Robert Xu — VP Product at APEX Network

Hello everybody, Robert here!

Jimmy and Richard started the Behind the Scenes series, and we’ve been pleased to see that it’s been received well by you guys in the community. Aimed at providing transparency as to what’s actually happening and how we work here at APEX, I’m pleased to be going next! In this post I will aim to provide you with some insights into who I am and what I do here at APEX, as well as touch base on a couple of topics that have been part of community discussions.

Which piece am I in the APEX puzzle?

As VP of Product of APEX Technologies and APEX Network, I am responsible for managing all of our product teams — these include teams focused on data and blockchain application, blockchain project management, enterprise data analysis and customer data utilisation and analysis. We highly value a good communication flow within our organization, and to facilitate this I spend most of my mornings in successive meetings with the different product teams, at least three each day.

In the afternoon I seek out and explore new projects and ideas in the application of data and blockchain technology. I feel that if you want to stay on top of the game you must remain open to new ideas and constantly seek to improve. While data analysis is certainly not something new, the technological advances I’ve witnessed throughout my years in the field have changed the way we approach it almost completely, with blockchain and machine learning being the latest and maybe most interesting advances so far. Machine learning was the focus of my studies in college, and I’m glad to say that we over at APEX make great use of it for customer data analysis and grouping, helping enterprises realize the full potential of the data the customers provide.

Another thing that I feel is important is setting aside time to work hands-on to improve the service we provide our customers. In line with this, the rest of my afternoon is usually reserved for our sales and project managers, working together to address project-specific questions and issues with our enterprise customers, ensuring both are dealt with in the best way possible. As Jimmy has mentioned earlier we’re constantly on the lookout for talented additions to our team, so I often end my day interviewing a prospective candidate.

If there should happen to be some spare time available in the evenings or weekends I usually pursue one of my favourite pastimes, which include running, swimming, climbing or simply enjoying a good book.