Seven Labs Technology congratulates Jean Smith on his promotion to Chief Technology Officer

Seven Labs Technology is congratulating Jean Smith on his promotion to Chief Technology Officer. Jean’s path has run from engineer to technical manager and now to CTO, and it’s the kind of growth that’s worth pausing on.

Jean’s interest in electronics started in childhood, and he went on to earn his degree at the University of Pretoria. Ask him what actually prepared him for leadership, though, and he doesn’t point to a classroom. “The most rewarding part of the journey has been the experience I gained along the way,” he says. Working across design, component sales, and kitting at Seven Labs taught him to think about market viability, not just the engineering brief.

His advice to engineers earlier in their careers is practical, not inspirational-poster material: “Work hard and don’t get discouraged when things don’t work out at first. Persistence always pays off.” Some things, he says, you only learn by doing the work.

Jean is watching energy storage and solar technology closely as the next interesting frontier. Outside of work, he plays keyboard, badly by his own account, but often.

The whole Seven Labs team is glad to see Jean’s technical expertise and leadership recognised. It says something about where the company is headed.