Meet Dejero’s Chief Technology Officer, Cameron Smith

In September 2022, Dejero named Cameron Smith as its new Chief Technology Officer. A genuine company success story, he has been a part of the Dejero team for many years.  Beginning as a software developer, he has been part of many of our key product advancements over the past decade.

We sat down with Cameron to learn more about his journey to CTO. 

Cameron, how did you get to where you are today?

I’ve been interested in computers and programming from a young age and excelled at math and science. That interest continued throughout my school years and eventually led me to study Computer Engineering and Management at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. I started my career at a semiconductor company that made digital signal processing chips for hearing aids. I worked there each summer during university and, once I graduated, stayed for 14 years.  

I generally went after opportunities to stretch myself whenever possible. Because software development was still new at this company, I was able to get in front of customers instead of just working behind the scenes. That allowed me to develop more soft skills and eventually lead the software team. I think it’s important to remain technical and capable of being hands-on even as you progress into management, which is why I went back and forth between management and development throughout my career. When I joined Dejero in 2013, I was a software developer and eventually progressed into leadership roles. 

You have seen firsthand the evolution of Dejero over the past decade. Is there something you’re particularly proud of? 

I’ve been a part of many significant advances in our platform, including the introduction of Dejero Control, our cloud-based management system. More recently, we’ve been working on unifying our video and connectivity platforms, which has allowed us to introduce GateWay Mode on the EnGo, which is a really popular feature with our customers. 

Our new GateWay 3.0 software is a major milestone in new functionality and improved performance that I’m also excited about. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback. That, combined with our new EnGo and WayPoint platforms, give us a solid foundation to build on in the coming months. 

As CTO,  how do you inspire your team to do their best work each day?

One of the best things about working at Dejero is that we have a robust, supportive, and inclusive environment across all levels and departments. We all need to work together to ensure the company’s success, and we let people do what they are best at without micromanaging. In my role, I work with great people on both the technology and business sides. That’s essential to ensure we have clear objectives aligned cross-functionally to deliver on our business goals. I meet with teams regularly and ensure they are supported and feel valued as individuals. I try to make sure everyone can see how their work directly impacts the happiness of our customers and moves us forward. 

I was fortunate to be mentored by our previous CTO, Todd Schneider, and continue to be surrounded by a strong executive leadership team to deliver on our vision of critical connectivity anywhere. 

Outside of work, what else are you passionate about?

I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife is also an engineer, and we have two kids who are in university, also studying engineering. I’m an avid runner, having run a few marathons, and I am starting to get into even longer distances. I also enjoy playing music – drums, percussion, and guitar.

Learn more about Field Connectivity in a 5G World by downloading our whitepaper.