우동 브랜드 마루가메제면 등을 운영하는 일본 외식 기업 트리도르홀딩스는 글로벌 시장 확장을 목표로 디지털과 IT 기반의 경영 혁신에 속도를 내고 있다. 이 과정에서 시스템 전면 현대화와 조직 개편, SaaS·AI 활용까지 직접 이끌어 온 CIO 이소무라 야스노리(磯村康典)가 벤더 경험과 경영 시각을 바탕으로 변화에 강한 기업 기반을 구축하는 전략과 철학을 제시했다.

Q(CIO재팬) : 지금까지의 경력에 대해 설명해 달라.
A(이소무라 야스노리) : 커리어는 후지쓰에서 시작했다. 약 7년 동안 주로 공공 부문 시스템을 담당하는 시스템 엔지니어로 일하며 현장에서 기술 역량을 다져왔다.

이후 2000년 소프트뱅크(현 소프트뱅크그룹)로 이직했다. 당시 손정의 회장이 “앞으로는 인터넷 시대”라고 강조하던 시기로, 사내에서는 인터넷 관련 벤처가 잇따라 출범하고 있었다. 그중 하나가 전자상거래 사업으로, 현재의 세븐넷쇼핑이다. 나는 시스템 책임자로 사업 출범에 참여해 약 8년 동안 사업 성장을 뒷받침하는 역할을 맡았다.

다음으로 도전한 곳은 외식 IT 벤처 갈프넷이다. 트리도르홀딩스를 비롯한 주요 외식 체인을 고객으로 둔 회사로, 이곳에서 4년 동안 개발 책임자로 시스템을 이끌었을 뿐 아니라 영업 책임자 역할도 경험했다. 기술뿐 아니라 비즈니스 현장을 직접 움직이는 어려움과 재미를 체감할 수 있었던 점은 큰 수확이었다.

이후 투자회사 오크캐피탈(현 UNIVA·오크홀딩스)로 자리를 옮겨 약 8년간 투자 기업에 핸즈온으로 관여했다. 경영 재건과 기업 가치 제고를 추진했고, 경우에 따라서는 직접 대표이사를 맡는 등 경영 전반에 깊이 관여하는 경험을 쌓았다. 이 시기에 형성된 ‘사업을 어떻게 재정비하고 성장으로 이끌 것인가’라는 관점은 지금의 중요한 자산이 되고 있다.

그리고 2019년 트리도르홀딩스 CIO로 부임했다. 어느덧 6년이 지난 현재, 벤더로서 축적한 지식과 사업회사에서의 경험, 경영자로서의 시각을 모두 활용해 사업 성장을 견인하는 CIO로서 도전을 이어가고 있다.

Q : 지금까지의 경력 가운데 특히 인상에 남는 일은 무엇인가.
A : 돌아보면 각 업종과 역할마다 큰 도전이 있었다. 처음 SI 업무를 맡았을 때는 얼마나 큰 규모의 프로젝트를 운영할 수 있는지가 성장의 기준이었다. 당시 20대에 800인월(人月, 여러 인력이 수개월 이상 투입돼, 인력 수×투입 개월 수를 합산하면 800에 이르는) 규모의 프로젝트를 맡았는데, 지금 생각해 보면 젊은 시절에 상당히 큰 책임을 맡길 만큼 기회를 주던 회사였다고 느낀다.

소프트뱅크에서는 처음으로 ‘비즈니스를 만든다’는 일에 도전했다. 담당한 것은 현재의 세븐넷쇼핑으로 이어지는 전자상거래 사업이다. 매출이 전혀 없는 상태에서 출발해, 시스템 책임자로서 사업이 약 200억 엔 규모로 성장하는 과정을 뒷받침했다. 단순한 시스템 개발이 아니라, 비즈니스 성장과 직접적으로 연결된 경험이었다는 점에서 커리어 전반에 매우 큰 의미를 남겼다.

현직인 트리도르홀딩스 CIO로서 처음 맡은 큰 과제는 전사 시스템의 전면적인 현대화였다. 부임 이후 약 6년에 걸쳐 추진해 왔고, 이제 모든 교체 작업이 마무리 단계에 이르고 있다.

당초에는 3년 내 완료를 목표로 했지만, 사내 사정과 기존 구조를 세심하게 고려하며 진행할 필요가 있었다. 그 결과, 속도보다 완성도를 택해 시간이 걸리더라도 확실히 끝내는 방향으로 추진하게 됐다.

프로젝트의 출발점은 ‘시스템이 몇 개나 있는지를 파악하는 것’이었다. 처음 점검했을 때 약 180개의 시스템이 존재했고, 이후 업무 목적에 따라 재정리하며 통합을 진행했다. 그 결과 현재는 약 40개 수준까지 대폭 줄일 수 있었다.

이 과정을 돌아보면, 시스템 자산 정리부터 현대화까지 전 과정을 직접 이끌어 온 경험은 CIO로서 가장 처음에 도전하기에 걸맞은 과제였다고 생각한다.

Q : 가장 어려웠던 경험은 무엇인가.
A : 가장 신경을 많이 쓴 일은 트리도르홀딩스에서 추진한 업무 조직 개편이었다. 구체적으로는 트리도르그룹의 본사 업무를 지주회사와 쉐어드서비스 회사(그룹 공통 관리·운영 업무를 통합 수행하는 조직)로 역할을 나눠 재구성했다. 이후 회계·인사·IT 운영 등 반복적인 관리 업무를 내부 조직이 아닌 외부 전문 위탁업체(Business Process Outsourcing, BPO)에 맡기는 방식으로 운영 구조를 바꿨다.

사내에서 수행하던 업무를 외부로 옮기는 과정은 대담하면서도 매우 섬세한 조정이 필요한 프로젝트였다. 우선 IT 부문부터 착수했는데, 이 과정이 가장 어려웠다.

당시 나는 쉐어드서비스 회사의 대표를 겸임하며 최대 약 180명의 인력을 이끌고 있었다. 이 조직에는 IT 운영팀뿐 아니라 회계 기장을 담당하는 재무 조직, 급여 계산을 맡은 인사 조직 등 이른바 오퍼레이션 기능이 집약돼 있었다. 전략 수립은 지주회사가 맡고, 일상적인 오퍼레이션은 하나로 묶어 관리하는 체제를 갖추고 있었으며, 이 가운데 일부 업무를 단계적으로 분리해 외부로 이전하는 것이 당시 맡은 역할이었다.

당연히 기존 업무를 수행하던 인력의 다음 커리어를 어떻게 설계할지가 큰 과제가 됐다. 트리도르는 효고현 가코가와시에서 창업해 이후 고베시에 본사를 두고 있었고, 당시 쉐어드서비스 회사의 거점 역시 고베에 있었다.

시부야 본사로 이동이 가능한 인력에게는 지주회사 업무를 제안했지만, 가정 사정 등으로 전근이 어려운 경우도 적지 않았다. 이런 경우에는 BPO 벤더로 전적해 기존과 같은 업무를 이어가도록 하거나, 트리도르그룹 매장으로 활동 무대를 옮기는 방안을 제시했다. 나는 구성원 한 사람 한 사람과 면담을 거듭하며 다음 진로를 함께 결정해 나갔다.

물론 이 과정은 혼자서 감당할 수 있는 일이 아니었다. 부장과 관리직의 협조를 얻어 직원들과 진지하게 대화를 이어가며 추진했다. 최종적인 목표는 각자가 새로운 환경에서도 장기간 역량을 발휘할 수 있도록 하는 것이었다. 회사 차원의 방침은 분명했지만, 최대한 구성원들이 납득할 수 있는 결론에 이르는 것이 당시 스스로에게 주어진 가장 큰 책임이었다고 본다.

Q : 특히 기억에 남는 말이나 사건이 있는가.
A : 크게 두 가지가 있다. 첫 번째는 세븐넷쇼핑 출범에 관여하던 시기의 경험이다. 당시 세븐&아이홀딩스 회장이었던 스즈키 도시후미의 말을, 당시 상사이자 회장의 아들인 스즈키 야스히로로부터 전해 들은 적이 있다.

한 번은 “사람들 앞에서 이야기할 때 어떻게 하면 긴장하지 않을 수 있느냐”고 물었는데, “무리해서 잘난 척하지 말고, 모르는 것은 이야기하지 않으며, 알고 있는 것만 말하면 긴장하지 않는다”는 답을 들었다. 모르는 것은 모른다고 말하면 된다는 이야기였다. 있는 그대로, 과장하지 않고 말하는 사람이야말로 결국 성과를 만들어 간다는 점을 강하게 느꼈다.

두 번째는 같은 시기, 세븐넷쇼핑이 야후의 자회사 사업이었을 때의 경험이다. 당시에는 인터넷이 아직 본격적인 비즈니스로 자리 잡기 전이었고, 일본에서는 야후가 앞서 있었으며 구글이 막 진입하던 시기였다.

이용자가 급증하면서 서버가 혼잡해지고 시스템이 한계에 부딪히는 상황이 자주 발생했는데, 그때 당시 야후 대표였던 이노우에 마사히로로부터 “인터넷 비즈니스에서는 사용자가 늘어나면 서버를 증설하는 것이 기본 원칙”이라는 말을 들었다. 그 한마디에 큰 깨달음을 얻었다.

기존 엔터프라이즈 환경에서는 값비싼 자원을 어떻게 최적화해 끝까지 활용할 것인가가 기본적인 사고방식이었다. 나는 역시 제한된 자원을 효율적으로 쓰는 것이 당연하다고 여겨 왔다.

하지만 인터넷의 세계에서는 저렴한 서버를 추가해 확장하는 것이 자연스러운 선택이었다. 투자를 전제로 한 스케일아웃 문화가 뿌리내려 있었고, 추가 투자가 불가능하다면 인터넷 비즈니스 자체가 성립하지 않는다는 인식이 자리 잡고 있었다.

이러한 사고방식의 차이는 매우 충격적이었다. 엔터프라이즈 기술과 인터넷 기술 사이의 본질적인 차이를 분명하게 체감한 순간이었고, 그 간극은 지금도 완전히 메워지지 않은 채 남아 있다고 느끼고 있다.

Q : CIO로서 어떨 때 보람을 느끼는가.
A: 회사의 방향성을 빠르게 실현할 수 있는 기반을 마련할 때 CIO로서의 보람을 느낀다. 그런 면에서 트리도르의 목표는 고객에게 감동적인 경험을 제공하는 것이다. 그 최전선에는 매장에서 일하는 직원과 이를 뒷받침하는 매니지먼트가 있다. 다만 사람의 힘에만 의존하는 데에는 한계가 있기 때문에, 이들을 뒤에서 어떻게 지원할지가 중요하다. 변화에 신속히 대응할 수 있는 비즈니스 기반을 갖추는 것이야말로 CIO로서의 가장 큰 보람이다.

IT 부서가 자체 논리만으로 움직여서는 의미가 없다. 중요한 것은 IT가 비즈니스에 얼마나 기여하고 있는지, 그리고 변화에 얼마나 유연하게 대응할 수 있는 기반을 구축했는지다.

예를 들어 사업 확장을 고민할 때는 업태가 늘어날 경우 하나의 구조로 대응할지, 여러 구조를 조합할지에 대한 설계 판단이 필요하다. 서버를 늘릴 것인지, 한 대를 대형화할 것인지와 같은 스케일아웃과 스케일업 선택도 마찬가지다. 이런 아키텍처를 검토하는 과정 자체가 매우 흥미로운 영역이다.

또 지금처럼 변화가 잦은 시대에는 경영진이 기존 방침을 바꾸는 일도 발생한다. 이때 대규모 투자를 이유로 시스템을 포기하지 못하는 상황은 바람직하지 않다. 그래서 가능한 한 구독형 서비스, 즉 SaaS를 적극 활용하고 있다. 특히 유연성이 요구되는 백오피스 영역은 SaaS를 조합하는 편이 리스크를 줄일 수 있다.

이러한 판단을 뒷받침하는 것은 엔지니어로서의 경험과 사업 경영에 직접 관여했던 경험이다. 기술을 충분히 이해하지 못하면 최적의 선택을 할 수 없고, 경영 관점이 없으면 비즈니스를 어떻게 지원할지에 대한 답도 나오지 않는다. 이 두 가지를 함께 활용해 사고할 수 있다는 점이 CIO 역할의 가장 큰 즐거움이다.

사실 IT 벤더 시절부터 앞으로는 SaaS가 필수가 될 것이라고 생각해 왔다. 당시에는 제안하더라도 사용자 기업이 채택하지 않으면 실행으로 이어지지 않았지만, CIO가 된 이후에는 스스로 결정해 실행할 수 있다는 점을 실감했다. 이는 매우 큰 차이이며, 사업회사로 자리를 옮겼기에 가능해진 도전이다.

트리도르그룹은 변화를 두려워하지 않고 진화를 거듭해 온 기업이다. 그 덕분에 급성장을 이뤘고, 격변하는 환경 속에서도 대응해 올 수 있었다. 이 강점은 반드시 지켜야 한다고 보고, 시스템 기반을 전면적으로 SaaS 중심으로 전환하는 작업을 추진해 왔다.

SaaS 벤더의 제품 뒤에는 수많은 뛰어난 엔지니어가 존재한다. 관점에 따라서는 이들이 모두 회사를 뒷받침하는 외부 인력이라고도 볼 수 있다. 자사 역량에만 의존하지 않고 외부의 힘을 어떻게 조합할지 설계하는 것, 그것이 CIO의 역할이며 나에게 가장 큰 보람이다.

Q : AI 활용에 대해서는 어떻게 보고 있는가.
A: 최근 생성형 AI에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있지만, 트리도르그룹이 집중하고 있는 것은 현장의 생산성을 높이는 AI 활용이다. 생성형 AI는 화이트칼라 업무의 효율화에는 효과적이다. 다만 사업과 직접 맞닿아 있는 현장 업무에서는 즉시 실행 가능하고 실효성이 분명한 AI 활용이 필요한 것 같다.

그 대표적인 사례가 수요 예측이다. 매출과 방문객 수를 AI로 예측함으로써 다음 날 필요한 인력 규모나 식자재 발주량을 보다 효율적으로 산정할 수 있다. 이를 통해 매장 운영 계획이 한층 수월해졌고, 현장의 부담도 크게 줄었다.

또 하나는 얼굴 인식을 활용한 근태 관리다. 트리도르그룹에는 파트타임과 아르바이트 직원이 많아 출퇴근 기록 관리가 중요한 과제였다. 기존의 지문이나 정맥 인식 방식은 물을 자주 사용하는 환경이나 추운 날씨로 인해 예외가 발생하는 경우가 많았지만, 얼굴 인식으로 전환한 이후에는 예외가 거의 발생하지 않고 있다. 인식 속도도 빠르고 마스크를 착용한 상태에서도 즉시 인식할 수 있어, 현장에서는 근태 관리가 훨씬 수월해졌다는 반응이 나온다.

화려해 보이는 기술은 아닐지 모르지만, 이런 접근이 현장의 생산성을 꾸준히 끌어올리고 있다. 이것이 트리도르그룹이 지향하는 AI 활용의 본질이라고 본다.

