CIO Profiles: Mark Dajani, Senior VP And CIO Of Kraft Foods

Career Track

How long at current company: 18 years (between Altria and Kraft Foods)

Career accomplishment I'm most proud of: Being involved in decisions that had a positive impact on the organization, such as providing more flexibility to our employees so they can choose where and how they want to work with the launch of the mobile workforce.

Most important career influencer: Early in my career, I worked for a factory manager who taught me how to be practical and clear about what to do and, at the same time, open to listening to others and taking the time to find the best approaches to solve problems. That's something I've brought with me throughout my career.

Vision

Advice for future CIOs: Don't limit the scope of responsibility of the function. Own the company. The IS function is a means to an end for the company, not the end itself.

The next big thing for my industry will be ... increased collaboration within the company and externally with customers and business partners.

Best way for CIOs to cope with the economic downturn: Always be effective, not just during a downturn. Be aggressive for talent in the organization and ensure you're getting the best value in your contracts.

Kids and technology careers: My role as a father is to help steer them toward their dreams. I tell them, "be the best you can be." Technology will certainly play a role in their lives, and maybe at least help me stay connected with them!

On The Job

IT budget: $900 million for 2010

Size of IT team: 1,800, including our Enterprise Shared Services team

Top initiatives:

>> Continue to deliver speed, efficiency, and business integration through SAP, driving down costs, operating efficiently, and getting our products quickly and efficiently to our customers and our consumers.

>> Drive company growth by exploiting industry-leading technology capabilities for sales, marketing, and product development.

>> Transforming the way people work: Not only providing technology, but more important, how people use it in ways they haven't before, opening new possibilities for innovation and efficiency.

How I measure IT effectiveness: Our IS Scorecard measures performance of delivery and delivery management. It includes project health (time, budget) and project outcomes (growth, income, employee engagement, and client satisfaction). Our customer satisfaction and IS employee surveys measure and identify what our clients and our own employees expect and need from IS.

For everything we do, we also have a value measurement. This assesses the significance of our work in the business as it relates to growth and critical business drivers.

Personal

Colleges/degrees: University of Texas at Austin, BS in electrical engineering; MBA from Averett University

Leisure activity: Tennis

Business leader I'd like to have lunch with: Lee Iacocca

Biggest business-related pet peeve: People who are after personal gain rather than the good of the company

Smartphone: iPhone

Best book read recently: City Of Thieves, by David Benioff

Last vacation: Colorado, with family