This book was born out of a shared passion for technology and a clear conviction: digital transformation only creates real value when it is connected to business, leadership, and execution at scale.
The idea emerged naturally. When Zakaria Sankara, a young and talented engineer, with great determination and at early stages of a promising career, proposed that we collaborate on a project about connected industry. I told him something that proved decisive: there are plenty of technical manuals, but what is truly missing—especially in today’s context, where technology is challenging established structures, geopolitical balances are shifting, and industry is undergoing accelerated change—is a guide for managers and executives. A guide that shows how to lead and implement transformation in real industrial organizations. That gap became the spark that ignited this work.
At the same time, this book is also an example of diversity. It arises from the collaboration of two authors from different continents—Africa and Europe—with different native languages—French and Spanish—and complementary professional paths. This cultural and generational diversity has been a constant source of richness throughout the writing process, and it reflects the same conviction we defend: transformation requires integrating different perspectives in order to become a reality.
Halfway through the project, at the closing event of school of innovation in Madrid, I mentioned the book for the first time outside our small group—in a conversation with Aaron Reich, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Avanade, who appreciated the idea and noted that existing books on these topics needed to be renewed to match today ́s technological and geopolitical context. His reaction confirmed we were addressing a real need in the industry, encouraging me to keep going.
Each of us brought the best of our perspective. Zakaria Sankara contributed the energy,freshness, and technical pulse of a new generation, attentive to what is emerging and how to build it. I bring 25 years in the industry—fifteen of them in global roles—with a technical background that I have transformed into business vision and industrial development: from implementing in multinational organizations and scaling beyond pilots, to governing data, designing go-to-market strategies, establishing strategic partnerships, and measuring returns with P&L discipline. And above all, the ability to simplify complexity and make transformation work in practice, ensuring innovation leads to tangible results.
More than just writing, this has been a process of mutual learning. I shared with Zakaria Sankara the global vision, the business logic, and the discipline of execution; he brought me the fresh perspective to challenge inertia and the energy of a new generation for doing things differently. From that combination comes a practical framework for industrial leaders.
We chose to write in English—a third language for both of us—in order to open the conversation to an international audience. The result is not a technical manual, but an executive guide: what to prioritize, how to organize, how to measure, and how to scale digital transformation in industry. If this book helps you turn conversations into decisions—and decisions into results—then our shared experience will have fulfilled its purpose.