Dan Di Salvo
VP, Infrastructure & Security Services
Maple Leaf Foods
Dan Di Salvo is Vice President of Infrastructure and Security Services at Maple Leaf Foods, Inc. Dan has over 22 years of successful experience in CPG, providing systems and strategic direction and support from global M&A and plant expansions, to technology systems ranging from cyber and SAP access management, cloud (IaaS/SaaS), and hyper-converged infrastructure, to disruptive technology, like Geofencing traceability, Plant IoT, and plant floor mobility and intelligence surveillance. Dan is a strong believer in the power of positive thinking in the workplace with an attitude that anything can be accomplished. Dan regularly develops opportunities with his team and the business, pushing for innovation and ideas from the shop floor and working closely with the business.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I’m very proud of my path, starting from the services and support that allowed me to truly understand customer service and the vast types of business challenges we faced. The expertise I gained as an architect in M&A and building data centers, implementing and supporting infrastructure strategies, opened up my perspectives on what it takes to design, build, protect and operationalize our landscape. Making the transition to VP of Infrastructure and Security Services was simple as my journey was built on trust, experience, and people skills that would support the followership, which is ultimately the key to any leader's success.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Equal opportunity and building off people’s strengths and trust continues to support our ability to deliver at a high throughput and high quality. Bringing an intense curiosity to real problems and challenges on the front lines helps bring the right technology and people together to help ideate, solve, and present solutions. It’s important to me to be a people-first leader and make sure that we give those who have the passion and abilities a chance to succeed with the appropriate coaching as needed.
With disruption being a key theme of the past year, where do you see your role as a CISO leader going in the next 1-2 years?
As a security leader, the role now more than ever will be elevated in terms of importance. As every month or year passes, the threat landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace as technology is being implemented at all levels of the business, internally and externally. Bringing more awareness to the board and senior leadership team and continuing to foster relationships with the plant operational leaders, will be key in making sure we share the risks and together address them and keep pace with technology enhancements.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role?
I think starting with the basics is important. Taking the time to understand what’s at risk means knowing your business and what’s at stake. Bringing a structured approach on governance and continuously assessing your business through engagement, thought leadership, and getting the right partners to the table to work with is very important.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
I’m not sure I have three fun facts, but I do love cycling and wish I could do it all year round. When I retire in Japan, my goal is to ride from Osaka to Iwate.
What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?
I derive value when I listen to the group and what they bring to the table. We all share the same challenges and opportunities at different stages of our journeys, so it helps validate and also helps understand where I should focus more.
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