Chief Executive Officer, ABBYY Group
S1:E14 - ABBYY: A CEO's Perspective on Leading Digital Transformation
In this episode, I'm speaking with Ulf Persson, the CEO of the intelligent document processing company ABBYY, about what it ...
About Ulf Persson
In March 2025, Persson announced the opening of ABBYY’s first AI research and development center in Bengaluru, India, describing the city as having “one of the world's best pools of AI Talent.” He stated that the company is “investing heavily in AI” and aims to be the “absolute market leader in document centric AI powered document centric process automation.” Persson said the expansion was motivated by access to talent, the local ecosystem of developers and system integrators, and the potential to grow India as a market. In earlier interviews, Persson discussed the pace of AI development relative to regulation, saying that “a technology that is developing at breakneck speed” has outpaced the “regulatory and audit framework.” He argued that AI applications must make sense from the user’s perspective, be financially viable, and be “safe,” with results that are “auditable and consistent and unbiased.” Persson also emphasized the importance of defining clear success criteria before undertaking digital transformation, noting that “just the fact that we can do it doesn't necessarily mean that we should do it.”
Transcript (31 segments)
A
Alan Bernard0:11
Welcome to the Inside Digital Transformation podcast. I'm your host Alan Bernard, a technology journalist. Today I'm speaking with Ulf Persson, CEO of ABBYY, about leading digital transformation from the top down. Digital transformation involves bottom-up adoption of new technologies but requires top-down leadership to integrate with existing systems and further organizational goals. The CEO sets the vision. Thank you for being here.
U
Ulf Persson1:18
Yeah, I'm very happy to be here.
A
Alan Bernard1:21
Let's start with your definition of digital transformation. It's different for everyone. What definition do you keep in mind as you make decisions?
U
Ulf Persson1:52
It's a good question. Keeping it simple, it's in the name: digital and transformation. It's about changes in how companies interact with customers and employees using digital technology to automate and improve processes. You do it to drive customer satisfaction and revenue, and to make internal processes more effective and less labor-intensive. With machine learning and intelligent automation, we've turbocharged that ability. But you must understand the purpose and success criteria first.
A
Alan Bernard2:46
I have one I throw out in every podcast: using digital technologies to change the status quo. That's my definition.
U
Ulf Persson2:53
Changing the status quo is absolutely true. We're at an inflection point. Most enterprises have developed processes over time, but with advanced technologies like AI, you can transform faster. You need to decide where to get the biggest bang for your buck, focus on core processes, evaluate, learn, and take the next steps.
A
Alan Bernard6:21
How do you define payback? Top-line growth, bottom-line savings?
U
Ulf Persson6:33
It depends on what it is. For automating support processes, success is how well the customer feels served. You risk losing the human touch if you automate poorly. You have to consider unintended consequences.
A
Alan Bernard7:48
Does it have to be better than the existing process, or just meet a demand? For example, a bank app that feeds into legacy systems – is that an improvement?
U
Ulf Persson8:33
It is an improvement because if you don't offer digital services, you won't remain in business. Fintechs set the agenda. In banking, internal systems are often a ragbag of old systems. We're only at the beginning of digital transformation.
A
Alan Bernard11:22
When I started 20 years ago it was about streamlining operations. Now the user is front and center. How do you decide where to focus resources when you have heterogeneous IT environments – customer-facing or back-end?
U
Ulf Persson12:31
It's both. Today, business units determine needs with SaaS, but there must be strong centralized control and a digital transformation strategy. You balance quick time-to-value from business units with long-term platform strategy from IT.
A
Alan Bernard16:40
This is a nice segue. Why does leadership matter? As CEO, the buck stops with you. How do you set direction?
U
Ulf Persson17:11
Ultimately yes, but decisions are prepared by those who know best. The leadership team ensures everything hangs together. CEOs need to be more tech-savvy but should focus on outcomes, not technology. Start with the problem, not the technology.
A
Alan Bernard20:46
Are you familiar with design thinking? Is it along those lines?
U
Ulf Persson21:22
Yes, you start with what you're solving for. Without the right people and processes, technology is irrelevant. Once you have that, the technical decisions become important.
A
Alan Bernard22:47
How do you set a vision that encompasses technology, people, process, and customers?
U
Ulf Persson23:06
In fiercely competitive markets, you need to be very clear about who you are and what problem you're solving. You laser focus and sometimes say no to customers or internal proposals that deviate from the strategy. That's your north star.
A
Alan Bernard26:20
How do you know you're right?
U
Ulf Persson26:31
Three ways: analyze before decisions, trust people closest to the problem, and sometimes go with your gut. If you're wrong, fail fast and correct. Leadership is about channeling the best decisions using the know-how in the organization.
A
Alan Bernard29:57
You hear a lot about data-driven decision making, but the data doesn't make the decision – you do.
U
Ulf Persson30:23
Yes, you inform yourself with data like telemetry from customer usage. Data-driven decisions are important, but sometimes leaders have to make visionary decisions that can't be based on data. It's about listening to customers.
A
Alan Bernard31:55
Do you feel it's more challenging to be a leader today?
U
Ulf Persson32:10
In one way yes, because everything happens at a higher pace. You can't procrastinate. On the other hand, we have access to more information. On balance, it's more difficult because of competition and velocity, but it's a good challenge.
A
Alan Bernard34:15
Yeah, there was a time you could run an idea for 50 years. Those times seem over.
U
Ulf Persson34:32
Definitely when it comes to technology.
A
Alan Bernard34:38
Did we miss anything you'd like to bring up?
U
Ulf Persson34:43
No, I think it's been a good conversation. Hope we covered useful points.
A
Alan Bernard34:57
Thank you very much for your time today.
U
Ulf Persson35:01
No, thank you, Alan. Appreciate it.
A
Alan Bernard35:03
If you like this episode, please tell your friends and check out our other shows. You can find InsideDT on all major platforms. Talk to you soon.