Six months into his role as MD of i5 Group, Stephen Green has no regrets about leaving software giant Microsoft to join a much smaller Microsoft solutions provider WHILE MOST would think being at the helm of Microsoft Business Solutions - the position he held before becoming i5 Group MD in mid-March - epitomises career success, Green says his new role suits him well.

Explaining his reasons for moving to i5, Green says: "Obviously there`s a personal agenda, and then there`s something I saw in i5 as a company.

"The thing that I liked about i5 as an organisation is the fact that it delivers on inspiration and innovation. I find it very leading edge in terms of the things that it is doing in the market. There`s a lot of out-of-the-box thinking inside of this organisation, there`s a lot of passion and enthusiasm and energy."

He adds: "At Microsoft, I was engaged with i5 to drive certain wins in the CRM space, and while I was at Microsoft I used them as an organisation to help me be successful, and was exposed to all of these exciting things."

Green says being in a smaller company has allowed him to have more of an influence than he could have had at Microsoft, as a large corporation moves more slowly.

"The neat thing about having worked at a company like Microsoft is that technology is your passion, and so you fit into a group of other technologists and we are very excited about what technology can do, whereas here I have that same passion, but now I have the opportunity to be engaged with customers."

Describing i5 as a "youthful organisation", Green says he has also found reward in being able to mentor people at the company. "I am able to give back to people, to share some of the knowledge that I got out of an incredible organisation called Microsoft. You don`t really appreciate what you learn while you`re there, because you`re in the trenches and you`re going through the motions. When you come out of the organisation you understand how incredibly detailed it is, and it is a wonderful organisation. But now I have the opportunity to take all those learnings and apply them to i5 and create a difference for this organisation and I can add some additional value, and that`s exciting."

Green praises what he calls a "think-big mentality" at i5. He says CEO Glen Ansell has achieved "some wonderful things in a short space of time" and the company has garnered an enviable list of accolades in its four-year history. Most recently, i5 became the first global winner of the Microsoft Partner of the Year award in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM category and was subsequently named the sole South African member of the 2008 Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle.

He adds that his role has not come without its challenges. He explains that the likes of Microsoft spends billions of rands on infrastructure, and so "things you take for granted are not there anymore" when moving to a small company. He has also been more exposed to the business side of processes rather than simply being a user.

Among other things, Green has been involved in putting into place proper business processes across the organisation, including implementing proper reporting practices. This, he says, will help the company manage its growth. He says the executive team wants to grow i5 into a meaningful and respected ICT player in SA.

"We have some aspirations to do offshore business - we have offices down in New Zealand and that business is in its infancy, but we`ve measured our investment there and we have some good opportunity in that market. If we capitalise on our recent global award we should see some really nice opportunity coming out of the New Zealand business. We are interested in Europe a little, so we`re exploring a few opportunities with Microsoft in that space as well."