Howard Spira
Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief AI Officer
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Howard Spira is a Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). His passion is the deals, business processes and systems in the international commercial banking industry. His pedigree includes the US Treasury, Goldman Sachs and GE Capital where he has held CIO-level roles for over 30 years.
Fun Fact: When not focusing on work, I am master boat builder noted in the kayaking community for my innovative and stylish builds.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I was winding up my work leading technology for the US Government's response to the Great Financial Crisis and many of the team there had been seconded from EXIM. Those relationships led to important introductions that led to my current role.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
View the world through the lens of curiosity! It will never lead you astray.
What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
We are rebuilding the team after a significant number of seasoned staff left the US Government. It's an amazing opportunity to build back.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?
Execution and competency are table stakes. The key to success for someone just starting is can you build those executive level relationships and being viewed a member of the executive team.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Can you consistently catalyze making relevant things happen? Do you comport yourself every day with the expectations people have of a leader in your organization?
What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?
Typically, there is only one CIO in an organization. So, if you are looking for peers and people who really understand what it means to be a CIO, you need to cultivate it with communities. Gartner C-level Communities is a great place to do that.
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