Colin Boyd, Chief Information Officer of Johnson Controls

Episode Overview

Among other topics, Colin discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

• The challenges of enabling the IT function to be valuable partners to colleagues outside of IT, particularly how his team was able to weave itself into the technical depth of the broader organization
• The evolving role of IT as it moves to support the technology behind the actual product being sold
• The early challenges Colin faced when transitioning to a new company, industry, and technical role amidst the 2008 financial crisis
• Colin’s view of the “transportability of IT” as a skill that CIOs can master, regardless of their previous experience within industry
• His tactical approach in shifting the culture around information technology from a static, cost-oriented center to a dynamic, value-oriented function
• Eye on Trends: The ascending trend of computing capacity within the automotive and transportation industries, the lessening imperative of companies to consolidate transactional systems in pursuit of business intelligence

Colin Boyd’s Biography

Colin Boyd is Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Johnson Controls, a multi-industrial Fortune 100 with revenues in excess of $40 billion that operates in the automotive interiors, automotive battery, and building systems market places. As CIO, Boyd is responsible for the entirety of the IT function, including managing an expense budget in excess of $700 million with IT staff throughout more than 80 countries. Boyd also serves as a board and Academic Committee member for the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Prior to joining Johnson Controls in 2008, Colin Boyd previously served in a variety of leadership roles for Sony Ericsson. As IT Director for Sony Europe from 1996 to 2001, Boyd oversaw IT operations for the region as well as implemented a single SAP system to replace multiple national platforms. As Chief Information Officer for Sony Ericsson from 2001 to 2008, Boyd established and headed an independent global IT function within the joint venture, implementing a single global SAP platform.

Boyd has a bachelor’s degree in production engineering from the University of Nottingham and a master’s degree in information technology from the University of London.

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