Multi-geography CIO — Logistics · anchored USA

Position overview

Gladwin International Leadership Advisors is representing a confidential organisation in Logistics & Supply Chain on a senior CIO leadership mandate anchored in USA.

This is a multi-geography leadership role requiring orchestration across time zones, matrix stakeholders, and often dual-reporting into global and regional lines.

The organisation wants a leader who can hold tension — growth vs. control, global standards vs. local speed — without false trade-offs.

Context you will inherit

• Market & sector: Technology integration — deploying WMS, TMS, AI route optimisation, and supply chain visibility platforms requires technology-forward operations leaders
• Geographic spine: Primary hub USA with reporting lines into global / regional matrix partners.
• Organisation stage: Digital and data maturity uneven across business lines — quick wins exist beside multi-year platform investments.
• Stakeholders: Expect dense matrix: global product houses, regional P&L owners, shared services, and internal audit all pull on the same calendar.
• Secondary lens: Cross-border supply chain — as Indian companies internationalise and global companies source from India, cross-border logistics leadership with customs, compliance, and multimodal expertise

The mandate (12–24 month arc)

1. Core systems: Stabilise ERP / core banking / policy admin (as relevant) — reduce outages and major incident frequency.
2. Roadmap governance: Align business cases to enterprise priorities; stop pet projects that drain scarce capacity.
3. Cyber posture: Partner with CISO on identity, segmentation, and third-party risk — especially for critical vendors.
4. Business partnership: Embed IT leaders into P&L forums with clear service levels and joint accountability.
5. Cloud & infrastructure: Right-size hosting strategy; improve disaster recovery and scalability where growth strains capacity.
6. Sourcing: Rationalise SI relationships; improve contract discipline and outcome-based metrics.

Responsibilities (representative)

• Own IT service delivery, run cost, and major business system programmes.
• Partner with business on digital initiatives — clear roles vs. product/engineering where split.
• Lead infrastructure, cloud, and workplace technology strategy.
• Co-own cyber resilience with CISO; prioritise by business criticality.
• Rationalise application portfolio — retire, replace, or integrate duplicates.

Leadership profile

• Business systems: Large programme delivery — ERP, core platforms, or digital workplace at scale.
• Education: Strong undergraduate grounding; MBA / advanced degree / professional qualification common at this level.
• Communication: Executive presence in English; additional languages valued where market-relevant.
• Judgment: High signal-to-noise under pressure; ethical clarity; willingness to halt initiatives that break risk appetite.
• Geographic muscle: Deep experience leading in or from USA with credible local stakeholder judgment.

Team & culture

Inclusion and psychological safety are not separate programmes — they are prerequisites for honest debate on strategy and risk. Model curiosity, direct feedback, and consequences for conduct lapses.

Success measures (examples)

• Value creation: EBITDA / cash trajectory vs. owner or board case — especially under stress scenarios.
• Execution: On-time delivery of named transformation milestones; reduction in repeat incidents or audit findings.
• Leadership: External hires and internal promotions that stick; reduction in key-person concentration.
• Innovation: Launched offers or capabilities that move the needle on differentiation, not pilots that stall.

First 90 days (orientation arc)

• Days 1–30: Map cash, covenant, and customer concentration risks before announcing initiatives.
• Days 30–60: Align owners and board on a 12-month value story — financial and non-financial.
• Days 60–90: Launch two quick operational fixes that build credibility with frontline managers.
• Deep-dive on talent — who is load-bearing, who is blocking, where external hire is mandatory.
• Socialise a simple KPI tree so every function sees how their metrics roll up.
• Add a timezone-friendly cadence for matrix decisions; rotate forum times to share pain fairly.

Stakeholder map (illustrative)

• Internal: Executive committee, functional peers, shared services leads, and programme PMOs.
• External: Key suppliers, technology partners, and joint-venture boards where applicable.
• Board / owners: Expect deep dives on risk, liquidity, talent, and transformation — slides light, substance heavy.

Travel & mobility

Expect substantial travel — customer, hub, and owner meetings. Specific cadence discussed with shortlisted candidates.

Compensation

Package aligned to CIO benchmarks in Logistics & Supply Chain — typically fixed, variable, benefits, and mobility where applicable. Structure detailed at shortlist.

Application status

This mandate is no longer accepting new applications. The search progressed through Q4 2025 and closed for submissions in February 2026. We retain this posting for transparency on the type of leadership work we carry in Logistics & Supply Chain and USA. For similar active mandates, browse open roles or submit a general profile through executive search inquiry.

Reference: logistics-supply-chain · CIO · USA · Gladwin International Leadership Advisors