Spotlight on Tom Skalycz

I am Tom Skalycz, HMRC’s Chief Technology Officer and Director of Path, leading the organisation’s technology strategy and helping accelerate the delivery of modern digital tax and customs services. Since joining HMRC in 2021 from the private sector, I have led major technology transformation initiatives spanning cloud, AI, platforms and digital service delivery. I am passionate about turning innovative strategy into practical outcomes and creating the conditions for teams to succeed, test, learn and deliver at pace.

Outside of work, I am a keen sportsman and runner, and I find my best clarity of thought comes during or post exercise. Unfortunately, those moments of inspiration do not always arrive when I have pen and paper to hand, so my phone is full of voice notes capturing ideas that are either remarkably insightful or entirely overambitious. I'll leave it to AI to decide!

Learn more about the UK & Ireland CIO community here.
 

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

My own path has spanned both the public and private sectors, with a consistent focus on technology, transformation and large-scale delivery. Throughout that time, I’ve been fortunate to work with talented teams solving complex challenges, from modernising technology estates to delivering services relied upon by millions of people. 

I have always had IT at the heart of my career but wanted to be diverse in my skillset. That’s taken me from a Computer Science graduate to various hands-on roles in networking, data centres, cloud compute and software development.

What has always interested me most is not technology in isolation, but how technology enables organisations to achieve better outcomes.  That steered me into the world of IT architecture - technical, solution, enterprise and Chief. I am always seeking where I can make the biggest difference and one with a social and ethical purpose. That focus led me to HMRC, where I joined as Chief Technology Officer in 2021. Today, alongside leading HMRC’s technology strategy, I also lead Path, which is delivering advanced technologies, modern ways of working and a future technology operating model to deliver the organisation’s wider transformation ambitions - ultimately improving the services that millions of businesses and individuals rely on every day.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

Focus relentlessly on outcomes, not activity.

In large organisations it can sometimes be easy to mistake motion for progress. I try to create an environment where teams understand the outcome they are trying to achieve, have clarity of purpose, and are trusted and empowered to experiment, learn and adapt along the way – learning by doing.

This is because the best ideas rarely emerge fully formed. Progress comes from testing, learning and improving in the open. My role as a leader is to create the conditions where people feel confident doing that while remaining anchored on delivering meaningful outcomes for customers, colleagues and the organisation.
 

What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today, and how are you addressing it?

One of the biggest challenges facing technology leaders today is balancing the enormous opportunity presented by AI and emerging technologies with the need to modernise legacy environments while continuing to deliver critical services every day.

For organisations like HMRC, this means running and transforming simultaneously. We need to maintain trust, security and resilience while also creating the space to adopt new technologies, build new capabilities and rethink how work gets done.

We are addressing this by focusing on strong foundations: modern platforms, cloud adoption, simpler technology landscapes and reusable capabilities - while encouraging teams to learn quickly, experiment safely and share what works, and just as importantly, what doesn’t. That combination of modern technology and modern delivery practices creates the conditions for sustainable transformation at scale.
 

What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?

Stay curious and spend more time listening than talking.

Technology leadership today is as much about people, culture and organisational change as it is about technology itself. The most effective leaders understand the outcomes they are trying to achieve, build strong partnerships across their organisation, and remain open to different perspectives.

I would also encourage new technology leaders to become comfortable with uncertainty. You rarely have perfect information. Progress often comes from making the best decision you can with the information available, learning quickly from the results and adjusting course where needed.
 

How do you measure success as a leader?

I measure success by the impact my teams create and the environment we build around them.

Of course, delivery outcomes matter - better services, faster delivery, stronger technology foundations and measurable value for the organisation. But, I also look at whether people feel empowered to contribute, whether teams collaborate effectively across boundaries, and whether we are building capability that will continue to sustain and deliver results long after any individual, project or programme has finished.

Ultimately, success is when teams can move faster, make better decisions and deliver meaningful outcomes with confidence. If great people are achieving more than they thought possible, then I know we’re moving in the right direction. 
 

What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?

Technology leaders are facing many of the same challenges - whether that’s AI adoption, digital transformation, building organisational capability or delivering value in increasingly complex environments.

The value of this type of community is the opportunity to engage with a network of peers tackling similar challenges in different contexts. The most useful conversations are often the candid ones: sharing lessons learned, discussing what didn’t work as well as what did, and collectively identifying practical approaches that help organisations move forward faster.

No organisation has all the answers. Being part of a trusted community allows leaders to challenge their assumptions, learn from others’ experiences and bring fresh thinking back into their own organisations.

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