Edtech CTO stresses cross‑collaboration in technical decisions

Camila Kill, chief technology officer at edtech company Tes, says technical decisions in education technology must be made collaboratively rather than in isolation.

Cross‑functional approach essential

Kill, who moved from Brazil to the UK in 2005 and has more than 20 years of experience in software engineering, architecture and technology leadership, explained that her background helps her view how systems fit together across an organisation. She noted that schools typically run a range of separate systems and need technology that works reliably alongside existing tools.

According to Kill, engineers need to understand the wider impact of their work, including privacy, safeguarding and the practical needs of teachers and school leaders. She highlighted that a technically perfect solution can still fail if it does not align with how educators operate.

Kill also stressed the growing importance of AI, stating that building or integrating a model is insufficient without considering data reliability, handling and the need for human judgement. She urged engineers to grasp the problem they are solving and its relevance, especially given the sensitive data involved in the edtech sector.

Finally, Kill warned that homogeneous decision‑making teams risk overlooking diverse needs, and she advocated for inclusive representation to ensure broader perspectives shape technology development.

Source: Silicon Republic. Photo: Ivan Chumak / Pexels.