Q : CIO에게 필요한 자질은 무엇이라고 보는가.
A : 가장 중요하다고 생각하는 것은 ‘각오’다. 물론 한 번 정한 일을 끝까지 해내는 것도 중요하지만, 그에 앞서 무엇을 목표로 하는지 분명히 제시해야 한다. 미래의 모습을 그린 뒤 “이 방향으로 회사를 이끌겠다”고 선언하는 것 자체가 CIO에게는 각오의 표현이라고 본다.

나 역시 DX 비전을 외부에 공개하면서 “이제는 반드시 해내야 한다”는 결심이 섰다. 그렇게 해야 직원과 벤더 모두가 트리도르그룹이 어떤 모습을 지향하는지 이해하고, 같은 방향을 바라보게 된다. 이는 매우 큰 의미를 가진다.

CIO에게는 목표로 하는 모습을 하나의 그림으로 제시하고, 그 비전을 향해 흔들림 없이 나아가는 추진력이 필요하다. 이때 중요한 것이 백캐스트(backcast) 사고, 즉 최종 목표에 도달하기 위해 지금 무엇을 해야 하는지를 거꾸로 계산해 나가는 방식이다. 포어캐스트(forecast) 방식, 다시 말해 현재 상태를 출발점으로 삼아 과제를 하나씩 해결하는 방식만으로는 새로운 가치를 만들어내기 어렵다.

물론 일정 수준의 안정기에 들어서면 포어캐스트 방식의 개선으로 충분한 경우도 있다. 하지만 큰 변화를 만들어야 할 때는 백캐스트 관점에서 과감하게 방향과 경로를 그려야 한다.

그리고 그 과정에서 예상과 현실 사이에 큰 간극이 생긴다면, “이건 아니다”라고 판단하고 과감하게 방향을 전환할 수 있는 결단력까지 갖추는 것, 이것이 CIO에게 요구되는 핵심 자질이라고 본다.

Q : CIO를 꿈꾸는 직원에게 필요한 역량은 무엇인가.
A : 나는 팀원들에게 늘 “장차 CIO나 CTO, 혹은 CDO 같은 역할을 맡을 수 있는 인재로 성장하길 바란다”고 이야기하고 있다. 일본에는 아직 그런 인재가 충분히 많지 않다. 그렇기 때문에 디지털을 비즈니스와 연결하는 가교 역할을 할 수 있는 사람을 더 늘려야 한다고 본다. 젊은 시절부터 이 역할을 목표로 커리어를 쌓아 가길 바란다.

이를 위해 필요한 역량은 크게 세 가지다. 첫 번째는 기초적인 기술 역량이다. 코드를 직접 작성하지 않는 IT 리더도 있지만, 할 수 있다면 그 편이 훨씬 낫다. 나 역시 중학생 때부터 코드를 써 왔다. 프로그래밍 언어도 하나만 아는 것보다 두 가지 이상을 익히면 비교가 가능해지고 이해의 깊이도 달라진다. 이는 이직을 통해 새로운 시야가 열리는 것과 비슷하며, 여러 관점을 갖는 것이 중요하다고 생각한다.

두 번째는 아키텍트로서의 역량이다. 사용자 기업의 CIO는 기존 기술을 어떻게 조합해 자사 비즈니스에 가장 적합한 구조를 만들 것인지를 끊임없이 고민해야 한다. CTO의 역할과 맞닿아 있는 부분도 있지만, 네트워크나 인프라, 클라우드 같은 기초를 이해하지 못하면 최적의 조합을 판단할 수 없다. 시스템 아키텍트로서의 지식과 사고는 필수적이다.

마지막은 커뮤니케이션 역량이다. 프로젝트가 실패하는 이유는 기술 부족보다 소통 부족에서 비롯되는 경우가 훨씬 많다. 나는 평소 일대일 대화를 자주 하는데, 대화 상대는 대표부터 그룹사 임원, 사업회사 경영진까지 다양하다. 이들이 무엇을 하고 싶은지 이해하지 못하면 장기적인 관점의 시스템 설계는 불가능하고, 신뢰할 수 있는 조언자가 되지 못하면 성과도 나오기 어렵다. 이런 역량은 나뿐 아니라 부장급 구성원에게도 요구하고 있다.

기초적인 기술 역량, 아키텍트로서의 설계 역량, 그리고 커뮤니케이션 역량. 이 세 가지는 CIO를 목표로 할 때 반드시 갖춰야 할 자질이다. 특히 B2B 기업일수록 파트너 기업과의 관계가 중요하기 때문에, 젊은 시절부터 이를 강하게 의식하길 권하고 싶다.

Q : 앞으로의 목표는?
A: 우리는 ‘글로벌 푸드 컴퍼니’를 기업 비전으로 내세우고 있다. 목표는 유명한 햄버거 체인이나 커피 체인과 어깨를 나란히 하는, 일본 최초의 ‘세계에서 통하는 외식 기업’이 되는 것이다.

트리도르그룹은 이미 30개국 이상에 진출해 있지만, 모든 국가에서 일본과 동일한 품질을 구현하고 있느냐고 하면 아직 과제가 남아 있다. 이 수준을 어떻게 끌어올릴지가 앞으로의 큰 과제다. 디지털의 힘으로 기준을 맞추고, 새로운 국가로도 보다 쉽게 확장할 수 있는 환경을 만드는 것이 사업 가속으로 이어진다고 본다.

지금까지는 일본 시장에 집중해 왔지만, 앞으로는 글로벌 자회사와 프랜차이즈 파트너에 대해서도 보다 적극적으로 지원해 나갈 생각이다.

물론 모든 것을 일률적인 구조로 적용하는 것은 현실적이지 않다. 제조업처럼 전 세계에 동일한 시스템을 적용하는 방식도 있지만, 외식 산업은 현지 소비자가 실제로 먹어야 가치가 생긴다. 일정한 자율성을 유지하면서도, 트리도르그룹으로서 반드시 지켜야 할 기준을 어떻게 정착시킬지가 중요하다.

이 과정에서 효과적인 수단이 디지털 기반이다. 기준을 시스템에 녹여 두면, 의식하지 않아도 자연스럽게 품질과 운영 기준이 유지된다. 이런 구조를 앞으로 더 늘려 가고자 한다.

다만 과도하게 적용하면 ‘손으로 만들고 갓 조리한다’는 우리의 운영 철학이 약해질 위험도 있다. 그 균형을 어디에 둘 것인지는 쉽지 않은 과제지만, 오히려 그 지점에 재미가 있다고 느낀다.

본사 경영진과 각 사업 책임자들과 지속적으로 논의하며, 각 지역에 맞는 최적의 균형점을 찾아가는 작업을 전 세계로 확대해 나가고 싶다.
dl-ciokorea@foundryco.com

*이 기사는 CIO 재팬에 게재된 원문을 바탕으로 재구성한 것입니다. 원문은 여기서 확인할 수 있습니다.

Project managers are doing exactly what they were taught to do. They build plans, chase team members for updates, and report status. Despite all the activity, your leadership team is wondering why projects take so long and cost so much.

When projects don’t seem to move fast enough or deliver the ROI you expected, it usually has less to do with effort and more with a set of common mistakes your project managers make because of how they were trained, and what that training left out. Most project teams operate like order takers instead of the business-focused leaders you need to deliver your organization’s strategy.

To accelerate strategy delivery in your organization, something has to change. The way projects are led needs to shift, and traditional project management approaches and mindsets won’t get you there.

Here are the most common project management mistakes we see holding teams back, and what you can do to help your project leaders shift from being order takers to drivers of IMPACT: instilling focus, measuring outcomes, performing, adapting, communicating, and transforming.

Mistake #1: Solving project problems instead of business problems

Project managers are trained to solve project problems. Scope creep. Missed deadlines. Resource bottlenecks. They spend their days managing tasks and chasing status updates, but most of them have no idea whether the work they manage is solving a real business problem.

That’s not their fault. They’ve been taught to stay in their lane in formal training and by many executives. Keep the project moving. Don’t ask questions. Focus on delivery.

But no one is talking to them about the purpose of these projects and what success looks like from a business perspective, so how can they help you achieve it?

You don’t need another project checked off the list. You need the business problem solved.

IMPACT driver mindset: Instill focus

Start by helping your teams understand the business context behind the work. What problem are we trying to solve? Why does this project matter to the organization? What outcome are we aiming for?

Your teams can’t answer those questions unless you bring them into the strategy conversation. When they understand the business goals, not just the project goals, they can start making decisions differently. Their conversations change to ensure everyone knows why their work matters. The entire team begins choosing priorities, tradeoffs, and solutions that are aligned with solving that business problem instead of just checking tasks off the list.

Mistake #2: Tracking progress instead of measuring business value

Your teams are taught to track progress toward delivering outputs. On time, on scope, and on budget are the metrics they hear repeatedly. But those metrics only tell you if deliverables will be created as planned, not if that work will deliver the results the business expects.

Most project managers are taught to measure how busy the team is. Everyone walks around wearing their busy badge of honor as if that proves value. They give updates about what’s done, what’s in progress, and what’s late. But the metrics they use show how busy everyone is at creating outputs, not how they’re tracking toward achieving outcomes.

All of that busyness can look impressive on paper, but it’s not the same as being productive. In fact, busy gets in the way of being productive.

IMPACT driver mindset: Measure outcomes

Now that the team understands what they’re doing and why, the next question to answer is how will we know we’re successful.

Right from the start of the project, you need to define not just the business goal but how you’ll measure it was successful in business terms. Did the project reduce cost, increase revenue, improve the customer experience? That’s what you and your peers care about, but often that’s not the focus you ask the project people to drive toward.

Think about a project that’s intended to drive revenue but ends up costing you twice as much to deliver. If the revenue target stays the same, the project may no longer make sense. Or they might come up with a way to drive even higher revenue because they understood the way you measure success.

Shift how you measure project success from outputs to outcomes and watch how quickly your projects start creating real business value.

Mistake #3: Perfecting process instead of streamlining it

If your teams spend more time tweaking templates, building frameworks, or debating methodology than actually delivering results, processes become inefficient.

Often project managers are hired for their certifications, which leads many of them to believe their value is tied to how much of and how perfectly they create and follow that process. They work hard to make sure every box is checked, every template is filled out, and every report is delivered on time. But if the process becomes the goal, they’re missing the point.

You invested in project management to get business results, not build a deliverable machine, and the faster you achieve those results, the higher your return on your project investments.

IMPACT driver mindset: Perform relentlessly

With a clear plan to drive business value, now we need to show them how to accelerate. That means relentlessly evaluating, streamlining, and optimizing the delivery process so it helps the team achieve the project goals faster.

Give them permission to simplify. When the process slows them down or adds work that doesn’t add value, they should be able to call it out.

This isn’t an excuse to have no process or claim you’re being agile just to skip the necessary steps. It’s about right-sizing the process, simplifying where you can, and being thoughtful about what’s truly needed to deliver the outcome. Do you really need a 30-page document no one will read, or would two pages that people actually use be enough? You don’t need perfection. You need progress.

Mistake #4: Blaming people instead of leading them through change

A lot of leaders start from the belief that people are naturally resistant to change. When projects stall or results fall short, it’s easy to assume someone just didn’t want to change. Project teams blame people, then layer on more governance, more process, and more pressure. Most of the time, it’s not a people problem. It’s how the changes are being done to people instead of with them.

People don’t resist because they’re lazy or difficult. They resist because they don’t understand why it’s happening or what it means for them. And no amount of process will fix that.

IMPACT driver mindset: Adapt to thrive

With an accelerated delivery plan designed to drive business value, your project teams can now turn their attention to bringing people with them through the change process.

Change management is everyone’s job, not something you outsource to HR or a change team. Projects fail without good change management and everyone needs to be involved. Your teams must understand that people aren’t resistant to change. They’re resistant to having change done to them. You have to teach them how to bring others through the change process instead of pushing change at them.

Teach your project teams how to engage stakeholders early and often so they feel part of the change journey. When people are included, feel heard, and involved in shaping the solution, resistance starts to fade and you create a united force that supports your accelerated delivery plan.

Mistake #5: Communicating for compliance instead of engagement

The reason most project communication fails is because it’s treated like a one-way path. Status reports people don’t understand. Steering committee slides read to a room full of executives who aren’t engaged. Unread emails. The information goes out because it’s required, not because it’s helping people make better decisions or take the right action.

But that kind of communication doesn’t create clarity, build engagement, or drive alignment. And it doesn’t inspire anyone to lean in and help solve the real problems.

IMPACT driver mindset: Communicate with purpose

To keep people engaged in the project and help it keep accelerating toward business goals, you need purpose-driven communication designed to drive actions and decisions. Your teams shouldn’t just push information but enable action. That means getting the right people and the right message at the right time, with a clear next step.

If you want your projects to move faster, communication can’t be a formality. When teams, sponsors, and stakeholders know what’s happening and why it matters, they make decisions faster. You don’t need more status reports. You need communication that drives actions and decisions.

Mistake #6: Driving project goals instead of business outcomes

Most organizations still define the project leadership role around task-focused delivery. Get the project done. Hit the date. Stay on budget. Project managers have been trained to believe that finishing the project as planned is the definition of success. But that’s not how you define project success.

If you keep project managers out of the conversations about strategy and business goals, they’ll naturally focus on project outputs instead of business outcomes. This leaves you in the same place you are today. Projects are completed, outputs are delivered, but the business doesn’t always see the impact expected.

IMPACT driver mindset: Transform mindset

When you help your teams instill focus, measure outcomes, perform relentlessly, adapt to thrive, and communicate with purpose, you do more than improve project delivery. You build the foundation for a different kind of leadership.

Shift how you and your organization see the project leadership role. Your project managers are no longer just running projects. You’re developing strategy navigators who partner with you to guide how strategy gets delivered, and help you see around corners, connect initiatives, and decide where to invest next.

When project managers are trusted to think this way and given visibility into the strategy, they learn how the business really works. They stop chasing project success and start driving business success.

