Diego De Coen , CIO of JTI , describes the ways in which the business has flown in the face of tobacco industry critics with high-level IT and a people-centred approach
As Chief Information Officer of JTI ( Japan Tobacco International ), Diego De Coen is extremely keen to achieve the perfect balance between technology and people . With his wealth of experience in the sector , he knows that one cannot be sacrificed for the other , and this approach is certainly paying off in a sector known for being , at times , challenging to attract top talent into .
Having previously led the company ’ s Centre of Excellence for seven years , De Coen has since been responsible for JTI ’ s entire IT function for eight more , heading up a team of nearly 800 across the globe . His role has obviously changed with the times , but remains focussed on the two aforementioned themes . “ My role is about delivering high quality added-value solutions for the company at an optimised cost , of course ,” De Coen explains , “ but I ’ m also what we call the Guardian of Talent . Part of my job is also as a relationship-builder , bridging together different segments of IT and their counterparts such as corporate functions , markets , and factories . We are a real people-caring company , so talent management has always been very important to us , but even more so now that we ’ re embarking on this digital adventure .”
In an age where technology is becoming smarter and people are increasingly seen as surplus , De Coen values staff and what
34 July 2017