Jody McDonough
VP, IT & CIO
Sub-Zero
Jody McDonough is the Vice President of Information Technology and CIO with Sub-Zero Group, Inc., a privately held manufacturer of luxury and high performing appliances based out of Madison, WI. He is responsible for the organization's traditional IT resources along with the enterprise IoT and analytics functions with integrated product responsibilities.
Prior to this role, he was responsible for a global insurer’s strategy, architecture and innovation group, implementing and operationalizing global teams supporting business objectives in 40+ countries. He has been in the IT space for over 30 years in various roles along with entrepreneurial endeavors, including the formation and selling of a digital and analytics company in 2007.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I started my career in the manufacturing space as an engineer and I found myself wanting to get back to building a physical and highly respected product. This desire led me to Sub-Zero where we build the most amazing products and deliver exceptional experiences.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
My leadership style is one of openness and transparency in daily activities, but I always strive to provide my teams a North Star that we all understand and can strive to every day, making small efforts and improvements to reach that goal.
With disruption being a key theme of recent years, where do you see the CIO role going in the next 1-2 years?
The role I play as CIO is always evolving, but a core component is understanding all aspects of the organizations, having great partnerships with the other executives and being a change agent to effectively deliver business value while ensuring the protection of our individual and customer information. Digital prowess, flexibility, and ability to simplify complicated technology topics are key needs to make the disruption not seem overwhelming.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a CIO?
Build relationships with your business partners in the organization, understand the business strategy, and then build a team that is adaptable and understands how to make an impact on the business.
Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
- I coached high school football for 15 years.
- I started and grew a company to the point it was acquired.
- I love working with my hands outside of my daily job and remodeling homes.
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