Charles Kirk, Senior VP & CIO of electronics manufacturer Celestica, kicked off the first day of CIO 100.
As Celestica’s chief information officer, Mr. Kirk is responsible for the organization’s global information technology (IT) strategy and infrastructure. He oversees Celestica’s strategic investments in streamlined IT tools and processes that drive business value and competitive advantage for Celestica’s customers.
Delegates visibly appreciated his account of Project One, a sweeping initiative to deploy one set of processes, running on one platform, using one common data repository, with one method of reporting, all with the objective of making Celestica number one in its industry.
Kirk’s lessons learned? Don’t underestimate the effort required; assign people full time; establish a business case and work to it; and spend the time up front to map out activities. He cautioned that a strong IT department is a prerequisite. “You’ve got to look at your IT group and ask, ‘Are you ready to do this thing?’” he said.
Download Mr. Kirk’s slides here.
View video of Mr. Kirk’s presentation here.
Coverage of of Mr Kirk’s presentation
Project One – Celestica’s quest for consolidation
Project One – Town Halls turn skeptics into supporters
Project One – The sweet sound of standardization
Project One – Reaping the rewards
Additional CIO 100 coverage