Brian Stewart
CIO
Simon Fraser University
Brian Stewart is the CIO at Simon Fraser University, and he is a Governing Body Member of the Vancouver, BC CIO Community.
Brian was born in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Canada in 1988. Over the years, he gradually worked his way westward from London, Ontario, to Saskatoon to Edmonton to Vancouver. The first half of his career was in the printing industry before moving into Higher Education. He also teaches, writes and speaks widely on digital transformation and organizational change.
A fun fact about Brian, he met Anthony Hopkins in Shannon airport just after he made the movie ‘The Bounty.’ He said he was a little nervous and spoke with a beautiful voice.
Learn more about the Vancouver, BC CIO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I became engaged with computers in the printing industry with the first PCs and Macs, subsequently leading the introduction of digital technology into the printing firm I was at in Saskatchewan. It was digital transformation that completely changed the industry, which is one reason I am no longer in it. I completed an MBA at Athabasca University and subsequently joined them and became their first CIO.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
You must have the courage to lead, to face difficult situations and be uncomfortable and to be willing to stand out in front and challenge the orthodoxy
What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today?
Dealing with the complexity and demand for IT services. The breadth and depth of need in ever shortening release cycles and ever tightening resource constraints is at the same time a great riddle to be solved – and an oppressive taskmaster to be observed.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?
Build trusting relationships with the people around you – peers, clients, customers, superiors, direct reports, board, employees, and stakeholders. This requires you to demonstrate competence, to deliver on your commitments and to show flexibility and honesty.
How do you measure success as a leader?
There are many measures and there is a great degree of context in the evaluation of any success. Each job has a different remit and the success reflects the degree of accomplishment of that remit.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
To meet the IT community in the Lower Mainland and gain from industry experts. The community helps me to see things in different ways and to realize that my challenges are not unique, and I can learn from others how to overcome them.
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