More on project management:

• Project management guide: Tips, strategies, best practices
• What is a project manager? The lead role for project success
• 5 early warning signs of project failure
• 10 project management myths to avoid
• 16 tips for a smooth switch to agile project management
• The 22 best project management tools for business
• Scrum vs. Lean vs. Kanban: Comparing agile project management frameworks
• How to pick the right project management methodology for success
• Agile project management: A comprehensive guide
• 8 common project management mistakes — and how to avoid them
• Top 11 project management certifications for 2017
• 10 traits of highly effective project managers
• 8 goals every project manager should aspire to achieve
• Project management: 7 steps to on-time, on-budget, goal-based delivery

ベンダー経験を武器に、事業成長を牽引するCIOへ

——これまでのキャリアについて教えてください。

私のキャリアは富士通から始まりました。7年間、主に行政向けシステムのシステムエンジニアとして働き、現場で技術を磨いてきました。

その後、2000年にソフトバンク（現 ソフトバンクグループ）へ転職します。当時は孫正義さんが「これからはインターネットの時代だ」と発信していた頃で、社内では次々とインターネット関連のベンチャーが立ち上がっていました。その一つがEコマース事業、現在のセブンネットショッピングです。私はシステム責任者として立ち上げに関わり、約8年間、事業の成長を支える役割を担いました。

次に挑戦したのは、外食ITベンチャーのガルフネットです。トリドールホールディングスをはじめ有名な外食チェーンを顧客に持つ会社で、ここでは4年間、開発責任者としてシステム面をリードするだけでなく、営業責任者も経験しました。技術に加えてビジネスの現場を動かす難しさと面白さを体感できたのは大きな収穫でした。

その後は投資会社Oakキャピタル（現 UNIVA・Oakホールディングス）に移り、約8年間にわたって投資先の企業にハンズオンで関わりました。経営再建やバリューアップ、時には自ら社長に就任するなど、経営そのものに深く入り込む経験を積みました。この時期に培った「事業をどう立て直し、成長へ導くか」という視点は、今の自分の大きな財産になっています。

そして2019年、トリドールホールディングスのCIOに着任しました。ちょうど6年が経過したところですが、これまでのキャリアで積み重ねてきたベンダーとしての知識、事業会社での経験、そして経営者としての視点のすべてを総動員し、事業成長を牽引するCIOとして挑戦を続けています。

キャリアを変えた「ビジネスをつくる」という挑戦

——これまでの経歴の中で、特に印象に残っている仕事はありますか？

振り返ると、それぞれの業種や立場で大きな挑戦がありました。最初にSIに携わっていた頃は、どれだけの規模のプロジェクトを回せるかが自分の成長のものさしでした。当時、800人月規模の開発プロジェクトを20代で任されていて、今思えばとても大きな責任を若いうちに与えてくれる会社だったと思います。

ソフトバンクでは、初めて「ビジネスをつくる」ということに挑戦しました。担当したのは、現在のセブンネットショッピングにつながるEコマース事業です。売上ゼロからスタートし、システム責任者として約200億円規模まで事業が成長するプロセスを支えた経験は、自分のキャリアにおいて非常に大きな意味を持ちました。単なるシステム開発ではなく、ビジネスを成長させることに直結する仕事だったからです。

現職であるトリドールホールディングスのCIOとしての最初の大仕事は、システムの全面的なモダナイズでした。着任してから6年をかけて取り組んできたのですが、ようやくすべての置き換えが完了する段階にきています。

当初は3年で完了させるつもりでしたが、社内の事情や既存の仕組みを丁寧に考慮しながら進める必要があり、結果として時間をかけてでも確実にやり切る形になりました。

取り組みのスタートは「システムがいくつあるのかを数える」ところからでした。最初に洗い出した時点で180ほどのシステムが存在していて、そこから業務の目的に立ち返って整理し、統合を進めてきました。最終的には180のシステムを大幅に集約し、今では40程度にまで減らすことができています。

こうしてみると、システムの棚卸しからモダナイズまでを自分の手でリードしてこられたことは、CIOとして最初に取り組むにふさわしいチャレンジだったと思います。

「オペレーション領域を切り離す」という挑戦

——これまでのキャリアの中で、最もチャレンジングだった出来事を教えてください。

とても神経を使ったのが、トリドールホールディングスで手がけた業務組織改革の取り組みです。

具体的には、トリドールグループの本社業務を、持ち株会社とシェアードサービス会社に分けたうえで、シェアードサービス会社が担っている管理部門の定型業務をオフバランス化し、BPOベンダーに移管するという取り組みでした。社内で担っていた業務を外部に出すというのは、大胆で、非常に繊細な調整を伴うプロジェクトでした。まずはIT部門から着手しましたが、これが最も大変だったと思います。

私は当時、シェアードサービス会社の社長を兼務しており、最大で180人ほどのメンバーを率いていました。そこにはIT運用のチームだけでなく、経理の記帳を担うファイナンス部隊や、人事の給与計算を担当する部隊など、いわゆるオペレーション機能が集約されていました。戦略立案は持ち株会社が担い、日常のオペレーションは一つに束ねて管理する体制を整えていたのです。その業務を少しずつ切り出して外部に移すというのが、当時の私の役割でした。

当然、既存の仕事を担っていた人材の「次のキャリアをどうつくるか」が課題になります。トリドールは兵庫県加古川市で創業し、その後兵庫県神戸市に本社を置いていましたが、当時シェアードサービス会社の拠点も神戸にありました。

渋谷の本社へ転勤可能な人にはホールディングスの業務を打診しましたが、家庭の事情などで転勤が難しい方も多くいました。そうした方には、BPOベンダーへ転籍してこれまでと同じ業務を継続してもらったり、トリドールグループの店舗に活躍の場を移してもらったりと、一人ひとりと面談を重ねて次の道を一緒に決めていきました。

もちろん、これは私ひとりでできることではありません。部長や管理職のメンバーに協力を得て、従業員たちと真摯に対話を重ねながら進めました。最終的には「それぞれが次の環境で長く活躍できること」がゴールでした。会社としての方針は明確にある一方で、できるだけ納得感を持って着地させることが、自分の最大の使命だったと思います。

投資を惜しまぬインターネットの発想がもたらした気づき

——仕事をする上で心に残っている言葉や出来事はありますか？

心に残っている言葉は2つあります。

まず一つは、セブンネットショッピングの立ち上げに関わっていた頃のことです。当時セブン&アイ・ホールディングスの会長を務めていた鈴木敏文さんの言葉を、当時の上司であって会長のご子息である、鈴木康弘さんより教えていただいたことがありました。

あるとき「人前で話すときにどうすれば緊張しないのでしょうか」と尋ねたら、「背伸びせず、分からないことは話さず、知っていることだけ話せば緊張しない」とおっしゃったんです。確かに、分からないことは「分からない」と言えばよい。そうやって等身大で話す人こそ、実績を残していけるのだと強く感じました。

もう一つは同じ時期、セブンネットショッピングがヤフーの子会社の事業だった頃の経験です。当時はまだインターネットが本格的なビジネスになりきっておらず、日本ではヤフーが先駆けていて、Googleがようやく参入したばかりの時期でした。

ユーザーが急増するとサーバが混み合い、システムが逼迫する場面も多かったのですが、その時に当時ヤフーの社長であった井上雅博さんから「インターネットビジネスというのはユーザーのアクセスが増えたらサーバを追加するのがゲームのルールなんだ。」と言われたんです。その言葉にハッとしました。

従来のエンタープライズの世界では、高価なリソースをどう最適化して使い切るか、という発想が基本でした。私自身も「限られた資源を大事に活用する」ことを当たり前だと思っていたのです。

しかしインターネットの世界では「安価なサーバを並べればいい」という発想が主流で、投資を前提にしたスケールアウトの文化が根づいていました。もし追加投資ができないのであれば、インターネットビジネス自体が成り立たないという考え方です。

この考え方の違いは衝撃でした。エンタープライズのテクノロジーと、インターネットのテクノロジーとの大きな違いをまざまざと感じた瞬間でしたし、その違いはいまなお、世の中では完全に融合しきれていない部分が残っていると感じています。

変化に強い基盤づくりこそCIOの最大のやりがい

——CIOとして、どのようなところにやりがいを感じますか？

私にとってCIOのやりがいは、「会社が目指す方向性を加速させる基盤をどうやってつくるか」に尽きると思っています。

当社のミッションは「お客さまに感動体験を届けること」です。その最前線に立っているのは店舗のスタッフであり、それを支えるマネジメント層です。

とはいえ、人だけに頼るのには限界がありますから、そこで「裏側から彼らをどう支えるか」が重要になります。変化に素早く対応できるビジネス基盤を整えることこそ、CIOとしての醍醐味だと思います。

IT部門が自分たちの論理だけで動いていても面白くはなりません。大事なのは「ビジネスにどれだけ貢献できているか」「変化にどれだけ柔軟に対応できる基盤を築けたか」ということです。

例えば事業のスケールを考えるとき、「業態が増えたら一つの仕組みで賄うのか、それとも複数を組み合わせるのか」といった設計思想が問われます。また「サーバ台数を増やすのか、一台を大規模化するのか」というスケールアウト／スケールアップの判断も必要になります。こうしたアーキテクチャの検討は非常に面白い部分です。

さらに、今のように変化の激しい時代では、経営陣が「やっぱりやめよう」と方針を転換することは必ず起こります。そんなときに「多額の投資をしてしまったからシステムを捨てられない」というのでは困るわけです。

だからこそ、私はなるべくサブスクリプション、つまりSaaSを活用しています。特にバックオフィスのように柔軟性が求められる領域は、SaaSを組み合わせた方がリスクを抑えられます。

こうした判断を支えているのは、エンジニアとしての経験と、事業経営に携わった経験の両方です。テクノロジーに精通していないと最適な選択はできませんし、経営の視点がなければ「ビジネスをどう支えるか」という答えも出せません。その両方を活かして考えられるのは、CIOとしての一番の楽しさだと思っています。

実は私はITベンダー時代から「これからはSaaSが必須になる」と考えていました。当時は提案してもユーザー企業が採用しなければ形になりませんでしたが、CIOの立場になって初めて「自分が決めれば実行できる」と実感しました。これは非常に大きな違いであり、事業会社側に移ったからこそ挑戦できていることです。

トリドールグループは変化を恐れずに進化を続けてきた会社です。だからこそ急成長してこられたし、時代の荒波にも沈まずに対応してきました。この強みは絶対に失ってはいけないですから、そのためにも、システム基盤を全面的にSaaSにする取り組みを進めてきました。

SaaSベンダーの製品の裏には優秀なエンジニアが数多くいて、考え方によっては彼ら全員が私たちを支えてくれている存在とも言えます。自社の力だけではなく、外部の力をどう組み合わせるか。それを設計できることこそがCIOの役割であり、私にとってのやりがいなのです。

——AI活用についてはいかがですか？

世の中では生成AIばかりが注目されていますが、私たちが注力しているのは「現場の生産性を高めるAI活用」です。生成AIはホワイトカラーの業務効率化には有効ですが、私たちの事業に直結する現場業務では、もっと実務的なAIの力が必要だと考えています。

その代表例が需要予測です。売上や来店客数をAIで予測することで、「明日は何人のスタッフを配置すべきか」「どれだけ食材を仕入れるべきか」といった店舗マネジメントの計画を効率化できます。これにより、現場の負担を大幅に軽減することができました。

もう一つは顔認証を活用した勤怠管理です。当社には多くのパート・アルバイトスタッフが働いており、その打刻作業は大きな課題でした。従来の指紋や静脈認証では水仕事や寒さで例外が発生しがちでしたが、顔認証に切り替えてからは例外ゼロ。しかも打刻スピードも速く、マスクをしていても瞬時に認証できるため、現場から「勤怠がスムーズになった」と好評です。

派手さはありませんが、こうした取り組みが現場の生産性を着実に引き上げています。これこそが、私たちが目指すAI活用の本質だと思っています。

CIOに必要なのは「ビジョンを語ること」と「やり抜く覚悟」

——CIOに必要な資質とは何でしょうか？

私が最も大事だと思うのは「覚悟」です。もちろん「決めたことをやり切る」ことも重要ですが、その前に「何を目指すのか」をはっきりと打ち出さなければなりません。未来の絵を描いたら、「この方向へ会社を導いていく」と宣言する。その宣言自体が、CIOにとっての覚悟の証だと思っています。

私自身も「DXビジョン」を社外に公表したことで、「もう絶対にやり切るしかない」と腹が決まりました。そうすることで、社員もベンダーも「トリドールグループはこういう姿を目指しているのだ」と理解し、同じ方向を向けるようになるのです。これは非常に大きな意味を持ちます。

CIOには、目指す姿を絵として示し、そのビジョンに向かってひたすら突き進む力が求められます。その際、バックキャストの発想が欠かせません。「このゴールに到達するために、今何をすべきか」を逆算して考えるのです。フォアキャスト、つまり現状の延長線上で課題解決を積み重ねるだけでは、新しい価値は生まれません。

もちろん、一定の安定期に入ればフォアキャスト的な改善で十分なこともあります。しかし、大きな変革を起こす時には、バックキャストで大胆に道筋を描く必要があります。

そして、ときに大きなギャップが生じたら「違う、こちらに舵を切るぞ」と果断に方向転換できる——。これこそがCIOに求められる資質だと私は考えています。

デジタル時代のリーダーが身につけるべき「三本柱」とは

——これからCIOを目指す人材に求められるスキルは何でしょうか？

私自身、チームのメンバーには「将来はCIOやCTO、あるいはCDOといった役割を担える人材になってほしい」と常々伝えています。日本にはまだそうした人材が十分に育っていません。だからこそ、多くの企業でデジタルをビジネスに結びつける橋渡し役となれる人を増やす必要があると思っています。若い人も、最初からこの役割を目指してキャリアを積んでほしいと考えています。

そのために必要なのは大きく三つの力です。

まずは基礎的な技術力です。コードを書けないITリーダーもいますが、書けるに越したことはありません。私自身も中学生の頃からコードを書いてきました。プログラミング言語も一つではなく、二つ以上学ぶことで比較ができ、より深い理解につながります。これは転職を経験すると新しい世界が見えるのと同じで、複数の視点を持つことが重要だと思います。

次に必要なのはアーキテクトとしての力です。ユーザー企業のCIOは「既存の技術をどう組み合わせ、自社のビジネスに最適な構造をつくるか」を常に考えなければなりません。CTOの役割に近い部分でもありますが、ネットワークやインフラ、クラウドといった基礎を理解していないと、最適な組み合わせを判断できません。システムアーキテクトとしての知識と発想は必須だと考えています。

そして最後はコミュニケーション力です。プロジェクトがうまくいかない原因の多くは、技術力不足よりもコミュニケーション不足にあります。私は1on1をよくやりますが、相手は社長からグループ会社の役員、事業会社の幹部まで幅広いです。彼らが「何をやりたいのか」を理解しなければ、先を見据えたシステム設計はできませんし、信頼できる相談相手になれなければ良い成果も出せません。これは自分だけでなく、部長クラスのメンバーにも求めています。

基礎的な技術力、アーキテクトとしての構築力、そしてコミュニケーション力——。この三つはCIOを目指す上で欠かせない資質です。BtoB企業なら特に、パートナー企業との関係が重要ですから、若いうちから強く意識してほしいと思っています。

目指すは「世界に通じる外食企業」――グローバルブランドへの挑戦

——今後の展望について教えてください。

当社は「グローバルフードカンパニー」を企業ビジョンに掲げています。目指しているのは、有名なハンバーガーチェーンやコーヒーチェーンと肩を並べる、日本初の「世界に通じる外食企業」になることです。

トリドールグループはすでに30カ国以上に展開していますが、すべての国で日本と同じクオリティーを実現できているかといえば、まだ課題が残っています。ここをどう底上げするかが、これからの大きなテーマです。私はデジタルの力で水準をそろえ、さらに新しい国へ展開しやすい環境を整えることが、ビジネスの加速につながると考えています。

これまでは日本市場に注力してきましたが、今後はグローバルの子会社やフランチャイズパートナーに対して、より積極的に支援していきたいと思っています。

もちろん、すべてを一律の仕組みに当てはめるのは現実的ではありません。製造業のように全世界で同じシステムを展開するアプローチもありますが、私たち外食産業では「現地の人に食べてもらって初めて価値がある」わけですから、一定の自由度を残しつつ、「トリドールグループとして絶対に守ってほしい基準」をどう浸透させるかが重要になります。

そこで有効なのがデジタル基盤です。仕組みに組み込んでしまえば、意識せずとも自然に基準が担保される。そうした仕掛けを増やしていきたいと考えています。

ただしやりすぎると、当社の強みである「手づくり・できたて」のこだわりが薄れてしまうリスクもあります。その線引きをどうするかは難しい課題ですが、むしろそこに面白さがあると感じています。

トップや事業会社の責任者と一緒に議論を重ね、現地に合った最適なバランスを見つけていく。そうした取り組みをグローバルに広げていきたいと思っています。

Modern CIOs and tech leaders carry responsibility not only for an organization’s technology but, as key partners, for its entire business success. So having access to readily transferable lessons is critical in order to solve real business challenges, and lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

As a jumping off point, I’ve distilled here some of my favourite maxims from different business functions.

