With ECI’s IT Director and Growth Specialist for Cyber commemorating his 25th year at ECI, we wanted to celebrate the work he does both at ECI and across our portfolio. We asked members of the ECI team what Ash Patel brings to ECI and the transformation he has led internally.
For many years, IT and Cyber has been an area of incredible change, and with Ash’s foresight, passion and hard work, ECI has kept ahead of this. Not only does he continue to evolve our own tech infrastructure, but he has also developed a leading offer to our portfolio companies. Ash makes these step changes with such a calm and mindful approach, that you don’t often notice how much has changed until after the fact, so it is fantastic to have an opportunity to recognise the progress he’s delivered!
Ash has a knack for realising how essential something is before everyone else. He was well ahead of the curve on cyber and had already passed all his certifications by the time others were starting to truly understand the threat. When we went into lockdown and all our infrastructure was in the cloud and secure, it became abundantly clear the value of Ash having pushed for investing in the migration before it was needed. And now, Ash and I are working closely on AI and he clearly understands the value of the infrastructure that sits beneath AI and the importance of responsible AI. He is a prescient and hugely supportive influence within ECI.
As the whole ECI team would agree, it’s been a real pleasure working with Ash for the 25 years he has been at ECI. He has delivered transformational change for ECI and a best-in-class technology environment. He has also developed a formidable skill set in cyber and provides fantastic advice to the ECI portfolio, helping us all to beat the ever-increasing cyber threats we face.
Hopefully, Ash will be continuing his ECI journey for many years to come helping us to harness the amazing AI and technology opportunities available whilst at the same time, keeping us all safe and secure.
Ash is amazing at working closely with our portfolio company tech leaders and their teams to help them assess and improve their cyber posture. He has built out the framework we use to assess what good looks like (pre and post deal), implemented benchmarking across the portfolio, cultivated close relationships with portfolio teams as well as vendors and service providers so that ECI can identify where cyber investment is needed, and support the portfolio in their progression. Management teams in the portfolio love his input, they find it helpful and constructive – which sums Ash up really, he is always eager to help and brings great, practical, action-orientated solutions.
25 years at ECI! Congratulations on your remarkable journey! Ash has seen a lot of changes and growth throughout the years, including moving offices at least 6 times! The stories he could tell… As much as Ash’s role has evolved over the years, he still wants to know about the day-to-day. Working with Ash is easy. He has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve, but is always open to new suggestions. Ash is always up for a chat. He loves talking about tasty food, exciting holidays, and the latest movies. Ask him about it!
