David Kiklis

DAVID KIKLIS

Chief Information Officer at Replimune

Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself

What path have you taken to your current position?

I began running service desks, the rapidly progressed to running infrastructure/cybersecurity/IT operations.    

Working for a government contractor gave me significant exposure to the compliance and legal aspects of IT   I have spent a significant part of my career developing resiliency and cybersecurity programs.   

Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?

I have always wanted to hold a CIO position, my current role is part of my planned career trajectory.

Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey? (If you feel comfortable, please share their name and how they helped you)

Sadly, I have never had a mentor that impacted my career.

How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?

The leader must shift to understanding contracts, SLA and cloud. The on-premise infrastructure and software implementations are disappearing.  

The technology leader of the future will rely much more on managing delivery from SaaS or cloud vendors and less understanding of actual on-premise technical expertise.   

What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?

Contract management. Contract review, SLA management, Cybersecurity, Business acumen, Understanding finance and accounting, understanding external regulatory environments/frameworks, Risk management, AI competency

Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?

I will probably become CIO at one more company before shifting into consultative roles.

What advice would you give to aspiring technology leaders who are just starting their careers?

Learn to manage, manage yourself, your team and especially crises.   Think about risk, impact and resiliency in all aspects of your operation.  

Don't be scared of bad news - things happen in IT that are beyond our control.  

"Learn to manage. Manage yourself, your team and especially crises."

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in your career so far, and how did you overcome it?

Most companies do not view IT as a strategic asset even though technology runs the company.   Getting a seat at the table for inclusion in strategic planning, forecasting and resource management has been consistently difficult.   Business leaders tend to only interact with IT when there is a problem.  

As a technology leader, this type of knowledge and coordination is key to your success.   If the leadership of your company does not include IT then develop your relationships, force the meetings and work through back channels to be aware of what is happening at your company.

How do you ensure that you and your team stay updated with the latest technology trends and industry best practices?

It is very easy to isolate yourself from all the industry buzz.   Sadly staying current means exposure to unrelenting salespeople and marketing.   However, you have to make an effort to spend time at conferences, networking events and trade shows.  

External exposure is not only good for your career, but will help keep you abreast of things.   I also find online sources like ars.technica and Reddit to be quite useful as resources. 

A big thank you to David Kiklis from Replimune for sharing his journey to date.

If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.