IST Department

Department spotlight: IST

A people-first philosophy makes Concert Properties an award-winning workplace. This month we interviewed Joe Wong, VP, Information Systems and Technology (IST) to answer a few questions about his team of 20 extraordinary employees that contribute to the company’s success.

In your own words, please describe what your team does.

IST partners and collaborates with departments and employees to solve business or technology problems and deliver effective solutions.

What is something most people don’t know about your team?

  1. We’re a bunch of foodies.
  2. Our team is globally diverse, with members from Mexico, Philippines, India, Pakistan, UK and China.
  3. We’re very competitive when it comes to pitch and putt golf and Halloween pumpkin carving.

What is a recent/notable accomplishment your team is proud of?

There are two that stand out. The first is part of our digital transformation, the Property Management Modernization project. This was a great example of cross-team collaboration with the property management team to modernize and optimize the residential property management process, enabling their team to deliver an even better customer service experience to our residents.

The second accomplishment is the introduction of the IST Service Portal. We streamlined and modernized how we handle technology requests. We now have a portal where users can submit and track technology requests and instantly receive updates on their requests.

How does your team foster collaboration and teamwork amongst team members?

We do this in a variety of ways. We host quarterly town halls to share IST and company news, celebrate team success together, invite guest speakers, encourage open discussion on any subject and hold annual team building events.

We also arrange monthly meetings with other departments to foster an open and collaborative relationship.

How has your team evolved over the past few years?

We’ve become a much more cohesive and tighter knit team, and I believe we’ve really grown and improved all aspects of IST project management and service delivery.

What are some unique skills that someone should have to be successful on your team?

  1. An appreciation for collaboration and teamwork – success is a team sport.
  2. A love for learning, along with an open mindset.
  3. A strong sense of empathy and customer service.
  4. A great sense of humour – don’t take yourself too seriously.