Well, this is my first blog posting. I recently got more interested in blogging and found it very easy to set this up on Google. I'm reasonably good at operating a computer although my lack of technical knowledge sometimes surprises people as I'm a CIO.
I have made the change from the business side to the 'business IT' side a few years ago. This was totally opportunity driven, but I look back on it as an excellent move. I particularly enjoy this line of work as it has a high level of complexity and at the same time keeps you close to the customer and operations. The downside is the fact that people will see you as an IT guy from the moment you assume the new position. You really notice how perception is driven. It took me some months to change the perception on my colleague Board members and now they see me as an equal Board member who can make contributions to non IT issues as well.
In my first year as CIO, I had the opportunity not only to establish a new demand IT organization within EMEA (35 countries, 1200 IT staff) but also to drive the IT integration of two of the larger companies within the logistics service industry. In addition, there were significant service issues to be resolved in a number of our bigger countries. The second year was about creating transparency on IT cost and the implementation of consistent processes (ITIL, etc.). Once the financial transparency was created, my business partners became very interested in cost reduction initiatives hence the current focus on cost reduction through large and small initiatives.
In this blog, I will mainly talk about life on the edge of business and IT. I will share my experiences and give my view on related topics. I'm sure that at times I will also venture into other non-related areas that are of particular interest.
I hope that readers (if any) will enjoy this blog and look forward to your reactions (if any).
Frits de Vroet
