Peter Wiles - A man with a 'software' heart

Officially, his role is best summed up as providing technical direction and overseeing all software development in the company from a technical perspective - but it goes far deeper than that.

"I love software development, the creativity, the problem solving and the ultimate result of building something useful. Software development has turned out to be everything I hoped it would be - fun, creative, collaborative, technically challenging and very satisfying."

That's probably why he is a perfect fit at Chillisoft. The company is essentially a boutique software development house and prides itself in developing innovative software solutions and products using Microsoft technologies. The focus is on operational excellence, agile software development practices and lean thinking. In essence, the company believes in changing the world by changing how business is done.

"Mindful processes, authentic relationships and core values of kindness, working hard at mastery and having fun underpin our daily quest for technical excellence. We love the challenges shaped by the rapid pace of business innovation and keeping knowledge workers engaged in their crafts. We leverage technology to build solutions that add measurable business value," reads the welcoming message on the Chillisoft website.

Wiles admits that programming is in his blood. He learned to program in BASIC at the age of just six.

"My father bought an Apple computer in 1984 with a pension pay out he received when he moved from high-school teaching to an HR job. That purchase, and the exposure to computer magazines and programming books he bought, has paid dividends many many times over with both me and my brother taking up careers in software development," he recalls.

When asked to pick out what he likes most about his job, Wiles comes up with just one word - coding. Then he adds: "Strategising about business models, designing go-to-market strategies and creating grand visions for software projects are all great, but they don't have anything on the deep intricacies found in code. My brain thrives on those!"

What the team at CoreBiz - and especially Anujah and Brett Powell - also gave him was the people factor.

"The people at Chillisoft are all fully committed to growth. I believe we contribute to the industry by growing skills for KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. Of course, we build software that is useful to our customers, but the permanent change we make will be in the people we usher into the world of professional software development, product design and other fields in knowledge work. There is also an incredible amount of innovation happening within Chillisoft at the moment with multiple product ideas at a time being run through an innovation process - hopefully some of these will help knowledge workers in their jobs and so create more capacity in South Africa."

Overall, Wiles believes he is a strong conceptual thinker. "I am good at synthesizing disparate elements into a coherent whole. At heart I think that is my core strength. My management style is collaborative - I find I do best when I work with others to achieve something."

His motto in life is divided into three - kindness and respect for others is the starting point, followed by working hard at learning about the world and oneself and then remembering to laugh at oneself. His wife helps a lot with all three!

Outside of work, Wiles admits that he has a lot in common with his fellow software developers. "I enjoy board games and video games - there's something about working within a set of rules and trying to understand them inside out that appeals to me. I also love music of all forms and reading - specifically economic history at the moment."