MICHAEL PASCULLO
Last role was Interim CIO for Atlas Air
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
Very experienced CIO and IT Leader, with diverse industry experience. Over 30 years of leading IT teams in support of dynamic business growth, as well as a multitude of corporate actions. Have successfully managed teams through business relocations, acquisitions/integrations, transformations, dispositions, divestitures, downsizings, organizational realignments, and outsourcing. Began my technology career as a programmer, and quickly worked my way up through the IT career ladder: project manager, program manager, team leader, Director, Vice President, and CIO.
While the majority of my career has been focused on the application support/maintenance/delivery side, I have hands-on experience with all dimensions of an IT organization: end-user support, network administration, data center management, enterprise architecture, cyber-security and data management. After a 2-year stint with the NYC Department of Buildings, I was recruited into the Financial Services sector, taking a role with Smith Barney. Three years later I was recruited by JP Morgan, where I then spent the next eight-and-a-half years. While at JPM, I was the IT leader for their business relocation to Delaware. Shortly after the business was fully established in the new facility, it was sold off, and I assumed the lead role for that activity as well.
Upon successful completion of the divestiture, I returned to NY where I spent two years with Transamerica Leasing, and fifteen years with GE Capital (during which time I worked at 4 different organizations: GE Asset Management; GE Capital – Commercial Lending; GE Capital – Commercial Real Estate; GE Capital – Commercial Lending & Leasing), and then ten years at Atlas Air.
While at Atlas, I helped support their growth from a $1.7Bn revenue organization to $4.6Bn. Areas where I have extensive experience include: relationship building; communication, budget management, vendor management, organization and staff development, process improvement (I am 6-Sigma certified), and thought leadership.
I left Atlas Air on June 2, 2024, and I am in the process of deciding what's next for me. I feel that I could add much value as a board member with one or more organizations that rely on technology to drive growth and value.
What path have you taken to your current position?
I have a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, and I began my professional as a programmer. This was in the early 1980's, so COBOL: and CICS were the programming languages that I was using. Over time I advanced to project leader, project manager, team leader, Director of IT, VP of IT, and then CIO.
I feel that my tenure at JP Morgan is where my career began to crystalize and blossom. Prior to then I just saw what I was doing as a job. During my time at JPM, I hit a number of life milestones (I turned 30, got married, bought our first house, etc.), so I'm sure all of that had a lot to do with me taking a more active role in managing my career.
Regardless of the role I had or the organization I was working for, I made sure that I understood the business that I was supporting. Unless you work for a true technology company, IT is a support function. Consequently, it is incumbent on you to fully understand the intricacies of the business that you are a part of. While IT might be a 'supporting' function, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't provide thought leadership and strategic direction.
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?
To be totally honest, my goal was to be a professional musician. I watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, and as I was watching Ringo Starr, I immediately knew that that was what I wanted to do: play the drums.
I began to do so shortly thereafter, and I did pursue music for a long time, but like all careers in the arts, the chances of having a long, successful career are very slim. As a hedge, I received my BS in Computer Science & Mathematics, and over time, I realized that making a living as a technologist was the more practical option.
As mentioned above, this coincided with my time at JP Morgan, but I never thought that I would rise to the level of CIO. I just wanted to take on as much responsibility as I could handle, and see where I landed.
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)
Throughout my career, there have been various people who have had an influence on me. I make it a point to learn from every situation, whether it be something I should emulate, or conversely, something that I should avoid doing. As a leader, I am a strong believer in treating people with the utmost professionalism and respect. I make it a point to personally get to know the people on my team, especially their personal lives - to the degree that they're comfortable sharing, of course.
Everyone wants to do a good job, but they need regular motivation. As a leader, motivating your team should be one of your top priorities. Resources are always scarce, so you need to get optimal performance from the ones that you have. To accomplish this, you need to treat everyone the way you want to be treated: Validate their performance, acknowledge their accomplishments, coach them when things don't go as planned, provide the help that they need to be successful, allow them to grow, but provide them with support when they fail.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
I believe that technology is going to play a more important role in most businesses over time, and technology leaders need to see themselves as an integral part of the overall leadership team. And they need to be prepared to do so.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
1) Business acumen; 2) People skills; 3) Relationship building; 4) The ability to see what's on the horizon, and figure out how to leverage it for your business; 5) A well-rounded network that can be called upon for help.
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
As mentioned above, I feel that I could add much value as a board member for one or more organizations.
How do you measure and communicate the value and impact of technology initiatives to other business leaders and stakeholders?
Most business leaders just focus on the things that they haven't received. It is the job of every level of IT leader within an organization to make them aware of what they did get. This could be the stability of their critical systems, or the number of projects that have been completed - projects of all sizes, not just the large ones.
In my last role, I had five relationship managers who covered every aspect of the business. I told them that their business partners need to hear about "past, present & future" on a continual basis: Past - what was delivered for them in the last 6, 9, 12 months. Present - what is being worked on now, and when then can expect to get it?
Future - what is in the queue as the next priorities, and get their validation that those were still relevant.
"Figure out how to leverage it for your business."
What has been your most significant achievement or proudest moment as a technology leader?
I recently posted a blurb on LinkedIn about me leaving my last role at Atlas Air, and then I went on further to say how blessed I am to have had a 40 (contiguous) year career.
That in-and-of-itself is something I am proud of, but what was extremely humbling and heartwarming was the outpouring of comments that I received from people that I crossed paths with over my career, many of which were members of my prior teams.
It seems like I have had a positive impact on many more people than I had realized.
A big thank you to Michael Pascullo from Atlas Air 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.