Maxim 2: Try to be human

You’re more interesting than you think. Try to be human. I realize this is a tough ask for us classic IT introvert types, but with many interactions now conducted remotely, it’s even more important to find opportunities to meet in person.

Letting people know what makes you tick personally is of more interest than you could probably imagine. Colleagues are interested in you as a whole person, not simply as the person they work with. So don’t be afraid to bring yourself to work, as the phrase goes. This allows others to do the same, and to talk about their own feelings and circumstances.

As an INTP (an introverted, intuitive, thinking, and perceiving type from the Myers-Briggs personality assessment), social events aren’t my natural environment. And we’ve probably all experienced how work and socializing sometimes don’t mix. Is an orchestrated corporate event all that comfortable for anyone? But try to show up and meet people, relax a bit, and have some fun.

Maxim 6: Beware the IT cultural cringe

IT people often prefer to vent about the technology-ignorant business rather than stand up and explain the tech. Instead of declaring something’s bad for the company or a dead-end, they shrug and say the business just doesn’t get it.

No matter how great your strategy is, your plans will fail without a company culture that encourages people to implement it. I know from speaking to other CIOs that a frequent role for them is standing up for IT and defending their teams in a culture where the business blames IT for its failures.

It’s therefore vital to coach your teams to deal on equal terms with their internal business customers. Key to this is talking in business terms, not IT jargon. The reason for not adopting a nonstandard piece of tech is it’ll inflate future company running costs, not that it doesn’t neatly fit the IT estate. So stand up and be counted on a matter of tech principle, and win the debate.

Maxim 8: There are no IT projects, only business projects.

When IT projects fail, it’s often because of a lack of ownership by the business.

The entire purpose of your IT department is to move the organization forward. So any investment must deliver on quantifiable financial targets or defined business objectives. If it doesn’t, move on. This is fundamental. Forgetting to do so is easy when under pressure, as others press you with their own agendas, but dangerous for you and the business.

Everything I’ve learned and seen reinforces this. Without this focus, you’re just an IT supplier taking orders, not the executive IT partner of the business. Question any actions by your team that can’t be linked back to the company’s core objectives.

It all comes down to building relationships based on trust with your business colleagues who recognize that you understand what the business needs and can afford, so challenge projects not owned by the business leaders.

Maxim 10: The CIO as the personification of IT

Be vocal about your team’s successes and be honest about your mistakes. As CIO, you’re the face of the IT function in your organization, and you set the tone for everyone in IT.

Try not to talk about the business and IT as separate entities. You and your team are just as integral to the company as sales, operations, or finance. Always talk about our business needs and what we should do.

Remember, you’re accountable for all the IT. These days, we talk about being authentic, so being honest about your slip-ups, and how you feel about them, is important in establishing your reputation, both internally and externally.

Explain a success to others in the organization and why it worked. Bring out how collaboration between their teams and IT, working to aligned plans and objectives, made good things happen for everyone involved.

Maxim 36: Join up digital and IT

Digital natives need to work together with old techies. Advances of the last decade have been delivered by fast-moving digital startups, financed by deep-pocketed investors. Unsurprisingly, this has spawned organizational impatience with the costs and time taken by traditional or legacy IT functions. This frustration can then translate into setting up a completely separate digital department under a CDO, charged with implementing the new and faster-moving business.

Your current business is built on long-established ways of working, and processes that remain necessary, unless you’re going to build them all a second time for the new digital channel. If not, then new components, including services and products, will have to interface with existing systems, as well as firmly established and mission-critical business processes. So with this dynamic, ensure that both traditional IT and new digital report to you.

Maxim 56: AI is a tech-driven business revolution

AI is the most overhyped bandwagon in technology, more than bitcoin, big data, and augmented and virtual reality. Nevertheless, it’s the most far-reaching tech-driven change since the advent of the internet. In a matter of months, AI and AI agents are doing to white-collar jobs what production line robots did to blue-collar jobs 20 years ago.

AI is transforming the world and we’re just at the beginning of this revolution. So what are you doing about it?

Your challenge as CIO is that AI has cut through to your board and executive leadership like nothing before. Furthermore, all your partners and suppliers are building AI agents into their software and services. Plus, all your best digital innovators in the business, and definitely all your recent grad hires, are using Chat GPT and bespoke AI tools in their day jobs. As CIO, you hold the keys to AI working well by effectively wielding the data in your systems. After all, you and your team are the ones who best understand how the AI works as the means to achieve business value.

Movers & Shakers is where you can keep up with new CIO appointments and gain valuable insight into the job market and CIO hiring trends. As every company becomes a technology company, CEOs and corporate boards are seeking multi-dimensional CIOs and IT leaders with superior skills in technology, communications, business strategy, and digital innovation. The role is more challenging than ever before — but even more exciting and rewarding! If you have CIO job news to share, please email me!

Nationwide appoints Michael Carrel as CTO

Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products across the US. Its insurance portfolio includes car, motorcycle, homeowners, pet, farm, life, and commercial policies. The company also offers annuities, mutual funds, retirement, plans and specialty health services. Carrel brings more than 30 years of experience within Nationwide Technology. Most recently, he served as SVP and CTO for Nationwide Financial where he was responsible for all tech solutions supporting Nationwide’s financial services businesses. He earned a BS from Bowling Green State University and an MBA from the University of Dayton.

Anand Varadarajan named CTO for Starbucks

Starbucks Coffee Company is a roaster and retailer of specialty coffee, and an American multinational chain, with cafes and stores around the globe. Varadarajan was most recently with Amazon, where he led technology and supply chain efforts for the Worldwide Grocery Stores business. Earlier in his career, he held software engineering roles at Oracle and contributed to several early-stage tech companies. Varadarajan earned a B. Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology and an MS from Purdue and from the University of Washington.

Goodyear welcomes Raman Mehta as CIO

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, distributes, and sells tires, and related products and services worldwide. Most recently, Mehta served as SVP and CIO at Johnson Electric, where he led enterprise-wide transformation across ERP, PLM, smart manufacturing, analytics, and AI. His prior leadership experience includes CIO roles at Visteon Corporation, Fabrinet, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and a senior role at Oracle where he drove large-scale IT modernization, software-led transformation, and operational resilience across global automotive and manufacturing ecosystems.

Jim Fowler joins Lumen as CTPO

Lumen Technologies is a global tech company providing network, cloud, security, and IT services.Fowler joins from Nationwide Insurance, where he served as EVP and CTO, responsible for modernizing core tech capabilities, driving digital transformation of business operations, and scaling intelligent automation across the enterprise. Prior to Nationwide, Fowler held senior tech leadership roles at GE, including Global CIO, where he led the internal digital transformation strategy and operations. Fowler holds a BS from Miami University and an MBA from Xavier University.

DXC Technology appoints Russell Jukes as CDIO

DXC Technology is an enterprise tech and innovation partner delivering software, services, and solutions to global enterprises and public sector organizations. Jukes joined in 2017 and has played a pivotal role in shaping DXC’s digital strategy and global technology capabilities. Before joining, he held senior roles across global tech organizations at HP and HPE, where he led modernization, enterprise engineering, and digital operations programs.

Dana Haggas named CIO for Emory University

Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a private research university founded in 1836 and offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Haggas joined as an application developer and has served in various IT leadership positions there, including manager of PeopleSoft applications, senior director, interim deputy CIO, and associate CIO in enterprise applications. She received a BS from the University of Georgia.

Associa appoints Michelle Johnson as chief information and transformation officer

Associa is a community association management firm, serving more than five million members. Most recently, Johnson served as a senior partner at Fortium Partners. Before that, she was EVP and CIO at Freeman Company, leading global technology strategy and teams of more than 200 employees and partners. Johnson has also held tech and business leadership positions at FedEx Office, Deloitte Consulting, and JCPenney. She earned a BA from St. Ambrose University and an MBA from the University of Kansas School of Business.  

Laura Fultz announced as CDIO for Emory Healthcare

Emory Healthcare is a comprehensive healthcare system that offers 11 hospitals, the Emory Clinic, more than 250 provider locations, and more than 2,800 physicians specializing in 70 different medical subspecialties. Fultz joined as an application solution analyst and held several leadership roles as manager and corporate director, associate CIO and VP of applications and digital experience for Emory Healthcare. Fultz holds a BBA from the University of Georgia.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. taps Alex Zelikovsky as CIO

Founded in 1976, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM provides gifts for various occasions. The company’s portfolio includes more than 18 premium brands, such as 1-800-Flowers.com, Harry & David, PersonalizationMall.com, and Things Remembered. Most recently, Zelikovsky served as EVP and Global CIO at Pitney Bowes. Before that, he held divisional CIO and head of digital tech roles at Kimberly-Clark for both EMEA and Latin America, where he executed IT transformation strategies that drove business turnarounds and operating profit growth. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College, and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Westfield welcomes Lloyd Scholz as CIO

Westfield is a property and casualty insurance company that underwrites commercial, personal, surety, and specialty lines of coverage. Most recently, Scholz served as senior managing director and CTO at Markel, where he led global teams supporting business operations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Prior to that, he held progressive leadership roles focused on data engineering, analytics platforms, cloud strategy, and enterprise technology transformation at Capital One.

Christopher Mackie promoted to CIO at McGuireWoods

McGuireWoods represents financial services institutions, fintech company investment advisers, broker-dealers in litigation, and transactional and regulatory matters. Mackie was previously CTO at McGuireWoods, and managed a team of 70 professionals, oversaw the firm’s IT budget, collaborated with the firm’s AI and innovation team, and led a data governance initiative that reduced high-risk file exposures, and helped scale the firm’s remote work capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before coming to McGuireWoods, Mackie held senior roles at Winston & Strawn LLP and Huron Consulting Group, leading IT teams in the legal, healthcare and higher education sectors.

Kendall Knight joins Intermodal Tank Transport as CIO

Intermodal Tank Transport (ITT) is a global tank container logistics and transportation company. Knight arrives at Intermodal from Loomis where he served as CIO. His prior roles include CTO at Ceva Logistics, senior director enterprise applications at Hertz, and senior director of IT at Johnson Controls. Knight earned a BBA from the University of Kentucky and an MS from Houston Baptist University – Archie W. Dunham College of Business.

New CIO appointments, December 2025

Intel appoints Cindy Stoddard as CIO

John Hancock names Kartik Sakthivel CIO

Ameet Shetty joins RaceTrac as CIO

Guidehouse taps Ron White as CIO

AmeriLife names Sulabh Srivastava CIO

Tim Farris joins Clancy & Theys Construction Company as CIO

Ronald McDonald House Charities welcomes Jarrod Bell as CIO

Devang Patel joins Devereux as CIO

MIB promotes Daniel Gortze to CIO

New CIO appointments, November 2025

New York Life appoints Deepa Soni as CIO

Rohit Kapoor joins Whataburger as CDTTO

A.O. Smith taps Chris Howe as CDIO

Soma Venkat named CITAIO for Cooper Standard

Wella Company welcomes Julia Anderson as CDIO

Anthony Spangenberg joins MSPCA-Angell as CIO

Cengage Group welcomes Ken Grady as CIO

Marc Rubel joins Mirion as CIO

Smith names Mike Mercado CIO

Gregg Cottage promoted to CIO and CISO at NN, Inc.

CFA Institute taps Eliot Pikoulis as CIO

New CIO appointments, October 2025

State Farm names Joe Park as CDIO

Steve Bronson announced as CIO for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Bridge Specialty Group appoints Steve Emmons as CIO

Dawn-Marie Hutchinson joins Reynolds American as CIO

Amway welcomes Ryan Talbott as CTO

Randy Dougherty promoted to CIO for Trellix

Shayne Mehringer joins Redwood Services as CIO

Kratos promotes Brian Shepard to CIO

Ravi Soin named CIO and CISO for Smartsheet

Infoblox appoints Justin Kappers as CIO

Manu Narayan named CIO for GitLab

Boomi appoints Keyur Ajmera as CIO

Eric Skinner promoted to CIO for Citadel Credit Union

CONA Services appoints Francesco Quinterno as CIO

New CIO appointments, September 2025

Bank of America names Hari Gopalkrishnan CTIO

Vishal Talwar appointed CDIO for FedEx

Highmark Health announces Alistair Erskine as CIDO

Steven Dee joins Kohl’s as CTO

AI Fire welcomes Mike Marchetti as CIO

Ted Doering joins Ball Corporation as CIO

SpartanNash names Ed Rybicki as CIO

Tara Long named CIO for FM

Trimble announces Jim Palermo as CIO

Bradley Lontz named CIO for CSAA Insurance Group

EchoStor Technologies welcomes Cale Anjoorian as CIO

Corey Farrell joins Peloton as CIO

AWP Safety appoints Craig Young as CIO

Georgeo Pulikkathara joins iMerit as CIO and CISO

Pathward appoints Charles Ingram as CIOO

Ardent Mills appoints Ryan Kelley as CIO

New CIO appointments, August 2025

Neal Sample joins Best Buy as CDTO

Southern Company names Hans Brown CITO

Tim Langley-Hawthorne named CTO of Love’s Travel Stops

QXO appoints Eric Nelson as CIO

Gaspare LoDuca named CIO for MIT

University of Wisconsin-Madison welcomes Didier Contis as CIO

Matt Keen joins Old National Bancorp as CIO

CHG Healthcare names Theresa O’Leary as CIO

Bill Poirier named CIO at the University of Central Florida

Avalara announces Shahan Parshad as CIO

Rajeev Khanna named CIO for Trucordia

Cottage Health Welcomes Ganesh Persad as CIO

Tara Cook joins Hinshaw & Culbertson as CIO

Waiting on replacement parts can be more than just an inconvenience. It can be a matter of sharp loss of income and opportunity. This is especially true for those who depend on industrial tools and equipment for agriculture and construction. So to keep things run as efficiently as possible, Parts ASAP CIO John Fraser makes sure end customer satisfaction is the highest motivation to get the tech implementation and distribution right.

