With over three decades navigating the volatile world of IT infrastructure and transformation, Roy Lovli knows that while technology moves fast, people often need time to catch up. As Vice President at Kyndryl, he is tasked with guiding major organizations through the AI revolution while simultaneously serving as the company’s Lead Champion for Culture. Here, Roy discusses the critical gap between tech readiness and human capability, why he schedules dedicated learning time for his team, and how riding motorbikes helps him truly disconnect from the digital noise.
You’ve spent over 30 years leading large IT teams and complex transformation projects. What does a typical day look like for you now as VP at Kyndryl? How do you prioritise focus and clarity across such a broad remit?
As VP of Kyndryl Consult and Practices, my focus is on strengthening how we guide customers and how we deliver the work that supports them across Australia and New Zealand. There’s no such thing as a “typical day”; customer engagements shape my priorities and keep me focused on what matters most.
A big part of my role is ensuring alignment across stakeholders. That means working closely with our Practice Leaders and Consult Partners to understand customer dynamics, their challenges, ambitions, and where they are on their modernisation journey – and then determining how we can complement them effectively.
To help customers move with speed and clarity, we often perform rapid assessments that give them a clear picture of their technology maturity and the next steps they can take. This creates a strong starting point and sets the foundation for deeper, higher-value work.
We also have a huge amount of expertise and IP inside Kyndryl. My priority is making sure we bring that to customers in a way that sparks curiosity and opens meaningful conversations.
You also serve as Kyndryl’s Lead Champion for Culture. What does that role mean in practice, and how do you ensure culture remains a living part of the organisation, not just a set of values on paper?
Culture is something we bring to life in every part of our work. When we created Kyndryl, we deliberately put empathy at the centre of our culture, The Kyndryl Way. A major part of that is being flat, fast and focused, so everyone has the opportunity to contribute. It’s a culture that grows from the ground-up, not just from leadership down.
I’m also proud of our Kyndryl Inclusion Networks (KINs). These are company-sponsored, employee-led resource groups that create safe spaces for connection, support and advice. They play a vital role in building community, both internally and externally. They help people feel their work has purpose and aligns with our values. Collectively, the team has volunteered approximately 1,200 hours of their time in the last 12 months to support various causes and communities.
Technology moves fast, but people and systems take time to evolve. How do you balance innovation and execution — making sure your teams move boldly without burning out?
Technology moves quickly, but people and systems need time to adapt. Kyndryl’s 2025 Readiness Report shows this tension clearly: while 92% of Australian leaders expect AI to completely reshape jobs within the next year, more than half say their organisations are struggling to keep pace. The most pressing concerns centre on people – building their skills, strengthening human capabilities, and supporting employees whose roles are being reshaped by AI.
In my role, I focus on ensuring our teams don’t lose sight of Kyndryl’s heritage in innovation and execution. We run mission-critical systems and hold decades of deep engineering expertise. Maintaining that strength requires both bold moves and thoughtful pacing.
To support this, we deliberately create bandwidth for learning. We’ve introduced dedicated time each week for training and education, particularly in fast-moving areas like AI, so learning becomes part of the rhythm of work, not something added on top of an already busy schedule.
We also focus heavily on learning by doing. We bring in experts in evolving domains and form growth squads, enabling people to build capability on the job by working alongside specialists as new technologies are introduced.
For our customers, Kyndryl’s new advisory and implementation services, underpinned by the Kyndryl Agentic AI Framework, are designed specifically to help organisations pair innovation with organisational change management. By helping customers redefine workflows, build confidence and capability, and create engaging interactions between people and AI agents, we guide leaders through the cultural and operational shifts required to scale agentic AI responsibly.
You’ve led through multiple eras of digital change, from legacy infrastructure to AI and cloud transformation. What habits or mindsets have helped you stay adaptable and curious over the years?
Maintaining a customer-first mindset is what leads me to where I am today. Early on, I learned the importance of complementing the customer’s agenda rather than pushing a particular technology.
Throughout our work in complex integrations, I’ve always believed in staying technology-agnostic. That was a major strength when we first built trust with customers, and it remains essential today – bringing the right technologies to bear gives you freedom in the conversation and keeps the focus where it should be: on the customer’s outcomes.
A growth mindset has been equally important. Rapid change can feel intimidating or energising; I choose the latter. I’m curious about what new technologies can actually deliver, and I focus on the bigger picture of how they create value over time.
That mindset has also shaped how we operate in A/NZ. Instead of being constrained by a fixed set of technologies, we’ve now built a strong partner ecosystem that enables us to stay agile and innovative in supporting our customers’ transformation journeys and unlocking new opportunities for them.
With a career advising and managing technology for major organisations, what lessons have you learned about leadership and resilience in high-pressure, high-change environments?
I believe that remaining authentic and consistent are what enable you to thrive in high-pressure, high-change environments. When you’re true to yourself, you’ll be true to others regardless of pressure.
Outside of work, what helps you decompress and maintain balance? Are there routines, hobbies, or small daily practices that keep you grounded amid the constant pace of tech?
I make a very conscious effort to keep working at work. For me, maintaining balance starts with being present outside of work and protecting time with loved ones.
I also have a few hobbies that help me switch off. Riding my motorbike keeps me focused and fully present, and playing guitar gives me a creative outlet and a way to reset.
Whenever possible, I spend as much time in nature as I can. Whether that’s getting outdoors for a ride or simply stepping away from screens and noise, it helps me recharge and maintain balance so I can return to work focused and energised.
