Daniel Nickle
VP of IT and head of the Office of the CDIO
Magna International
Daniel Nickle is VP of IT and head of the Office of the CDIO for Magna International, a $38 billion mobility technology company built to innovate, with a global, entrepreneurial-minded team of over 174,000 employees across more than 340 manufacturing locations.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
My parents were firm believers in the value of liberal education. That, combined with no clear sense of “what I wanted to be when I grew up” led me to study English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Toronto, two personal passions of mine. At a part time job with an insurance company during my studies, I was introduced to “the new kid on the block” in the form of a PC, and I was off, consuming everything I could to learn more about this new world of computing.
By the time I graduated, I was offered a full-time job working in the IT field. Since then, I have focused in many different areas of IT, working in Insurance, Hospitality and Banking before joining Magna, where I have been for the past 25 years, 17 of which were based in Shanghai, China.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Listen. Listen. Listen. You are just one brain amongst many. But then be decisive and more forward. The only thing worse than a wrong decision is no decision.
With disruption being a key theme of recent years, where do you see the CIO role going in the next 1-2 years?
Leadership roles in IT are changing. Becoming less about the bits and bytes, and more about understanding business needs, issues and strategies, and figuring out how the world of bits and bytes can meet those needs, Address those issues and help accelerate the realization of those strategies. The reality is that much of the current and future disruption will be born out of new computing capabilities and technologies: businesses need leaders to help guide this journey.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a CIO?
Build relationships across the whole organization and across all levels. Listen intently to what is really being communicated and demonstrate your ability to respond to what you are hearing. Identify some quick wins (including deposits to your integrity bank) that can put wind in your sails.
Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
- I can speak and write basic Mandarin Chinese.
- I am an avid photographer and guitar player (although not necessarily very good).
- I was once a contestant on a local televised game show in Toronto (but did not, alas, win).
What is the value of joining an Evanta community?
From my perspective, there is nothing as valuable as discussing common problems and challenges with peers. We are all in surprisingly similar situations, tackling similar challenges. The opportunity to learn from your peers is invaluable.
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