Roman Meydrbay

Please introduce your organization and describe your role as VP of IT.

I lead global IT support and workplace operations for healthcare and med-tech organizations. My role is operational. I am responsible for uptime, security alignment, compliance readiness, service performance, and team health. I manage distributed teams across the U.S. and Europe. I set service standards, define escalation paths, review metrics weekly, and align IT roadmaps with business priorities. My job is to make sure technology works reliably in regulated environments where failure has real consequences.

How is your IT organization structured – in-house, outsourced, or hybrid?

It is hybrid. Core architecture, security oversight, compliance governance, and leadership are in-house. Certain service desk tiers and infrastructure support functions may be augmented by external partners when scale requires it. I prefer to keep decision-making, risk ownership, and compliance accountability internal. Vendors support capacity. They do not own strategy.

How do you differentiate your IT leadership approach in a crowded field?

I focus on operational clarity and employee experience at the same time. Many teams optimize for ticket closure speed. I optimize for friction reduction. We track resolution time, but we also track recurring issue categories and root causes. We measure satisfaction after incidents. We document lessons learned after integrations. The difference is discipline around listening and iteration.

Which industries do you primarily serve, and how has that focus evolved?

My experience is concentrated in healthcare and med-tech. These sectors require compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, SOX, HITRUST, and ISO 27001. Earlier in my career, I was more focused on general IT operations. Over time, I specialized in regulated environments because the constraints create better operators. There is less room for shortcuts.

What services or outcomes are most in demand from your teams?

Three areas: merger and acquisition integration, compliance alignment, and workplace productivity improvement. During integrations, clients need systems consolidated without downtime. During audits, they need documented controls and clean evidence trails. On the operational side, they need stable identity management, endpoint management, and secure collaboration tools.

How do you stay ahead of industry shifts when information moves fast?

I rely less on trend reports and more on pattern recognition. I review incident data weekly. I review audit findings quarterly. I talk directly to frontline engineers and support staff. Signals show up internally before they show up in headlines. Most major problems start as small repeated annoyances.

Do you see repeat engagement from the organizations you support? Why?

Yes. Continuity builds trust. Once a team has gone through an integration or audit cycle together, the relationship deepens. We document processes clearly. We set service level agreements that are realistic. We communicate early when something shifts. Predictability drives loyalty.

How do you measure and ensure satisfaction?

We use post-incident surveys and quarterly pulse checks. We review ticket reopen rates. We track mean time to resolution and mean time between recurring issues. Numbers alone are not enough. I also schedule short feedback sessions with department leads. Silence is not a metric. It is a risk signal.

What kind of post-project support do you provide?

After major integrations, we run stabilization periods. That includes weekly check-ins, issue logs, and performance reviews for 60 to 90 days. For compliance cycles, we maintain documentation repositories and audit trails so the next review is smoother than the last.

How is budgeting and cost management handled in your function?

IT budgeting is typically annual with quarterly reviews. Costs include personnel, licensing, infrastructure, security tooling, and vendor contracts. Large initiatives are scoped in phases. I prefer milestone-based funding tied to measurable outcomes rather than open-ended spend.

What cost ranges do projects typically involve, and how do you balance value?

Exact figures vary by organization size and scope. Integration projects can scale significantly depending on infrastructure complexity. The balance comes from reducing rework. A well-planned rollout costs less over time than a rushed one that must be rebuilt.

Do you decline projects based on scope or constraints?

Yes. If leadership is unwilling to align on governance or allocate proper resources, the risk becomes too high. Minimum requirements include executive sponsorship, documented scope, and clear accountability.

What major challenges have you faced recently, and how did you address them?

Integration fatigue and burnout. Work volume increased while expectations remained high. I addressed it by adjusting cadence. Fewer large meetings. More focused working sessions. Clearer priority tiers. We removed non-essential initiatives during peak cycles.

How do you foster innovation under heavy compliance constraints?

Innovation happens within guardrails. We pilot changes with limited user groups. We document risk assessments before scaling. Constraints force creativity. They do not eliminate it.

What role does culture play in performance?

Culture determines whether issues surface early. I build culture around clarity. Expectations are documented. Escalation paths are clear. Feedback is encouraged in small groups. Consistency builds psychological safety.

Where do you see your organization in five to ten years?

More automation in routine tasks. Stronger identity governance. Fewer manual workflows. Leaner support models supported by better documentation. Compliance will become more continuous rather than event-driven.

How has your leadership style evolved?

Earlier in my career, I moved fast and assumed logic would win. After a failed process rollout that lacked user input, I adjusted. Now I test small. I listen first. I move deliberately during high-risk transitions.

What emerging technologies are most relevant to your work?

Automation in access management and AI-assisted incident triage. These tools reduce repetitive workload. They must be implemented carefully to avoid new risk exposure.

What advice would you give to aspiring IT leaders?

Build reliability in hard moments. Lead during audits and outages. Document everything. Ask frontline teams what slows them down. Technical skill gets you promoted. Operational clarity keeps you effective.