“What it comes down to, in order to achieve that, is the team,” he says. “I came into this organization because of the culture, and the listen first, act later mentality. It’s something I believe in and I’m going to continue that culture.”

Bringing in talent and new products has been instrumental in creating a stable e-commerce model, so Fraser and his team can help digitally advertise to customers, establish the right partnerships to drive traffic, and provide the right amount of data.

“Once you’re a customer of ours, we have to make sure we’re a needs-based business,” he says. “We have to be the first thing that sticks in their mind because it’s not about a track on a Bobcat that just broke. It’s $1,000 a day someone’s not going to make due to a piece of equipment that’s down.”

Ultimately, this strategy helps and supports customers with a collection of highly-integrated tools to create an immersive experience. But the biggest challenge, says Fraser, is the variety of marketplace channels customers are on.

“Some people prefer our website,” he says. “But some are on Walmart or about 20 other commercial channels we sell on. Each has unique requirements, ways to purchase, and product descriptions. On a single product, we might have 20 variations to meet the character limits of eBay, for instance, or the brand limitations of Amazon. So we’ve built out our own product information management platform. It takes the right talent to use that technology and a feedback loop to refine the process.”

Of course, AI is always in the conversation since people can’t write updated descriptions for 250,000 SKUs.

“AI will fundamentally change what everybody’s job is,” he says. “I know I have to prepare for it and be forward thinking. We have to embrace it. If you don’t, you’re going to get left behind.”

Fraser also details practical AI adoption in terms of pricing, product data enhancement, and customer experience, while stressing experimentation without over-dependence. Watch the full video below for more insights, and be sure to subscribe to the monthly Center Stage newsletter by clicking here.

On consolidating disparate systems: You certainly run into challenges. People are on the same ERP system so they have some familiarity. But even within that, you have massive amounts of customization. Sometimes that’s very purpose-built for the type of process an organization is running, or that unique sales process, or whatever. But in other cases, it’s very hard. We’ve acquired companies with their own custom built ERP platform, where they spent 20 years curating it down to eliminate every button click. Those don’t go quite as well, but you start with a good culture, and being transparent with employees and customers about what’s happening, and you work through it together. The good news is it starts with putting the customer first and doing it in a consistent way. Tell people change is coming and build a rapport before you bring in massive changes. There are some quick wins and efficiencies, and so people begin to trust. Then, you’re not just dragging them along but bringing them along on the journey.

On AI: Everybody’s talking it, but there’s a danger to that, just like there was a danger with blockchain and other kinds of immersive technologies. You have to make sure you know why you’re going after AI. You can’t just use it because it’s a buzzword. You have to bake it into your strategy and existing use cases, and then leverage it. We’re doing it in a way that allows us to augment our existing strategy rather than completely and fundamentally change it. So for example, we’re going to use AI to help influence what our product pricing should be. We have great competitive data, and a great idea of what our margins need to be and where the market is for pricing. Some companies are in the news because they’ve gone all in on AI, and AI is doing some things that are maybe not so appropriate in terms of automation. But if you can go in and have it be a contributing factor to a human still deciding on pricing, that’s where we are rather than completely handing everything over to AI.

On pooling data: We have a 360-degree view of all of our customers. We know when they’re buying online and in person. If they’re buying construction equipment and material handling equipment, we’ll see that. But when somebody’s buying a custom fork for a forklift, that’s very different than someone needing a new water pump for a John Deere tractor. And having a manufacturing platform that allows us to predict a two and a half day lead time on that custom fork is a different system to making sure that water pump is at your door the next day. Trying to do all that in one platform just hasn’t been successful in my experience in the past. So we’ve chosen to take a bit of a hybrid approach where you combine the data but still have best in breed operational platforms for different segments of the business.

On scaling IT systems: The key is we’re not afraid to have more than one operational platform. Today, in our ecosystem of 23 different companies, we’re manufacturing parts in our material handling business, and that’s a very different operational platform than, say, purchasing overseas parts, bringing them in, and finding a way to sell them to people in need, where you need to be able to distribute them fast. It’s an entirely different model. So we’re not establishing one core platform in that case, but the right amount of platforms. It’s not 23, but it’s also not one. So as we think about being able to scale, it’s also saying that if you try to be all things to all people, you’re going to be a jack of all trades and an expert in none. So we want to make sure when we have disparate segments that have some operational efficiency in the back end — same finance team, same IT teams — we’ll have more than one operational platform. Then through different technologies, including AI, ensure we have one view of the customer, even if they’re purchasing out of two or three different systems.

On tech deployment: Experiment early and then make certain not to be too dependent on it immediately. We have 250,000 SKUs, and more than two million parts that we can special order for our customers, and you can’t possibly augment that data with a world-class description with humans. So we selectively choose how to make the best product listing for something on Amazon or eBay. But we’re using AI to build enhanced product descriptions for us, and instead of having, say, 10 people curating and creating custom descriptions for these products, we’re leveraging AI and using agents in a way that allow people to build the content. Now humans are simply approving, rejecting, or editing that content, so we’re leveraging them for the knowledge they need to have, and if this going to be a good product listing or not. We know there are thousands of AI companies, and for us to be able to pick a winner or loser is a gamble. Our approach is to make it a bit of a commoditized service. But we’re also pulling in that data and putting it back into our core operational platform, and there it rests. So if we’re with the wrong partner, or they get acquired, or go out of business, we can switch quickly without having to rewrite our entire set of systems because we take it in, use it a bit as a commoditized service, get the data, set it at rest, and then we can exchange that AI engine. We’ve already changed it five times and we’re okay to change it another five until we find the best possible partner so we can stay bleeding edge without having all the expense of building it too deeply into our core platforms.

As 2026 begins, my recent conversations with Chief Information Officers across Southeast Asia provided me with a grounded view of how digital transformation is evolving. While their perspectives differ in nuance, they converge on several defining shifts: the maturation of artificial intelligence, the emergence of autonomous systems, a renewed focus on data governance, and a reconfiguration of work. These changes signal not only technological advancement but a rethinking of how Southeast Asia organizations intend to compete and create value in an increasingly automated economy.

For our CIOs, the year ahead represents a decisive moment as AI moves beyond pilots and hype cycles. Organizations are expected to judge AI by measurable business outcomes rather than conceptual promise. AI capabilities will become standard features embedded across applications and infrastructure, fundamental rather than differentiating. The real challenge is no longer acquiring AI technology but operationalizing it in ways that align with strategic priorities.

Among the most transformative developments is the rise of agentic AI – autonomous agents capable of performing tasks and interacting across systems. CIOs anticipate that organizations will soon manage not a single AI system but networks of agents, each with distinct logic and behaviour. This shift ushers in a new strategic focus, agentic AI orchestration. Organizations will need platforms that coordinate multiple agents, enforce governance, manage digital identity, and ensure trust across heterogeneous technology environments. As AI ecosystems grow more complex, the CIO’s role evolves from integrator to orchestrator who directs a diverse array of intelligent systems.

As AI becomes more central to operations, data governance emerges as a critical enabler. Technology leaders expect 2026 to expose the limits of weak data foundations. Data quality, lineage, access controls, and regulatory compliance determine whether AI initiatives deliver value. Organizations that have accumulated “data debt” will be unable to scale, while those that invest early will move with greater speed and confidence.

Automation in physical environments is also set to accelerate as CIOs expect robotics to expand across healthcare, emergency services, retail, and food and beverage sectors. Robotics will shift from specialised deployments to routine service delivery, supporting productivity goals, standardizing quality, and addressing persistent labour constraints.

Looking ahead, our region’s CIOs point to the early signals of quantum computing’s relevance. While still emerging, quantum technologies are expected to gain visibility through evolving products and research. In my view, for Southeast Asia organizations, the priority is not immediate adoption but proactive monitoring, particularly in cybersecurity and long-term data protection, without undertaking premature architectural shifts.

Perhaps the most provocative prediction concerns the nature of work. As specialised AI agents take on increasingly complex task chains, one CIO anticipates the rise of “cognitive supply chains” in which work is executed largely autonomously. Traditional job roles may fragment into task-based models, pushing individuals to redefine their contributions. Workplace identity could shift from static roles to dynamic capabilities, a broader evolution in how people create value in an AI-native economy.

One CIOs spotlight the changing nature of software development where natural-language-driven “vibe coding” is expected to mature, enabling non-technical teams to extend digital capabilities more intuitively. This trend will not diminish the relevance of enterprise software as both approaches will coexist to support different organizational needs.

CIO ASEAN Editorial final take:

Collectively, these perspectives shared by Southeast Asia’s CIO community point to Southeast Asia preparing for a structurally different digital future, defined by embedded AI, scaled autonomous systems, and disciplined data practices. The opportunity is substantial, but so is the responsibility placed on technology leaders.

As 2026 continue to unfold, the defining question will not simply be who uses AI, but who governs it effectively, integrates it responsibly, and shapes its trajectory to strengthen long-term enterprise resilience. Enjoy reading these top predictions for 2026 by our region’s most influential CIOs who are also our CIO100 ASEAN & Hong Kong Award 2025 winners:

Ee Kiam Keong Deputy Chief Executive (Policy & Development) concurrent Chief Information Officer InfoComm Technology Division Gambling Regulatory Authority Singapore   Prediction 1 AI continue to lead its edge esp. Agentic AI would be getting more popular and used, and AI Governance in terms AI risks and ethnics would get more focused   Prediction 2 Quantum Computing related products should start to evolve and more apparent.   Prediction 3 Deployment of robotic applications would be widened esp. in medical, emergency response and casual activities such retail, and food and beverage etc.

Ng Yee Pern, Chief Technology Officer Far East Organization   Prediction 4 AI deployments will start to mature, as enterprises confront the disconnect between the inflated promises of AI vendors and the actual value delivered.   Prediction 5 Vibe coding will mature and grow in adoption, but enterprise software is not going away. There is plenty of room for both to co-exist.

Athikom Kanchanavibhu Executive Vice President, Digital & Technology Transformation & Chief Information Security Officer Mitr Phol Group   Prediction 6 The Next Vendor Battleground: Agentic AI Orchestration By 2026, AI will no longer be a differentiator, it will be a default feature, embedded as standard equipment across modern digital products. As every vendor develops its own Agentic AI, enterprises will manage not one AI, but an orchestra of autonomous agents, each optimized for its own ecosystem.   The new battleground will be Agentic AI Orchestration where platforms can coordinate, govern, and securely connect agentic AIs across vendors and domains. 2026 won’t be about smarter agents, but about who can conduct the symphony best-safely, at scale, and across boundaries.   Prediction 7 Enterprise AI Grows Up: Data Governance Takes Center Stage 2026 will mark the transition from AI pilots to AI in production. While out-of-the-box AI will become common, true competitive advantage will come from applying AI to enterprise-specific data and context. Many organizations will face a sobering realization: AI is only as good as the data it is trusted with.   As AI moves into core business processes, data governance, management, and security will become non-negotiable foundations. Data quality, access control, privacy, and compliance will determine whether AI scales or stalls. In essence, 2026 will be the year enterprises learn that governing data well is the quiet superpower behind successful AI.

Jackson Ng Chief Technology Officer and Head of Fintech Azimut Group   Prediction 8 In 2026, organizations will see AI seeking power while humans search for purpose. Cognitive supply chains of specialized AI agents will execute work autonomously, forcing individuals to redefine identity at work, in service, and in society. Roles will disintegrate, giving way to a task-based, AI-native economy

2026年、企業のIT戦略はかつてないスピードで進化しています。生成AIの普及、サイバーセキュリティの高度化、データ活用の深化など、変革の波は経営の根幹にまで及んでいます。こうした環境下で、CIOをはじめとするITリーダーには、テクノロジーとビジネスを融合させ、持続的な競争力を生み出す戦略が求められています。

CIO.com Japanでは、国内を代表するCIO、CTO、CAIOをはじめとするITリーダーに「2026年に注目すべきITトレンド」とその背景についてコメントをいただきました。

本記事では、国内トップITリーダーが語る「次の一手」を通じて、2026年のIT戦略の方向性を探ります。

株式会社リコー
コーポレート上席執行役員CTO
セキュリティ統括担当
技術統括部 部⾧、デジタル戦略部 部⾧
野水 泰之 氏

AI駆動型プロセス最適化が企業競争力を決める

2026年はエージェント型AIの本格導入が進み、「AI駆動型プロセス最適化」とそのための「データ活用基盤・データ整備強化」が加速します。

リコーではERPの刷新を進めていますが、刷新に伴い業務プロセスをAI駆動型に再設計しながら開発・運用の自動化を進めます。

同時にAI活用強化のために予防型セキュリティへの進化、AIガバナンス・リスクマネジメントの強化を進めていきます。

株式会社荏原製作所
執行役 CIO（最高情報責任者)
小和瀬 浩之 氏

AI時代の本質は「人材再配置」とプロセス再設計

昨今報道されるAI導入促進による従業員数の整理が大きく報道されますが、生産性向上というよりは、新たなAI収益源への「人材の戦略的再配置」だとみています。

我々はAIによる真の生産性向上を実現し、ROIを高めるためには、機能プロセスの徹底的な再設計・再編成が必須であり、その労力はAI技術導入よりも一層の労力を要すると考えています。

株式会社博報堂DYホールディングス
執行役員
CAIO
森 正弥 氏

AIエージェント時代の到来：創造性と効率化の両立が鍵

2026年は、AIが単なる生成ツールから自律的に「考え、動く」エージェントへと進化し、実務への浸透が定着するフェーズに入ると予想されます。同時に、AIへの過度な依存によるアウトプットの均質化や、従業員の創造性が損なわれるリスクも指摘されています。単なる効率化にとどまらず、現場の暗黙知や自社ならではの創造性をAIといかに融合させるかを念頭に、組織デザインや業務プロセス、データのAI-Ready化を進めることが重要な経営課題となると考えます。

IT領域においては、「Vibe Coding」に代表されるAI駆動型の開発手法が広がり、システム構築のアプローチそのものが変容しつつあります。エージェントによるシステム間連携やフィジカルAIといった新たな技術潮流への対応も見据え、変化に柔軟に適応できるアーキテクチャへの刷新を計画的に進めていくことが大切です。

伊藤忠商事株式会社
准執行役員　IT・デジタル戦略部長　
浦上 善一郎 氏

AIトランスフォーメーションが経営の最大テーマになる年

2026年のITトレンドは、AIを「生産性向上のための道具」として見る段階から、「会社の競争力を支える土台」として捉え直す流れが一気に進む年になると考えています。

これに伴い、IT経営基盤の役割も大きく変わります。基幹システムは単なる業務処理の仕組みから、AIが活用しやすいデータを蓄積する「AIを前提とした基盤」へと進化し、それらを支えるオンプレミスと複数クラウドの一体的な運用、すなわち「ハイブリッドクラウド管理」の重要性がこれまで以上に高まっていくでしょう。

こうした基盤の上でビジネスを牽引するのが、自律的に業務を進めるAIエージェントや、現場でリアルタイムに判断を下すエッジAIといった技術です。しかし、AIが業務の中枢に入り込むほど、「どのAIに何を任せ、結果をどう説明するか」というAIガバナンスや、生成AIを悪用した攻撃に対抗する多層的なサイバーセキュリティ対策といった「守り」の仕組みも欠かせなくなります。

最終的には、単にツールを導入するだけでなく、ビジネスモデルや意思決定のあり方そのものをAI前提に再構築する「AIトランスフォーメーション（AIX）」を、全社としてどう実現していくか。これが、2026年の経営における最大のテーマになると見ています。

楽天グループ株式会社
専務執行役員 Group CIO（Chief Information Officer）& Group CTO（Chief Technology Officer）
黒住 昭仁 氏

AIの民主化の時代：企業競争力はデータ資産・AIテクノロジー・倫理観が鍵に

2026 年は、AIを使用しているという認識すらなくなっていくほど、AIが日常の「当たり前」になるでしょう。これはまさに、楽天グループが目指す「AI の民主化」の姿です。このAI時代の競争においては、企業の持つデータ資産、AIテクノロジー、そして倫理観 の３つが大きなキーワードになると考えています。

楽天グループでは、蓄積された各ドメインの膨大なデータを、当社独自の AI エージェントにより 70 以上のサービスに連携させ、お客様一人ひとりに最適化された体験を提供していくことで、「楽天エコシステム（経済圏）」の進化を目指しています。顧客体験を AI テクノロジーで再構築し、より便利で安全なサービスを提供できるよう、今後も努めてまいります。

Legacy manufacturing environments are inherently complex. Deep technical expertise, global operations, and precision processes create a level of interdependence that makes transformation challenging to orchestrate. For CIOs, the task isn’t just about deploying new technologies, but untangling that complexity and evolving from old and deeply embedded ways of working.

