Nick Giannakakis
Chief Information Officer at Motor Oil
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
I hold a degree in Physics, a Master of Science (MSc) in Industrial Systems Management and Administration and is a graduate of the International Institute for Management Development – IMD (Lausanne, Switzerland). I have 15 years of international experience in the positions of Director and General Manager of Informatics in distinguished Multinational Clubs. I am also awarded as one of the top 100 Chief Information Officers for 2019, 2020, 2021. Before Motor Oil, I worked as CTO and IT executive for globally distinguished brands such as British American Tobacco, Coca-Cola HBC, Richemont Int’l (Cartier, Montblanc, Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, SAP, etc.
What has your journey to your position been like? What path have you taken?
I do consider myself as a collaborative team player, and always keen to learn. I do not want to be left behind in this new reality, and I always try to bring new ideas to the table.
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 have been both leader and learner, contributor, and digital culture maker. My mandate: help transform the Group’s current operations, focus on a better customer experience, and embed digital DNA in what was a traditional oil and gas business.
Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?
I was quite lucky as my first CIO really my mentor as well. Operating inside the Corporate world and also how to prioritize in order to achieve the best result were key learnings that I still follow today.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
I do envision the technology leader transforming into a holistic leader. If previous years saw the CIO graduate from a backend service provider to a close advisor on business strategy or operations, in the next 5 years I do anticipate that CIOs will advise and execute broadly across multiple areas of the business, towards a truly ‘native COO position.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
Business Acumen blended with strong technical expertise was and still is the dominant set of skills that can help each one of us CIOs to thrive.
How do you keep current with new skills, technologies and personal development?
This is always my daily challenge. I do apply the 5hours per week learning. I do keep 1 hour per day to learn and develop new expertise. Staying close to developers community and startup ecosystem is also a fundamental aspect to my learning process.
What do you see as the next leap in technology that will impact your business or industry in particular?
Edge computing and the continuous evolving of AI models are key evolutions aspects of the Energy sector as a whole.
“We should try to encourage everyone to bring a difference to everything they do.”
If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?
I am a big believer in diversity. We should try to encourage everyone to bring a difference to everything they do. When you are leading a tech department, and I have been on this journey for years and years now, you need to be able to focus on diversity. When I say diversity I also mean in the way of thinking, combining a more agile way of thinking and understanding the power of prioritization.
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
With the convergence being accelerated between tech execs and the business, I am focus for me and my team take on explicit revenue targets for the next years.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
No surprise there: Fight Inequality at any form.
A big thank you to Nick Giannakakis from Motor Oil for sharing his journey to date.
