GREG SHEEN
Chief Information Officer at CJ Logistics
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?
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?
My current position was originally not part of my vision. My early years I wanted to be an industrial designer, however, overtime, I fell into other opportunities which ultimately led me into the IT realm.
Only recently I felt that my current role of CIO is something within reach and would be ideal for driving technology innovation and at the same time driving business change within the organization.
Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?
I have had a couple of role models over the years, however, the one that continues to drive me is one of my first. He was a single company career man, straight-shooting, outspoken, a little grumpy, un-liked by many people in the organization, some even scared of him.
However, I had created a good rapport with him as I had found his unique sense of humor. Once he asked me to come to his office and he said to me with a straight face, ‘I think you should find another job’. I thought I was being fired, however, his suggestion was that I should always look at other opportunities both inside and outside the company to develop my own self-worth and at the same time potentially realize how good I already had it.
His parting remarks were, no matter how happy you are in your current role, you never ever know there may be the perfect career role for you out there.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?
Curiosity and constant learning.
What do you see as the next leap in technology that will impact your business or industry in particular?
If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
Other details you’d like to add:
A big thank you to Greg Sheen from CJ Logistics 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.
