Maria Haight

CIO at TGI Direct

Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself

I am currently the CIO at TGI Direct, headquartered in Flint, Michigan. I am also serving as the ISO for the company.

What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?

I have always found technology to be my part of or become the mainstay of my path from college and through my career, even though I originally had aspirations to become an Industrial Psychiatrist. I have spent most of my IT career in Digital Marketing IT, with traditional IT being in the background. The last 5 years, that has reversed and put even more emphasis on Cybersecurity. I have had the pleasure of being in an IT role across multiple industries: Medical SW, Telecommunications, CPG, Finance, and Direct Marketing Communications, and this has helped me find best practices versus doing what everyone else is doing within that particular industry.

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?

I can’t say that being a CIO was always the goal, but definitely being a tech leader was and is. There’s so much more than just technology considerations being a tech leader. There’s the development of your staff, the strategic vision of what your company wants to be in 3 years, 5 years and further out and helping your company meet their business goals and continuous improvements along the way.

Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?

I have had multiple people help support and grow me through the years. There’s a need for both a mentor and a sponsor to help with your growth and sometimes you have to seek those folks out, they don’t just appear. Sometimes you learn the most through your own steps/missed steps through your career.

How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?

Technology leaders need to be seen and sought as business leaders in their organization. Ideally, they are strategically aligned with the leadership team. Technology can and should be a competitive advantage for organizations. When technology leaders thoroughly understand the strategic direction of their organization, they are well-positioned to make a difference by aligning technology initiatives with business initiatives. Technology touches every aspect of most operations. The importance, impact, and opportunities are significant.

What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?

If you haven’t gotten onboard yet to become an ally to your business teams, then you need to. It is first a service-oriented role. We are here to make the business easier and more profitable whether that’s removing obstacles, finding ways to do it faster/better or just offering new tools to expand into newer capabilities the company can offer. And staying on top of your security stance is critical. If you can’t do it within, then hire it out. The last thing any CIO wants is their company in the news for a breach that could have been prevented.

How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?

Read, attend webinars/conferences, listen and ask questions. Push on your vendors to explain things so you truly understand all your options. Network with other CIOs and tech leaders. Push your team/vendor to think about things differently and don’t be comfortable with not knowing, ask, ask again until you get it.

What do you see as the next leap in technology that will impact your business or industry in particular?

Automation and how far we can take it. I want to free up key resources to do more impactful work.

“Hire smart people and let them do their job. Don’t be the smartest person in the room else you have no one or nothing to learn from.”

If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?

Hire smart people and let them do their job. Don’t be the smartest person in the room else you have no one or nothing to learn from. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, some things are just lather, rinse, repeat. Other areas you’ll need to really dig in to create what your business needs.

Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?

Just to continue to be curious, to learn, to help solve problems, to see my team grow, to be sought for advice/experience that could help someone else.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Wow. Just 1 thing? I guess it all comes down to peace. If there wasn’t turmoil between people we might just also solve other issues such as mass killings, feeding the hungry, acceptance of each other, etc. And I do think that can start with each individual’s actions.

A big thank you to Maria Haight from TGI Direct for sharing her journey to date.