Governing Body Spotlight

Nicky Green is an experienced Global Director with an extensive history of working in the food and beverages industry. Nicky is skilled in global leadership, management, digital CRM transformation, process improvement, and efficiency-driven change management. Nicky has a diploma focused on Business and Finance from Basingstoke College of Technology.

Learn more about the UK & Ireland CIO community here.
 

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

I started my career at Mars Incorporated working in the field of finance. Over a period of ten years, I took on various finance roles that helped me to build a solid understanding of the business and its processes. 

At Mars, it was always encouraged to rotate roles even if outside of your technical capability, particularly if you wanted to work toward leadership roles. As such, I completed roles in sales analytics, customer service and operations for a couple of years, before finally realising that I had developed a passion for large-scale IT projects.

I have since spent the last thirteen years working in IT leadership roles at both Mars and Lavazza.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

Always be curious – many possibilities are hidden beneath the surface of what you see. This in turn will give you a much more well-rounded perspective to use in decision-making.
 

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 Lavazza business is focused on international growth through acquisition – not just organically. My role will be increasingly focused on the integration of businesses into the Lavazza group IT landscape. 

Furthermore, my role will increasingly involve overseeing digital transformation as we place strategic priorities on customers and consumers in the e-commerce channel.
 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CIO?

Spend time being curious, listening, observing and absorbing yourself in the organisation. There is never a point at which to stop learning.
 

Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.

1. I am a keen runner, competing in many half- and full-marathon events over the past 15 years.
2. I always had a fear of public speaking and presenting – which I overcame! In 2017, I presented at Dreamforce in San Francisco to ten thousand people.
3. I have a passion for coffee – if I did not work at Lavazza, I would love to be a barista in my own coffee shop.
    

What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?

Every conversation with another professional gives you another perspective, another opportunity to learn something you did not know, and an opportunity to draw on someone else’s experience.
 

Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
 

by CIOs, for CIOs
 

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