Hertz CIO Tim Langley-Hawthorne on Cloud, AI, and Reinventing the Rental Car Experience

March 31, 2025

More Ways to Listen

LISTEN TO PODCAST

Subscribe on Your Favorite Platform

Other Platforms

About the Guest

Tim Langley-Hawthorne

Chief Information Officer of Hertz

Tim Langley-Hawthorne is the Chief Information Officer at Hertz, where he has led a sweeping technology modernization since joining in 2021. Under his leadership, Hertz migrated its infrastructure to the cloud, adopted a dual-track product model, and infused artificial intelligence into fleet and customer operations. Prior to Hertz, Tim held technology leadership roles in industries spanning energy and telecom. A native of Australia, he brings a global lens to digital strategy and enterprise transformation.

Episode Overview

Hertz CIO Tim Langley-Hawthorne joins Peter High on Technovation to share how he’s modernizing a $9B global fleet operation through AI, cloud, and a product-first mindset. Since joining post-COVID, Tim has sunset Hertz’s data centers, scaled AWS infrastructure, launched a consumer+fleet product org, and embedded AI from customer chat to tire inspections.

He explains why he rejected a centralized AI model, the power of grassroots innovation, and why partnerships with firms like Palantir and Amadeus are accelerating results. This episode is packed with real-world digital transformation strategies from a high-stakes, asset-heavy enterprise.

Highlights include:

Product Operating Model: Merged consumer and fleet tech under dual product strategy.
AI in Action: How decentralized AI is enhancing CX, fleet, and operational speed.
Fleet Optimization: Partnership with Palantir to keep cars rented and moving.
Post-COVID Reset: Lessons in fleet lifecycle economics and demand response.
Culture Change: Infusing big tech talent with long-tenured ops veterans.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download