How are you collaborating with other business leaders to ensure IT strategy remains aligned during periods of rapid change? Can you share examples of cross-functional planning approaches that have been effective?

We stay aligned during periods of rapid change by keeping communication with other business leaders frequent, open, and practical. This includes regular cross-functional check-ins, shared planning sessions, and early involvement of IT in business discussions so technology decisions support real business goals from the start. What’s been most effective is collaborative road-mapping, where product, operations, marketing, and IT plan together, agree on priorities, and adjust quickly as conditions change. These approaches reduce surprises, build trust, and make it easier to move fast while staying aligned as one team.

Weekly meetings with business units for specific products facilitate alignment and resource planning. Cross-functional planning is emphasized, particularly with security teams, to ensure business initiatives are supported and aligned with IT and security requirements.

We have moved from separate business and technology roadmaps to co-owned, business-led roadmaps that incorporate technology as an enabler. Technology teams are embedded with product teams, fostering daily collaboration and alignment with business value.

Group planning sessions are used to document and prioritize collective business and IT priorities. The challenge lies in maintaining the frequency of these sessions as priorities shift.

As IT leaders, we are data custodians rather than data owners, which gives us access to a wealth of information the business relies on for decision-making. I focus on producing analytics and insights that help the business make strategic decisions. For example, we provide detailed dashboards on marketing campaigns, tracking metrics like cost per lead, and cost per opportunity. This data-driven approach helps inform budgeting and strategic priorities, and I partner closely with our chief marketing officer to ensure our efforts are aligned.