On 20th July 2023, Spark hosted a roundtable event themed "Building Influence to Become a Trusted Advisor," where we discussed effective strategies for engaging with executive and board stakeholders on technology roadmap options. Key points included:

• Building Trust: Using the right level of detail and mechanisms to foster trust and alignment, avoiding confusion and disengagement.

• Honesty with Clients: Being a trusted advisor by acknowledging when a proposed technology or approach may not suit the client's needs, building long-term trust.

• Collaborative Teamwork: Working closely with sponsors, balancing short-term and long-term thinking, and quantifying intangible benefits like agility.