CIO Series: Martin Studer, Omya Management AG

By Maggie Holland

published 13 June 2011

in Features

Describe your role.

a) Understand the business context

b) Build the adequate architecture and process environment

c) Manage your people

How did you get to where you are today/into IT/business?

Interaction a lot with business partners.

Cloud computing will become a MUST. It helps to become agile and flexible.

What's the biggest challenge of being a modern-day CIO?

Change management.

And the most rewarding thing?

Happy users and executives.

What is the biggest mistake you think you've made?

Going too fast and not making sure the business can follow the IT pace.

And your greatest success?

Getting support from board level.

How big a role will cloud computing play in your organisation in the next three years? What other technologies are you watching?

Cloud computing will become a MUST. It helps to become agile and flexible.

What are the most important criterion you use to make decisions that impact your business and why?

a) How does it help to bring competitive advantage?

b) How does it impact the company's financial situation?

c) How does it help to reduce non value-added tasks?

Anything else you care to add?

Less technology and more business involvement [is key].

Maggie has been a journalist since 1999, starting her career as an editorial assistant on then-weekly magazine Computing, before working her way up to senior reporter level. In 2006, just weeks before ITPro was launched, Maggie joined Dennis Publishing as a reporter. Having worked her way up to editor of ITPro, she was appointed group editor of CloudPro and ITPro in April 2012. She became the editorial director and took responsibility for ChannelPro, in 2016.

Her areas of particular interest, aside from cloud, include management and C-level issues, the business value of technology, green and environmental issues and careers to name but a few.

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