Interim Chief Information Officer - 6 Month FTC

Reporting directly to the Group CEO and serving on the Executive Leadership Team and Executive Committee, the Chief Information Officer is responsible for defining and executing the Group’s global technology strategy in support of the organisation’s business objectives and international growth.

How will I spend my time in this role?

• Technology Vision and Strategy Define and deliver the Group’s technology vision, strategy and operating model, securing Board approval and ensuring alignment with the Group’s strategic objectives, international growth ambitions and M&A strategy.

• Executive Leadership and Strategic Advisory Act as the principal technology adviser to the Board of Directors, Group CEO and Executive Committee, providing strategic leadership across technology, digital transformation, AI, cyber security, data and innovation to support sustainable business growth and competitive advantage.

• Enterprise Technology, AI, Data and Cyber Security Establish and lead a comprehensive Group-wide strategy for enterprise technology, AI, data governance and cyber security. Ensure robust governance, risk management and regulatory compliance through effective cyber risk management, security operations, identity and access management, threat detection and response, third-party security, data protection and information governance. Continually strengthen the Group’s cyber resilience and incident response capability to safeguard critical business, customer and market information against an evolving regulatory, geopolitical and threat landscape.

• Technology Operations and Service Delivery Ensure the secure, resilient and cost-effective operation of the Group’s technology infrastructure, applications and services, delivering agreed service levels while operating within the approved annual IT budget.

• Global Technology Leadership and Capability Lead, develop and inspire the Group’s global technology leadership team, fostering collaboration across all regions and implementing a talent, succession and organisational capability strategy that supports the Group’s evolving international business needs.

• Technology Innovation and Digital Transformation Monitor emerging technologies, industry developments and market trends, identifying opportunities to improve operational performance, enhance customer experience and create competitive advantage. Lead technology-enabled innovation and digital transformation initiatives that support business strategy and long-term value creation.

• Business Continuity and Operational Resilience Own the Group’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery strategies, ensuring appropriate governance, testing and continuous improvement programmes are in place across all Group companies to demonstrate operational resilience and recovery readiness.

• External Stakeholder and Partner Management Build and maintain strong relationships with key external stakeholders, including shareholders, regulators, strategic partners, technology vendors and service providers, representing the Group on all technology-related matters and ensuring the delivery of effective commercial partnerships that support the Group’s strategic objectives.

• Proven success in senior global technology leadership roles within large, complex, international organisations, leading geographically dispersed teams and enterprise technology functions.
• A strong track record of successfully delivering complex, large-scale technology and digital transformation programmes to agreed scope, budget and timescales.
• Demonstrable experience developing and implementing enterprise AI strategies and capabilities, enabling organisations to adopt AI securely, responsibly and at scale.
• Extensive experience in developing and executing enterprise data strategies, including data governance, data management, analytics and the effective use of data to support business decision-making.
• Significant experience managing strategic outsourcing, managed services and offshore delivery partnerships, with a demonstrated ability to improve service performance, drive innovation and realise measurable commercial value.
• Strong experience leading technology integration activities associated with mergers, acquisitions and business transformation programmes would be highly advantageous.