LeaderX Icon Series with Andy Burton: Honest Talks With Industry Icons on Their Setbacks and Journeys to Success

Andy Burton shares highlights from his 40-year career in technology, beginning as a developer in the late 80s and rising to become one of the UK’s most experienced CTOs. He reflects on pivotal roles in financial services, Consulting and early Internet-era businesses, including scaling Sky Betting & Gaming from 30 to over 800 and continually reinventing the platform to handle explosive growth. Andy also speaks candidly about navigating major outages, describing one particularly infamous incident at Sky Bet as “not wanting to be himself that day” and what those moments teach you as a leader.

He goes on to explore how the CTO role has evolved from purely technical leadership into a strategic, business-defining position. Andy discusses the shifting boundaries between CTO, CIO and product leadership, the move away from “fortress IT,” and the rise of cross-functional squads embedded in the business. His insights cover the dynamics of remote work, managing exec-level expectations, balancing stability with innovation, and the mindset required to thrive as a modern CTO.