When Aroon Sehgal joined Videojet Technologies as CIO last year, he became part of an organization with decades of technical excellence and a proud engineering culture. Videojet, a global leader in coding, marking, and printing solutions for product traceability, had long operated as part of healthcare company Danaher. Now, as a key business within Veralto, a $5 billion global tech leader focused on environmental and product quality solutions, Sehgal saw an opportunity to position technology as a source of differentiation and growth.

“When we were part of Danaher, Videojet was a rounding error,” Sehgal says. “Now under Veralto, we’re a meaningful part of the portfolio. That creates both visibility and accountability, and leadership is laser-focused on using technology to drive business outcomes.”

Tech moves to the center of strategy

Following Videojet’s most recent strategic planning cycle, one of the company’s top enterprise-wide initiatives focused on commercial excellence is being led by Sehgal himself. It marks the first time in company history that a technology executive has been chosen to lead one of its most critical strategic programs.

“Historically, these initiatives were owned by product or operations leaders,” Sehgal says. “The fact that technology is now seen as a primary driver of growth says everything about how the organization’s mindset has shifted.”

When he arrived, IT was viewed largely as a service provider. His first move was to rebrand the organization, both in name and purpose. IT became digital and technology solutions, or DTS, a deliberate signal that the function would no longer operate in the background. “We needed to recast technology,” he adds. “That meant aligning to our three most important outcomes: growth, margin expansion, and productivity.”

Embedding tech in the business

To make that shift real, Sehgal restructured how technology partners with the business. His team introduced geography-based business engagement leads, each embedded with regional leadership to ensure direct input into business decisions instead of hearing technology needs second or third hand. He also elevated leaders to run new centers of excellence around Videojet’s most strategic capabilities, including data and AI, e-commerce and web, and ERP transformation.

“It’s about being deliberate,” Sehgal says. “You can’t extract long-term value from AI or automation without first fixing your data strategy and governance. We’re laying the foundation for what I call the multi-agentic future, where workflows are increasingly autonomous.”

Laying the foundation for AI and automation

That foundation is already producing results. In partnership with Sehgal’s team, Videojet is piloting AI and ML applications across multiple fronts. In operations, they’re deploying ML to optimize production scheduling, and improve inventory forecasting and planning. The goal is to digitize their sales and operations planning process using a unified data set.

On the commercial side, Videojet has implemented AI-powered translation tools to create marketing content at scale across global markets, and is working with a startup to design an AI-first ERP system that automates order intake. At the same time, tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT Enterprise are being deployed widely to improve productivity across the organization.

“We’re not limiting experimentation,” Sehgal says. “Teams across R&D and operations are exploring large language models, and our job is to make sure they have the right data and governance in place to scale.”

Speaking the language of business

Still, Sehgal knows that even the most elegant technology story won’t land unless it’s translated into business terms. “You can’t walk into a leadership meeting and talk about APIs and architectures,” he said. “You have to talk about how technology contributes to growth and profitability.”

Every initiative under his watch is evaluated through a commercial lens, with clear visibility into how it supports both the customer and the company’s strategic and financial goals. Sehgal and his team also forecast how their programs will translate to earnings per share, giving leadership a tangible measure of technology’s targeted contribution to enterprise value. “When we model the impact of our initiatives, we express that impact in business terms that everyone in the organization understands,” he says. “That’s how technology earns its credibility.”

Lessons for tech leaders in legacy industries

For Sehgal, Videojet’s vision for technology holds lessons for every CIO navigating a legacy environment. His advice, shaped by leadership roles held at manufacturing giants Terex, ESAB, and ITT Inc., begins with identifying the business pain points where tech can drive the greatest impact. “In manufacturing, you have to know what holds the business back: labor intensity, asset dependency, supply chain complexity,” he says. “Then, pinpoint where technology can make a difference.”

Building credibility early is equally essential. “The business has to see you as a peer, not a service provider,” he adds. “And you can’t have your CFO reading about a breakthrough before you do.”

Above all, Sehgal believes technology leaders have to be willing to take risks. “In manufacturing or any legacy organization, you have to put skin in the game,” he says. “If you want to drive change, you need to be willing to take on the tough initiatives, own them, and deliver results.” In an industry where efficiency often surpasses innovation, Sehgal is positioning technology to be at the core of a strategy that blends Videojet’s track record of operational rigor with forward-looking ambition, grounded in the language of the business, and aimed squarely at customer growth and innovation. “Ultimately, our success will be measured not by how digital we are, but by how much we move the business forward,” he says.

2026年、企業のIT戦略はかつてないスピードで進化しています。生成AIの普及、サイバーセキュリティの高度化、データ活用の深化など、変革の波は経営の根幹にまで及んでいます。こうした環境下で、CIOをはじめとするITリーダーには、テクノロジーとビジネスを融合させ、持続的な競争力を生み出す戦略が求められています。

CIO.com Japanでは、国内を代表するCIO、CTO、CAIOをはじめとするITリーダーに「2026年に注目すべきITトレンド」とその背景についてコメントをいただきました。

本記事では、国内トップITリーダーが語る「次の一手」を通じて、2026年のIT戦略の方向性を探ります。

ゼネラルモーターズ・ジャパン株式会社

ゼネラルモーターズ・ジャパン株式会社
ストラテジックマーケット アライアンス＆ディストリビューター　リージョンCIO
豊丹生 信隆 氏

AI前提時代のIT戦略：ガバナンスと柔軟性が鍵

AIの活用を前提としたビジネスモデルが一般化する中、目的に応じたAIの使い分けが進みそうです。その上でビジネスへのAI適用には透明性や倫理性を守るためのガバナンスの強化が一つのテーマです。個人の生産性や創造性向上に寄与するためのAI適用はなるべく自由にその利用ができる環境を整備していく一方、公私のバランスをとるために具体的な制度化と教育が重要な課題と考えます。

一方、ITにおいてはAI活用を前提としたプラットフォームからアプリケーションまで各層の定義、見直しが急務と考えています。今後各サービスの仕様や構成要素が変わっていくという認識のもと、柔軟性を残した形でそれぞれのサービス刷新を計画的に行っていく予定です。

カナデビア株式会社
取締役兼常務執行役員、ICT推進本部長
橋爪 宗信 氏

製造業もホワイトカラーも変える、AIエージェント革命

2026年の最も重要なテクノロジーはAIエージェントの「使いこなし技術」と考えています。生成AIの超進化は言うまでも無く、弊社のような製造業でも極めて重要になってきています。個々の場面で生成AIを用いたデジタル応用の品質、安全、生産性向上の個別システムが産まれてきますが、総務、人事、経理などのホワイトカラーの職員も含めた働き方、仕事の生産性を抜本的に変革するAIエージェントを全社で使いこなせる社内活用プラットフォームの構築が最重要課題で、各社がそれらのプラットフォームに適したITソリューションを探そうと動くと予想しています。当然弊社もその方向です。

関西電力株式会社
理事、IT戦略室長
上田 晃穂 氏

2026年は「AIエージェント」から「AIパートナー」へ進化の年

2025年は「AIエージェント」元年でしたが、2026年は「ヒトとAIとの協働とは何か？」、つまりAIに何を任せ、ヒトは何に特化するのかを徹底的に考え、「AIパートナー」化を進める年になります。業界・業務、各社のDXの進展度によって「ヒトとAIとの協働」の仕方は様々です。自社に最適な「ヒトとAIとの協働」を見つけ実行するヒト・会社が競争優位を確立し生き残るものと考えています。

J. フロント リテイリング株式会社
執行役　DX推進部長
野村 泰一 氏

AIエージェント時代の勝敗は「データ整備力」で決まる

ビジネスシーンにおけるAIの活用が一層加速することになりそうです。個人利用だけでなく、業務課題や戦略実現といった組織テーマに対しても事例が多く登場することになります。中でもAIエージェントは注目されるテクノロジーと思いますが、その利用にあたっては社内データの環境をいかに整えてきたのかという企業としての準備の差が表出することになるのではと思います。

アイリスオーヤマ株式会社
執行役員 ロボティクス事業部 事業部長
株式会社アイリスロボティクス 取締役社長
吉田 豊 氏

フィジカルAI時代の幕開け：ロボットが現場を変える

2026年はAIとロボティクスが企業競争力を決定づける年です。人口減少と労働力不足を背景に、政府は現場DXとロボット導入を後押しし、国家戦略技術としてAI・先端ロボットを重点支援します。製造・物流・医療など多様な現場でロボットは省人化から生産性向上のパートナーへ進化、当社もAI搭載ロボットでフィジカルAIの社会実装を加速します。

Everything is changing, from data pipelines and technology platforms, to vendor selection and employee training — even core business processes — and CIOs are in the middle of it to guide their companies into the future.

In 2024, tech leaders asked themselves if this AI thing even works and how do you do it. Last year, the big question was what the best use cases are for the new technology. This year will be all about scaling up and starting to use AI to fundamentally transform how employees, business units, or even entire companies actually function.

So whatever IT was thought of before, it’s now a driver of restructuring. Here are seven ways the CIO role will change in the next 12 months.

Enough experimenting

The role of the CIO will change for the better in 2026, says Eric Johnson, CIO at incident management company PagerDuty, with a lot of business benefit and opportunity in AI.

“It’s like having a mine of very valuable minerals and gold, and you’re not quite sure how to extract it and get full value out of it,” he says. Now, he and his peers are being asked to do just that: move out of experimentation and into extraction.

“We’re being asked to take everything we’ve learned over the past couple of years and find meaningful value with AI,” he says.

What makes this extra challenging is the pace of change is so much faster now than before.

“What generative AI was 12 months ago is completely different to what it is today,” he says. “And the business folks watching that transformation occur are starting to hear of use cases they never heard of months ago.”

From IT manager to business strategist

The traditional role of a company’s IT department has been to provide technology support to other business units.

“You tell me what the requirements are, and I’ll build you your thing,” says Marcus Murph, partner and head of technology consulting at KPMG US.

But the role is changing from back-office order taker to full business partner working alongside business leaders to leverage innovation.

“My instincts tell me that for at least the next decade, we’ll see such drastic change in technology that they won’t go back to the back office,” he says. “We’re probably in the most rapid hyper cycle of change at least since the internet or mobile phones, but almost certainly more than that.”

Change management

As AI transforms how people do their jobs, CIOs will be expected to step up and help lead the effort.

“A lot of the conversations are about implementing AI solutions, how to make solutions work, and how they add value,” says Ryan Downing, VP and CIO of enterprise business solutions at Principal Financial Group. “But the reality is with the transformation AI is bringing into the workplace right now, there’s a fundamental change in how everyone will be working.”

This transformation will challenge everyone, he says, in terms of roles, value proposition of what’s been done for years, and expertise.

“The technology we’re starting to bring into the workplace is really shaping the future of work, and we need to be agents of change beyond the tech,” he says.

That change management starts within the IT organization itself, adds Matt Kropp, MD and senior partner and CTO at Boston Consulting Group.

“There’s quite a lot of focus on AI for software development because it’s maybe the most advanced, and the tools have been around for a while,” he says. “There’s a very clear impact using AI agents for software developers.”

The lessons that CIOs learn from managing this transformation can be applied in other business units, too, he says.

“What we see happening with AI for software development is a canary in the coal mine,” he adds. And it’s an opportunity to ensure the company is getting the productivity gains it’s looking for, but also to create change management systems that can be used in other parts of the enterprise. And it starts with the CIO.

“You want the top of the organization saying they expect everyone to use AI because they use it, and can demonstrate how they use it as part of their work,” he says. Leaders need to lead by example that the use of AI is allowed, accepted, and expected.

CIOs and other executives can use AI to create first drafts of memos, organize meeting notes, and help them think through strategy. And any major technology initiative will include a change management component, yet few technologies have had as dramatic an impact on work as AI is having, and is expected to have.

Deploying AI at scale in an enterprise, however, is a very contentious issue, says Ari Lightman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Companies have spent a lot of time focusing on understanding the customer experience, he says, but few focus on the employee experience.

“When you roll out enterprise-wide AI systems, you’re going to have people who are supportive and interested, and people who just want to blow it up,” he says. Without addressing the issues that employees have, AI projects can grind to a halt.

Cleaning up the data

As AI projects scale up, so will their data requirements. Instead of limited, curated data sets, enterprises will need to modernize their data stacks if they haven’t already, and make the data ready and accessible for AI systems while ensuring security and compliance.

“We’re thinking about data foundations and making sure we have the infrastructure in place so AI is something we can leverage and get value out of,” says Aaron Rucker, VP of data at Warner Music.

The security aspect is particularly important as AI agents gain the ability to autonomously seek out and query data sources. This was much less of a concern with small pilot projects or RAG embedding, where developers carefully curated the data that was used to augment AI prompts. And before gen AI, data scientists, analysts, and data engineers were the ones accessing data, which offered a layer of human control that might diminish or completely vanish in the agentic age. That means the controls will need to move closer to the data itself.

“With AI, sometimes you want to move fast, but you still want to make sure you’re setting up data sources with proper permissions so someone can’t just type in a chatbot and get all the family jewels,” says Rucker.

Make build vs buy decisions

This year, the build or buy decisions for AI will have dramatically bigger impacts than they did before. In many cases, vendors can build AI systems better, quicker, and cheaper than a company can do it themselves. And if a better option comes along, switching is a lot easier than when you’ve built something internally from scratch. On the other hand, some business processes represent core business value and competitive advantage, says Rucker.

“HR isn’t a competitive advantage for us because Workday is going to be better positioned to build something that’s compliant” he says. “It wouldn’t make sense for us to build that.”

