The demand for high-level CIOs in PE-backed businesses has increased in recent years due to the need for strong technical leadership to help drive value creation and transformation efforts. Dimitri is a hands-on lead with over 25 years of experience in IT management and business operations, visioning, planning, and leading large scale digital transformation projects and major ERP implementations/migrations. We sat down to talk about his most recent success, and how he continues to provide the best results for his clients.
I'm an independent consultant with 25 years of CIO-level experience. My areas of focus include interim CIO roles, strategic planning, business & digital Transformation, IT staff assessment and restructuring, and support with IPOs and M&A integration activities.
As an independent consultant, I bring expertise and specialized knowledge in specific areas to my clients’ needs. The flexibility and scalability of my consulting services allows me to provide my clients with objective assessments and recommendations while enabling them to access specialized skills without committing to full-time hires.
My familiarity with similar engagements allows me to integrate with the client’s internal staff and processes quickly, navigate challenges effectively and minimize disruptions.
My clients can leverage my deep expertise without incurring the overhead costs of internal staff or the high cost of large consulting firms. Furthermore, the clients are able to leverage a high-quality knowledge transfer to improve their internal capabilities and know-how.
The increasing demand for independent expertise with PE operating teams stems from the need for specialized knowledge with rapid value creation without the long-term overhead costs of internal staff or the high costs of large consulting firms.
Assignment: Designing and implementing a technology integration strategy to support the merger of 3 global businesses.
Background: a global US based energy services company acquired a European competitor and decided to merge 2 of its US based divisions with the new acquisition to create a new company with operations in more than 100 countries. The company wanted to create significant synergies from the merger by eventually replacing 3 different ERP systems with one while integrating the existing ERPs through a Cloud based architecture for a seamless transition until migration to the new ERP is completed.
Key workstreams:
Results:
The advice I would give to those about to embark on an independent career is to identify your areas of expertise and the specific value you can bring to clients. Clarify your niche and develop a strong value proposition that sets you apart from competitors. Focusing on your strengths will enable you to deliver high-quality work and build a reputation as an expert in your field. Remember to continuously learn, adapt, and refine the approach to stay relevant and grow professionally.
Looking for valuable input across your strategic planning process, M&A strategy, commercial strategy, or operations planning processes? Engage with talent like Dimitri by posting a project now, or by talking to us about how to build up a pool of similar talent in the field.
