decisively assess risk with clarity and take responsibility for the consequences of their choices They are encouraged to challenge assumptions but also to defend their decisions with logic and results This balance between autonomy and structure is what sustains a founder mindset at scale

Leading With Intent: Amit Mehta, CEO And MD of AQe Digital, on AI, Culture, and Global Growth

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Leading With Intent: Amit Mehta, CEO And MD of AQe Digital, on AI, Culture, and Global Growth

Other Articles

Mid-Day Fast