But then there are areas where Warner Music can gain a strategic advantage, he says, and it’s going to be important to figure out what this advantage is going to be when it comes to AI.

“We shouldn’t be doing AI for AI’s sake,” says Rucker. “We should attach it to some business value as a reflection of our company strategy.”

If a company uses outside vendors for important business processes, there’s a risk the vendor will come to understand an industry better than the existing players.

Digitizing a business process creates behavioral capital, network capital, and cognitive capital, says John Sviokla, executive fellow at the Harvard Business School and co-founder of GAI Insights. It unlocks something that used to be exclusively inside the minds of employees.

Companies have already traded their behavioral capital to Google and Facebook, and network capital to Facebook and LinkedIn.

“Trading your cognitive capital for cheap inference or cheap access to technology is a very bad idea,” says Sviokla. Even if the AI company or hyperscaler isn’t currently in a particular line of business, this gives them the starter kit to understand that business. “Once they see a massive opportunity, they can put billions of dollars behind it,” he says.

Platform selection

As AI moves from one-off POCs and pilot projects to deployments at scale, companies will have to come to grips with choosing an AI platform, or platforms.

“With things changing so fast, we still don’t know who’s going to be the leaders in the long term,” says Principal’s Downing. “We’re going to start making some meaningful bets, but I don’t think the industry is at the point where we pick one and say that’s going to be it.”

The key is to pick platforms that have the ability to scale, but are decoupled, he says, so enterprises can pivot quickly, but still get business value. “Right now, I’m prioritizing flexibility,” he says.

Bret Greenstein, chief AI officer at management consulting firm West Monroe Partners, recommends CIOs identify aspects of AI that are stable, and those that change rapidly, and make their platform selections accordingly.

“Keep your AI close to the cloud because the cloud is going to be stable,” he says. “But the AI agent frameworks will change in six months, so build to be agnostic in order to integrate with any agent frameworks.”

Progressive CIOs are building the enterprise infrastructure of tomorrow and have to be thoughtful and deliberate, he adds, especially around building governance models.

Revenue generation

AI is poised to massively transform business models across every industry. This is a threat to many companies, but also an opportunity for others. By helping to create new AI-powered products and services, CIOs can make IT a revenue generator instead of just a cost center.

“You’re going to see this notion of most IT organizations directly building tech products that enable value in the marketplace, and change how you do manufacturing, provide services, and how you sell a product in a store,” says KPMG’s Murph.

That puts IT much closer to the customer than it had been before, raising its profile and significance in the organization, he says.

“In the past, IT was one level away from the customer,” he says. “They enabled the technology to help business functions sell products and services. Now with AI, CIOs and IT build the products, because everything is enabled by technology. They go from the notion of being services-oriented to product-oriented.”

One CIO already doing this is Amith Nair at Vituity, a national physician group serving 13.8 million patients.

“We’re building products internally and providing them back to the hospital system, and to external customers,” he says.

For example, doctors spend hours a day transcribing conversations with patients, which is something AI can help with. “When a patient comes in, they can just have a conversation,” he says. “Instead of looking at the computer and typing, they look at and listen to the patient. Then all of their charting, medical decision processes, and discharge summaries are developed using a multi-agent AI platform.”

The tool was developed in-house, custom-built on top of the Microsoft Azure platform, and is now a startup running on its own, he says.

“We’ve become a revenue generator,” he says.

Black & Veatch’s AI strategy demonstrates how thoughtful implementation can drive rapid, meaningful adoption across a large organization. Rather than deploying AI tools companywide and hoping for results, it’s built a cohort-based program that’s driven active and specific AI work usage to nearly half of its employee owners in just one year. The approach addresses the human factors that often derail AI initiatives by building champion networks, eliminating friction, and converting employee passion into tangible workplace and business benefits. By also combining partner-provided AI capabilities with proprietary tools trained on 110 years of engineering data, Black & Veatch is creating a multiplier effect that enables safety improvement, profitability, and increased resource capacity.

How is AI making its way into your business strategy?

We anchor our AI opportunities to three areas: safety, resourcing improvements, and profitable returns for our employee owners. With market demand increasing, particularly the power needs of data centers, we’re using AI to democratize knowledge across our engineers so Black & Veatch can deliver more strategic and accelerated solutions.

How are you embedding this strategy?

We’ve defined our AI capabilities continuum as foundational, differentiating, and enduring with a focus on four themes across gen AI, agentic AI, and MLOps.

The first theme is iterative innovation, which lowers the barriers to effective use of AI for all by driving adoption of Microsoft’s integrated gen AI capabilities.

Second is placing strategic bets on platforms for engineering, construction, HR, sales, and marketing while leveraging our strategic partners’ platform-specific generative and agentic AI strategies. We want the big providers to bring the models to us, so when an employee asks to use Claude, Perplexity AI, or ChatGPT, it’s fine to use a governed user experience like Microsoft 365 Copilot to bring those models to the user.

Third is disruptive innovation, which focuses less on provider AI and more on our own data. We’re rich in unstructured, natural language data from 110 years of documentation to engineer and deliver critical infrastructure. Our new BV ASK platform applies generative models against data, democratizing and improving functional expertise across engineering disciplines. So we’re leveraging AI and our data to create that multiplier effect of expertise.

Our fourth theme is in the MLOps space, turning our project sites into trillions of data points that train models to advance our work. We’re advancing plans to collect telemetry from job site equipment, employee wearables for safety monitoring, geofencing technology, and drones with computer vision to create multivariate models that can help predict the success and profitability of new projects. Rather than turn down good work, we’re creating an AI-driven feedback loop to increase our margins.

The human factor is the sticking point in driving AI adoption. How are you changing minds and behaviors?

I’ve seen CIOs give everybody Microsoft 365 Copilot and watch adoption hover at five to 10%. Instead, we started by using early successes with Copilot to build a champion network to influence more adoption. We picked a few powerful use cases, identified personas who’d benefit from those use cases, and created a cohort of early adopters. Then we found another set of use cases and created another cohort, so today, approximately 5,000 employee owners engage in AI cohorts at Black & Veatch, with 97% active usage of our core AI capabilities.

Curriculum within each cohort includes hands-on training and spark sessions to encourage growth and engagement within the community itself. In a few months, we expect to have about 7,500 of our employee owners through a program cohort, and 75% of our employee base actively using generative AI to support their work.

We ask our cohorts for three things: to actively incorporate AI into your daily job, participate enthusiastically in the cohort community, and be a net producer for the community versus a net consumer. The cohorts not only increase AI skill development, but drive a whole new level of collaboration across departments.

What’s your advice for CIOs who need to balance AI innovation and data security?

Just as access to the internet and social media platforms took some time to govern in corporations, AI is bringing similar consumer-driven urgency that we need to understand and use to drive efficiencies. People see that AI provides a tangible way to improve their personal lives, so when our teams come into our offices, they expect to have the same access to AI platforms to improve their work efficiency.

My first piece of advice is to educate your teams about the need for innovation and guardrails. We set up an AI governance committee and launched several campaigns coupled with cybersecurity awareness month to outline what we’re doing to deliver experiences using BV data, but within secure and safe guardrails. We also have a technology showcase every year where we educate ourselves on the why and how: why we need the guardrails and how to use the tools. Rather than restricting access, the approach we’re taking is to eliminate friction and frustration while establishing clear guidance and data security controls.

Also, establish a formal process to increase the overall AI acumen across the entire company. AI is different from the innovations of Metaverse and blockchain. People understand AI because it’s so tangible. They can use natural language to create interesting things, so the barriers to innovation are low.

And of course, use every opportunity to shift mindsets. When people express interest in AI tools, I ask them to send me an email with the answer to two questions: Why is this new capability interesting to you, and how will it allow you to do your job better? If the response is thoughtful, we pull them into an earlier cohort immediately. This removes potential frustration by converting their passion into a benefit of a cohort where they can apply their ideas.

What’s the key motivation behind this cohort program?

The most critical factor in AI-driven transformation, and in society, is the human element. Our program helps build a level playing field to enable all Black & Veatch creators to do what they do best — create! This new but foundational knowledge across the company allows us to pursue more advanced opportunities with AI. As collective knowledge increases, this opens even more to further advance AI enablement within engineering, and even out in the field. We’re beginning to see it already.

외국계 컨설팅 기업과 글로벌 IT 환경을 거쳐온 CIO로서의 커리어, DX를 이끄는 과정에서의 문제의식, 그리고 IT 부문의 역할이 어떻게 진화하고 있는지에 대해 고무로 시게하루의 이야기를 들어봤다.

Q: 지금까지의 커리어와 주요 경험을 간략히 소개해 달라.
A: 외국계 컨설팅 기업, 슈퍼컴퓨터를 취급하는 판매사, 그리고 현재의 칼비까지 총 세 개의 회사를 경험했다. 첫 직장은 외국계 컨설팅 기업으로, 신입으로 입사해 약 20년간 근무했다. 시스템 기획부터 설계, 개발, 도입까지 전 과정을 담당했고, 특히 제조업 가운데 하이테크 부품 산업을 중심으로 프로젝트를 수행했다. 같은 제조업이라도 회사마다 문화는 크게 달랐다. 자유롭게 도전을 장려하는 조직도 있었고, 전례를 철저히 확인하며 신중하게 움직이는 조직도 있었다.

이 과정에서 본사가 해외에 있는 일본 법인, 일본 본사를 둔 글로벌 기업의 해외 현지 법인 등 다양한 조직 형태를 경험했다. 본사와 현지 법인 간 관계가 지닌 어려움과 장점을 모두 체감할 수 있었고, 이는 조직 운영과 IT의 역할을 입체적으로 이해하는 데 큰 도움이 됐다.

Q: 두 번째 회사에서는 어떤 역할을 맡았고, 어떤 점을 배웠나.
A: 두 번째 회사는 HPC, 즉 슈퍼컴퓨터를 다루는 일본 판매사로 약 7년간 근무했다. 이곳에서는 시스템뿐 아니라 수주 관리, 수입, 물류, 구매, 재무 부문까지 폭넓게 담당하며 업무 현장 깊숙이 관여했다. IT를 단순한 시스템이 아니라 비즈니스 운영의 일부로 체득한 시기였다.

이 회사 역시 조직 구조에 큰 변화가 있었다. 원래 외국계였던 회사가 자금 사정으로 일본 기업이 됐다가, 이후 주주의 요청으로 다시 미국 기업 산하로 편입됐다. 이 과정에서 사장과 함께 미국을 방문해 CEO에게 직접 제안했고, 실사를 거쳐 계약을 체결했다. 이후 PMI 과정에서 기간 시스템을 SAP에서 오라클로 전환했다. 국경을 넘어 다양한 이해관계자와 협업하며 시스템 통합을 완수한 경험은 현재의 업무에도 그대로 활용되고 있다.

Q: 칼비에 합류한 이후 IT 부문을 어떻게 이끌고 있나.
A: 2015년 SAP 도입 책임자로 칼비에 합류한 뒤 정보시스템 부문 책임자를 맡아 왔다. DX가 주목받기 시작하면서 DX 부문을 새로 출범시켰고, 현재는 DX를 뒷받침하는 정보시스템 책임자로 활동하고 있다.

칼비는 규모 측면에서 매우 기동성이 높은 회사다. 경영진과의 거리가 가깝고, 사용자 부문이나 현장과도 직접 연결돼 있다. IT 부문의 결정과 실행이 어떻게 받아들여지는지, 성과가 어떻게 활용되는지를 빠르게 피드백으로 확인할 수 있다. 기대한 대로 사용되고 있는지, 그렇지 않은지가 즉각적으로 드러나기 때문에 개선 속도도 빠르다. 이런 점에서 칼비의 IT 부문은 사용자와의 거리가 매우 가까운 조직이라고 생각한다.

Q: 여러 대형 시스템 구축 경험 가운데 가장 인상 깊었던 사례는 무엇이었나.
A: 여러 차례 대형 시스템을 구축했지만, 가장 기억에 남는 것은 두 번째 회사에서 맡았던 M&A 이후 통합 작업, 즉 PMI(Post Merger Integration) 경험이다. 당시 회사에서는 SAP를 사용하고 있었는데, 미국 본사의 방침에 따라 오라클 애플리케이션으로 통합하기로 결정됐다. 이에 따라 약 1년에 걸쳐 시스템 통합 프로젝트를 진행했다.

이 작업은 단순히 기존 시스템을 새로운 시스템으로 교체하는 수준이 아니었다. 미국 사용자들로부터 ‘이 기회에 우리 요구사항을 반영하고 싶다’는 요청이 이어졌고, 새로운 기능 추가 제안도 계속 나왔다. 그 결과 프로젝트 범위는 점점 넓어졌고, 계획은 예상보다 훨씬 복잡해졌다. 이런 상황에서 미국 측 CIO 역시 상당한 부담을 느끼고 있었을 것으로 본다. PMI라는 작업이 기술적인 과제일 뿐 아니라, 조직과 이해관계가 얽힌 매우 복합적인 문제라는 점을 이때 절실히 실감했다.

Q: PMI 과정에서 특히 기억에 남는 경험과, 그로부터 얻은 교훈은 무엇이었나.
A: 일본에서는 2~3명 정도의 소규모 팀으로 대응해야 했고, 미국에는 대규모 IT 조직이 있었다. 제한된 인력으로 어떻게 미국 팀과 협력해 시스템을 안정적으로 구축할 것인지가 가장 큰 과제였다. 역할 분담과 커뮤니케이션 방식을 끊임없이 조정하며, 어떻게든 가동 시점까지 끌고 가는 데 집중했다. 그 과정을 끝까지 완수한 경험은 개인적으로도 매우 큰 자산이 됐다.

특히 잊히지 않는 장면은 일명 ‘데이원(Day1)’, 즉 시스템을 공식적으로 가동한 순간이다. 방화벽을 해제하자마자 네트워크가 거의 작동하지 않았고, 이메일조차 보낼 수 없는 상황이 벌어졌다. 원인은 일본의 엔지니어들이 동시에 미국의 데이터 리소스에 접근하면서 트래픽이 한꺼번에 몰린 것이었다. 사전에 전혀 예상하지 못한 상황이었다.

다만 그 사건을 되돌아보면, 모두가 그만큼 시스템 가동을 기다리고 있었다는 방증이기도 했다. 예기치 않은 장애였지만, 반드시 부정적인 경험만은 아니었다고 생각한다. 이 경험을 통해 시스템 자체만 잘 만드는 것으로는 PMI가 성공할 수 없다는 점을 다시 한 번 절감했다. 조직, 사용자, 운영 방식까지 함께 고려하지 않으면 통합은 제대로 작동하지 않는다. PMI에서 시스템 통합 프로세스가 왜 중요한지, 몸으로 배운 계기였다.

