Cijo Joseph
Chief Technology and Information Officer
Mitie
Cijo Joseph is the CTIO and a member of the Group Executive team for Mitie, UK’s leading facilities management and professional services company, a £4 billion revenue, 64,000 employee organisation.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Always passionate about technology, I started my career as a programmer after completing my master's in computer applications. Early on, I was keen to learn about the businesses where technology gets applied. This helped me come closer to business needs and an in-depth understanding of how various businesses operate. Through the years, I worked in various sectors, like banking, telco, utility and now in facilities, which shaped my career into a CTIO and a group executive role.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
My life lessons: That change is constant, so be prepared to adapt. Be rooted, open, and honest about what you are built on. Trust yourself and your teams, and finally, take calculated risks and make opportunities.
What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
Technology is changing rapidly, and the role of any C-level role, whether CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO, or CIO, is to ensure the ethical use and applications of technology. And to build the right skills around you to champion it within the organisation. The technology C-level role has the additional challenge of keeping the organisation safe digitally, hence close collaboration with partners and teams doing similar roles.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?
Understand your business, build strong partnerships with business leaders and board, focus on business outcomes and make it simple for the end users.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Leadership success is about the success of your teams. Especially when new leaders are mentored within the team and when they are stepping up to pick up the baton from you, then as a leader, one has done a successful job.
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