Sanjay Patel
Group CIO
Tate & Lyle
Sanjay Patel is the SVP and Group CIO at Tate & Lyle, and Governing Body Member of the UK & Ireland CIO Community. For over 25 years, he has been a business leader focused on transformational programmes in Consumer Products, turned into CIO with significant credentials in multiple functions built over 35 years. His prior experience includes Chemicals, Retail, Telecoms and Aerospace, and he has a proven track record of shaping and executing business models and technology-enabled change programmes at the Executive and Board level.
Learn more about the UK & Ireland CIO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I have a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering, and I practised for 8 years as a Chartered Engineer and FEANI. I then moved to business consulting, specialising in change and programme management for strategy execution - leading large programmes, running large accounts (business development and relationship management) and establishing a reputation as transformation advisor and leader with the largest players in the consumer products industry. I worked and lived overseas in Europe, the US and Asia before taking on the CIO role to demonstrate business leadership for technology.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Aim high, start small. I believe one of the roles of a leader is to set a vision or ‘set the bar,’ and I find that setting a stretching ‘bar’ typically helps motivate people to achieve more than they would if left to their own devices. My experience has been that people don’t always like being stretched but always appreciate it after the event. On start small, this reflects the ‘eat the elephant in bite-sized chunks’. One of the challenges of setting a high bar is that it can be overwhelming, so I find that starting small and learning by doing is a good way to navigate change, especially when they are transformational multi-year, multi-function changes.
With disruption being a key theme of recent years, where do you see the CIO role going in the next 1-2 years?
I see the CIO role evolving over time and being a critical role in creating or taking advantage of disruption. In recent years we have had the Covid disruption, the Ukraine war disruption and the supply chain and inflation disruptions, to name a few. Each time, CIOs have had to respond accordingly by increasingly leading business change enabled by technology. Embracing digital technologies and embedding them into business strategy is an area I see continuing to drive the changing role of the CIO in the near future.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a CIO?
Learn what the business goals are before addressing technology needs. I find that CIOs who are seen as a fundamental part of the business and have a seat at the table are more effective and successful. For those aiming to become a CIO, I would suggest ensuring that every action, every technology and every project is embedded in a business problem statement or opportunity that can be measured and tracked.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I was a qualified paraglider pilot and had to take aviation exams to qualify.
- I am a seasoned skier and still ski despite breaking my knee and dislocating my shoulder.
- I am an enthusiastic scuba diver and love underwater photography.
What is the value of joining an Evanta community?
I value the ability to learn and share experience at senior levels. My peers at Evanta come from varied backgrounds and the community focuses on topics that are very relevant with speakers and partners who invest in learning and sharing. I find this refreshing as it is hard to keep learning when you are focused on the day-job unless you consciously take time out.
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