The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. ”
- Socrates
CSUITE
Welcome to CSUITE, Reputations' interview with some of the movers and shakers among our clients. Check out this month’s interview with Magnus Alvarsson, Atos Origin’s Chief IT Integrator for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games—the tech expert tasked with keeping the Games’ IT on track.
March - Magnus Alvarsson
Q. From the standpoint of reputation, what is the legacy left by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games?
Apart from me having learned the Canadian national anthem, you mean.
I think that the Vancouver Games, by not trying to compete with the size of the Beijing Games, are on a more human scale. Everything from cost of the Games to their impact on the environment has been considered.
I think the legacy of the Vancouver Games has been to show that the Olympic Games do not have to grow and become more expensive every time to be very successful. This proves that the Games can become much more sustainable.
Q. Do the Paralympic Games pose additional challenges for your work in Vancouver?
The main challenge of the Paralympic Games is that our technical team is tired after spending so much effort on the Olympic Games. Now that the Olympic Games are over, we have less than ten days to switch everything over and to be prepared for the Opening Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games.
To make this switch and prepare ourselves to run another flawless mega-event with tired people is the biggest challenge.
Q. Where is your home town?
I come from a small town in southern Sweden called Växjö that has about 60,000 residents. Even though Vancouver and my hometown literally is a world apart, I can honestly say that I feel very much at home in Vancouver. The weather, the people and the taxes are very similar, so for me it was very easy to feel at home in Vancouver from the first day.
Q. What is your favourite “Canadian” custom or icon?
I grew up in Sweden dreaming about coming to Canada to play hockey in the NHL, so my favorite Canadian custom is hockey—and what it means to Canada and Canadians. Every time I see the Canadian maple leaf I think about hockey, and having lived here now for four years I have begun to realize just how important hockey is to Canada.
Q. When the Atos Origin team leaves Vancouver for the next Olympic Games what are you hoping people will say about them?
I hope that the people who worked for us in Vancouver will have fond memories of Atos Origin being a good and fair employer that treated them well, and helped to give them the experience of a lifetime.
With regards to VANOC and the other partners, I hope they will say that our professionalism and expertise really helped them to put on the Games. I also hope and believe that they will remember us as team players that were always prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that the technology of the Olympic Games was flawless.
Archives