Tony Battle
Group CIO
Jaguar Land Rover
Tony is the recently appointed Group CIO at Jaguar Land Rover, with the remit to help transform the business to full digitalisation by 2025. He arrived from Shell, where he was the CIO for Shell Energy in the UK and Germany for B2C and B2B and a member of the executive committee.
Tony has spent 20 years in the energy and minerals sector, in both upstream and downstream, delivering value via transformation and operations in the capacity of CIO and business partner for engineering, manufacturing and operations sectors within Eni, Anglo American and Shell. He is married for 25 years with 3 children, and enjoys tennis, cricket and spending time with friends and family.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I left university as an engineering surveyor, a role which became heavily automated almost overnight, and very quickly had to manage data and systems. This allowed me to broaden into wider business areas and sectors and ultimately afforded me the opportunity to live and work globally. I have been very fortunate to work for great companies who have exposed me to rich learning opportunities. Shell, in particular, exposed me to Upstream and Downstream, and the move into Retail was the pathway to where I am today.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Simplicity, in all areas, from architecture to ways of working. I see so much opportunity to improve the value realisation around digital by helping to debunk myths and deconstruct unnecessary complexity.
With disruption being a key theme of the past few years, where do you see your role as a CIO going in the next 1-2 years?
The role will be at the heart of the electrification of Jaguar Land Rover products: creating differentiating modern luxury through digitalisation. The role of CIO will move deeper and deeper into the commercial agenda as we disrupt ourselves and transform.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CIO?
Be open to opportunities, even if you don't believe that you have the capabilities or knowledge. Have the courage to assume change and self development, and take some risks to accept those opportunities.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I love to play tennis: it's my go-to exercise.
- I love to paint: abstract and with acrylics.
- I love food, wine and time with loved ones.
What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?
Learning! Learning! Learning!
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