Q: 지금까지의 도전 가운데 가장 인상 깊었던 경험과, 그 과정에서 배운 점은 무엇이었나.
A: 여러 도전이 있었지만 가장 기억에 남는 것은 ‘과제의 본질을 파악하기 위한 프로세스를 확립한 경험’이다. 과거 근무하던 회사에서는 본사는 통제를 강화하려 했고, 일본 사용자들은 기존 운영 방식을 유지하고 싶어 하는 상황이 반복됐다. 여기에 IT 부문의 논리까지 더해지면서 각자의 입장과 이해관계가 복잡하게 충돌했다. 이런 대립을 단순히 조정하는 일은 생각보다 훨씬 어려웠다.

특히 미국 본사 쪽에서는 일본의 실제 업무를 충분히 이해하지 못해 “왜 일본 엔화로 처리해야 하느냐”와 같은, 현장을 고려하지 않은 의견이 나오기도 했다. 이런 상황에서는 표면적인 타협이나 형식적인 조율로는 문제를 해결할 수 없다고 느꼈다. 그래서 반대하거나 저항하는 사람들이 왜 그런 생각을 하게 됐는지, 어떤 배경에서 그런 의견을 내고 있는지를 직접 만나 하나씩 확인했다. 회의실에서 문서만 놓고 논의하는 것이 아니라, 실제로 마주 앉아 대화를 나누며 ‘왜’를 반복해서 물었다.

본사의 판단이 항상 옳다고 단정할 수도 없고, 그렇다고 일본 쪽이 무조건 맞다고 말할 수도 없었다. 결국 중요한 것은 누가 옳은지가 아니라, 무엇이 정말로 옳은지였다. 그 지점을 끝까지 파고드는 과정이 가장 힘들었지만, 일단 합의가 이뤄지고 나니 이후 운영은 오히려 훨씬 매끄럽게 흘러갔다. 일본과 미국의 IT 담당자뿐 아니라 재무·회계 담당자까지 함께 논의에 참여해 하나씩 합의를 쌓아간 결과, 시스템 가동 이후에는 “그때 그렇게 합의했다”는 공통 인식이 남았고, 큰 불만 없이 운영할 수 있었다.

Q: 커리어 전반을 돌아봤을 때, 지금의 업무 태도에 가장 큰 영향을 준 경험이나 조언은 무엇인가.
A: 가장 먼저 떠오르는 조언은 ‘새로운 자리나 프로젝트 제안을 받았을 때는 가능하면 거절하지 않는 편이 좋다’는 말이다. 한 회사의 영업부장에게 들은 이야기인데, 지금까지도 강하게 기억에 남아 있다. 한 번 거절하면 다음 기회가 왔을 때 “어차피 또 거절할 것”이라고 생각돼 아예 연락조차 오지 않을 수 있다. 그렇게 되면 기회 자체가 사라진다.

컨설턴트로 일하던 시절의 경험도 이 생각을 굳히는 계기가 됐다. 같은 제안을 여러 회사에 가져갔을 때, 제안이 충분히 다듬어지지 않은 단계에서는 거절당하는 경우가 많았다. 그런데 회사마다 반응은 극명하게 달랐다. 어떤 회사는 “말도 안 된다”, “논외다”라며 대화를 이어가지 않았고, 다른 회사는 “조사해 줘서 고맙다”며 어디가 다른지, 어떤 구조로 돼 있는지를 차분히 설명해 줬다.

결과적으로 두 경우 모두 제안은 받아들여지지 않았지만, 전자에 대해서는 다시 가고 싶다는 생각이 들지 않았고, 후자에 대해서는 “새로운 정보를 정리해서 다시 찾아가 보고 싶다”는 마음이 들었다. 이 경험을 지금의 입장에 대입해 보면, 제안을 받을 때 얼마나 성실하게 귀 기울이느냐가 얼마나 중요한지 절실히 느끼게 된다. 자신이 지식을 갖고 있다는 이유로 무성의하게 대응하면, 언젠가는 정보도 기회도 들어오지 않게 된다. 그래서 지금도 가능한 한 겸손하게, 상대가 다음에도 편하게 찾아올 수 있도록 대응하려고 노력하고 있다.

Q: 칼비로 이직한 뒤 조직 문화 측면에서 가장 인상 깊었던 점은 무엇이었나.
A: 임원실이나 사장실이 없다는 점이었다. 임원 전용 개인실은 없지만 좌석은 있고, 그 주변에 직원들이 모여 자유롭게 논의하고 있다. 사장이 바쁘지 않다면 직원이 직접 다가가 “잠깐 이야기해도 될까요”라고 말을 걸 수 있다. 대기업에서 흔히 볼 수 있는 위계적인 커뮤니케이션과는 달리, 매우 플랫하고 소통하기 쉬운 환경이라고 느꼈다.

Q: 이런 문화가 IT 부문과 현장 간 관계에는 어떤 영향을 주고 있나.
A: IT 부문과 현장의 거리가 매우 가깝다. 문제가 생기면 IT 담당자가 직접 현장으로 가서, 도입한 시스템이 실제로 어떻게 쓰이고 있는지를 확인한다. 불만이 나오면 즉시 개선으로 이어진다. 누가 사용하는지도 모르는 시스템을 만드는 것이 아니라, 현장과 함께 시스템을 만들어 간다는 감각이 있다. 현장이 예상하지 못한 방식으로 시스템을 활용하는 모습을 보며 배우는 경우도 많고, 그것 역시 큰 보람이다.

Q: 칼비의 DX는 어떤 방식으로 추진되고 있나.
A: 톱다운(Top down)과 바텀업(Bottom up)을 결합한 하이브리드 방식이다. 톱다운의 대표적인 사례가 S&OP, 즉 세일즈·운영 계획이다. 매월 실적과 연초 계획의 차이를 가시화해 수익이 부족한지, 초과하고 있는지를 파악하고, 4~5개월 뒤를 내다보며 어떤 대응이 필요한지를 판단할 수 있는 정보를 제공한다. 이제 막 도입한 단계로, 앞으로 본격적으로 활용해 나갈 예정이다.

Q: 바텀업 DX는 어떻게 확산됐나.
A: 바텀업 DX는 주로 공장에서 시작됐다. 처음에는 작업 공수를 줄이기 위해 IoT로 설비 데이터를 직접 수집하는 것에서 출발했다. 이후 ‘어제의 데이터를 오늘의 판단에 활용할 수 있다’는 인식이 자리 잡으면서 의사결정 속도가 빨라졌다. 현장에서는 ‘깨달으면 바로 개선한다’는 움직임이 자연스럽게 확산됐고, 지금은 해외 공장에서도 같은 구조를 도입하고 싶다는 요청이 들어오고 있다.

Q: 이런 DX 추진 과정에서 칼비의 강점은 무엇이라고 보나.
A: 사용자와 IT 부문의 거리가 매우 가깝다는 점이다. 예를 들어 수요 예측은 DX의 대표적인 영역인데, 칼비에서는 이미 약 5년 전부터 지속적으로 추진해 왔다. 초기에는 “정말 도움이 될까”라는 반응도 있었지만, 지금은 데이터 사이언티스트가 “지난달 예측이 어느 정도 맞았는지”, “빗나간 원인이 특정 상품의 프로모션 때문인지, 생산 관련 문제 때문인지”를 세밀하게 설명한다. 이를 바탕으로 논의가 활발해졌고, 영업 지원이나 SCM 담당자들도 매번 회의에 참여해 “작년에는 이랬는데 왜 이번에는 달라졌는가”와 같은 질문을 자연스럽게 던지고 있다.

Q: DX의 효과를 가장 실감하는 순간은 언제인가.
A: 결국 IT가 다루는 디지털 데이터와 현장의 경험과 지식이 서로 오가며 다듬어지는 과정이다. 이런 장면을 직접 눈앞에서 볼 수 있다는 점은 매우 흥미롭고, 큰 보람으로 다가온다.

데이터를 제시했을 때 현장 전문가들이 보이는 반응이다. 감자 생육 상태나 공장 라인의 부담, 소매 매장의 진열 상황까지 데이터를 보고 즉각적으로 읽어낸다. 실제로 그 해석이 맞는 경우도 많다. 단순한 숫자였던 데이터가 전문가의 해석을 거치며 ‘현장의 현실’로 바뀌는 순간을 볼 때, DX의 진짜 힘을 느낀다.

Q: IT 리더십에서 가장 중요하게 생각하는 원칙은 무엇인가.
A: 가장 기본이 되는 전제는 스스로 현장을 직접 보는 것이다. 결국 ‘무슨 일이 벌어지고 있는지’라는 사실은 현장에만 있다. 다른 사람에게서 전해 듣는 것만으로는 한계가 있고, 자신의 눈으로 확인하는 것이 무엇보다 중요하다고 생각한다.

Q: 정보 공유 역시 리더십에서 중요한 요소라고 보나.
A: 그렇다. 과거에는 정보를 독점하고, 자신만 알고 있는 것을 권한의 원천으로 삼는 리더십도 있었지만, 그것은 완전히 잘못된 방식이다. 정보를 적극적으로 구성원과 공유하면, 리더 혼자서는 상상하지 못했던 아이디어가 나온다. 그런 아이디어를 바탕으로 PoC를 진행해 보면 실제 성과로 이어지고, 조직의 자산으로 축적된다. 이 과정에서 큰 보람을 느껴왔다.

Q: 다양성과 포용성의 가치는 어떻게 실현된다고 보나.
A: 단순히 다양한 사람을 모아놓는 것만으로는 부족하다. 서로 다른 배경과 입장을 가진 사람들에게 동일한 정보를 공유하고, “지금 이런 상황인데 어떻게 풀 수 있을까”라고 질문할 때 비로소 다양한 아이디어가 나온다. 정보가 공유될 때 다양성의 진짜 가치가 발휘된다고 본다.

Q: AI 시대를 맞아 차세대 IT 리더에게 가장 중요해질 역량은 무엇이라고 생각하나.
A: 요즘은 AI라는 단어를 어디서나 듣게 된다. 강연 등에서도 자주 언급되는데, 앞으로는 과제를 해결하는 역할을 AI가 담당하게 될 것이라는 점에는 공감한다. 그렇다면 인간의 역할은 무엇일까. 앞으로는 ‘무엇을 해결해야 하는 과제인가’를 정의하는 능력이 더욱 중요해질 것이라고 본다.

과제를 해결하기 위해서는 겉으로 드러난 현상만 봐서는 부족하다. 충분한 학습을 통해 상황을 깊이 이해하고, 본질적인 문제가 무엇인지를 가려내는 힘이 필요하다. 그 해상도를 끊임없이 높여가는 것이 앞으로 인간이 더욱 갈고닦아야 할 역량이라고 생각한다.

예를 들어 IT 헬프데스크로 들어오는 요청은 대부분 ‘어떻게 할 것인가’라는 수단, 즉 How에 대한 요구다. 어느 날 “방화벽에 구멍을 뚫어 달라”는 요청이 들어왔다. 자세히 이유를 들어보니 트럭 운전기사와 연락해야 하는데, 상대가 모두 라인을 사용하고 있어 자신도 라인을 쓰고 싶다는 상황이었다.

추가로 확인해 보니 해당 담당자 한 사람만 사용할 수 있으면 되는 문제였다. 그래서 회사 시스템에는 접근할 수 없도록 설정한 휴대전화를 한 대 더 지급하고, 그 기기로 라인을 사용하도록 했다. 휴대전화 한 대의 비용은 들었지만, 방화벽을 변경할 필요도 없었고 시스템 전체를 복잡하게 만들지도 않았다.

이처럼 요청받은 내용을 그대로 실행하면 복잡해질 수밖에 없는 문제도, ‘무엇을 하고 싶은가’라는 본질로 되돌아가면 전혀 다른 단순한 해법이 보이는 경우가 많다. 그렇기 때문에 앞으로는 AI에만 의존하기보다, 인간이 과제를 어떻게 정의할 것인지에 더욱 집중해야 한다고 생각한다. 나 역시 그 힘을 의식적으로 계속 다듬어 가고자 한다.

Q: 사업회사에서 IT 인재를 키우는 데 가장 중요한 점은 무엇이라고 보나.
A: IT 분야에서 중요한 과제 가운데 하나는 사업회사에서 IT 부문을 어떻게 자리매김할 것인가라는 점이다. IT 전문 기업과 달리, 사업회사의 IT 부문은 자사 비즈니스 자체를 이해하고 있어야 한다. 예를 들어 ‘갓파에비센(칼비의 새우 스낵)이 어떻게 만들어지는지’, ‘가타아게 포테토(칼비의 감자칩 브랜드)가 어떤 고객에게 어떤 방식으로 판매되는지’를 설명할 수 있어야 한다. 다시 말해, 비즈니스를 이해하는 IT 인재가 아니면 사업회사의 정보시스템 부문은 성립하기 어렵다고 본다.

다만 이런 인재를 단기간에 늘리는 것은 쉽지 않다. 외부에서 영입한 IT 인재에게 사업을 학습시키거나, 반대로 사내 사업 부문 인력을 IT 부문으로 이동시키는 방법밖에는 없다. 외부 채용만으로는 한계가 있기 때문에, 사업 부문에서 시간을 들여 실제 업무를 경험하며 배우게 하는 방식이 가장 효과적이고 비용 측면에서도 합리적이라고 느끼고 있다.

노코드나 BI 도구의 활용도 중요하다. 사업 부문 직원 스스로가 자신들이 하고 싶은 일을 직접 구현할 수 있는 환경을 만드는 것이다. IT 부문이 아닌 직원들도 도구를 자유롭게 다룰 수 있게 되면 업무는 한 단계 더 진화한다.

Q: 칼비에서는 인재 육성을 위해 어떤 시도를 하고 있나.
A: 결국 IT와 DX의 핵심은 사람이다. 그래서 사람을 어떻게 키우느냐가 가장 중요한 주제가 된다. IT 부문이 기폭제가 돼 “이런 것까지 가능하구나”라는 인식을 사업 부문에 심어주고, 그로부터 “그렇다면 이런 것도 할 수 있지 않을까”라는 새로운 아이디어가 이어지는 선순환을 만들고 싶다. 이 흐름이 자리 잡는다면, 언젠가는 IT 부문이 굳이 독립적으로 존재하지 않아도 될 정도로 사업 부문과 자연스럽게 융합된 조직이 될 수도 있을 것이다. 아직은 꿈에 가깝지만, 이를 실현하기 위해서는 인재 육성이 무엇보다 중요하다.

칼비에서는 중도 입사한 기술 인력에게 ‘감자 연수’를 진행한다. 가을에 실제 밭을 찾아가 수백 톤 규모의 감자 수확을 직접 경험하는 프로그램이다. 이런 체험을 통해 사업을 몸으로 이해하게 한다. 또한 IT 부문에서 홍보, 물류, 재무 등 다른 부서로 이동을 희망하는 직원이 있으면 로테이션 형태로 적극 지원한다. 그 결과 다시 IT 부문으로 돌아오지 않는 경우도 적지 않지만, 이동한 부서에서 핵심 인재로 활약하는 사례도 많다. 그런 점에서 칼비의 IT 부문은 비교적 유연한 방식으로 인재를 육성하고 있다고 보고 있다.

*이 기사는 CIO 재팬에 게재된 원문을 바탕으로 재구성한 것입니다. 원문은 여기서 확인할 수 있습니다.
dl-ciokorea@foundryco.com

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