Welcome to Hyosung’s employee spotlight! Our October Spotlight is on William Ward, Hyosung’s Software Engineering Manager. “William (Wills) Ward has been the Retail Software Development Manager for the last 2 years. During that time, Wills has shown himself to be an excellent contributor to Hyosung via his technical acumen, tireless effort, dedication and leadership of his team. These traits were on full display in October as Wills led a rapid response to a major customer issue. While not specifically an issue with Hyosung, Wills spearheaded our support of the customer, spending countless hours in the evenings and weekends assisting the customer troubleshooting the issue. Wills dedication and technical proficiency were widely recognized by the customer as was able to mitigate this significant issue.”” –Keith Lennard, Vice President, Software Development

Get to know Wills more below!

Q: How long have you worked at Hyosung? What was your start date?

A: I have worked at Hyosung for a little over two years. I started August 19, 2019.

Q: Can you tell us a little more about your background and how you joined the company in 2019?

A: I have been a software developer since I was 12, and since then I have worked in the education and payments industries. Prior to joining in 2019, I was working for a partnering software company, which distributed digital gift cards using the Hyosung retail ATMs. Through our partnership, I became well acquainted with the Hyosung retail team, and when the time came to part ways with my employer, Hyosung was of high interest to me.

Q: What was your first impression of Hyosung?

A: I was immediately impressed by the amount of hardware innovation. Hyosung does not shy from tackling difficult problems and productizing those solutions.

Q: Are there any important skills or attributes that are important for someone that wants to pursue a career as a Part Sales Director? Is there anything about your job or your team that you think people outside would find surprising or different in the way you/it works?

A: I think people are generally unfamiliar with the software development process. Writing code is one thing, but writing, maintaining, innovating, testing, and distributing a software product is much more complex. The process involves automated systems, management and planning systems, human processes, and of course maintaining a high-level of security awareness in each phase. Additionally, software is not always written only once. Sometimes a piece of code is written, and then later rewritten a few more times as the software evolves. This ensures that the product is always following the best and latest standards of software development.

Q: Can you tell us about your role and summarize your day-to-day responsibilities?

A: I supervise the development of all the retail products. This includes our three Windows CE applications, Visa II, MP2s Retail, MoniView, MoniMobile, TCRs, and of course, our upcoming retail products. I spend as much of my day writing code as possible, and the rest of the day is spent planning, organizing, and managing the team and roadmap of our products.

Q: What inspires you every day?

A: I become inspired when we change something for the better. Better, easier, and more secure are my top goals for our software products. When those goals come to fruition, it gives my team and myself a great deal of satisfaction.

Q: In 5 years what do you want to achieve or where do you see you yourself?

A: 5 years from now, I would like to have another 5 years of software development under my belt. I am not sure I really have many career aspirations other than being a better engineer than I am today.

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: Outside of work, I like to grow orchids and African violets and play the piano. I also have a wife, Emily, and 2 cats that take up after-work time.

Q: Do you have favorite memory or standout accomplishment you want to talk about?

A: Travelling to trade shows is always a highlight of my job. I have gotten to know some great people and form bonds that would have otherwise not been created.