Speaking | Privacy Policy | Contact
Digital Laoban is where I write for leaders who run industrial businesses and want to understand digital topics in plain language.
I am currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more than fifteen years I have worked as a digital and technology leader in energy, automotive, retail and food businesses across North America, China and Europe. Today I lead a regional digital, data and tech team that supports plants, distribution and commercial organizations.
My day job is about three things. keeping core systems reliable, keeping the company safe from cyber incidents, and turning IT, data and digital initiatives into business value. that means lower cost, better service, stronger compliance and, when it makes sense, new revenue streams such as e-commerce or digital services. Digital Laoban is where I step back from projects and share what I see from the inside of these decisions.
What you will find here
On Digital Laoban I focus on:
– helping you frame digital topics in the language of business, not only technology
– showing how IT, data and cyber choices show up in your P&L, your risk map and your daily operations
– offering a small set of realistic options you can take back to your own leadership team
The goal is not to sell a method. It is to describe honestly what works, what fails, and the trade offs leaders face when they touch IT, data and cyber.
Background
Some of my work has been noticed in the industry press and by vendors. I was included twice in the CIO Asia Top 100 list and received several Microsoft MVP awards in the early mobile years of my career. These were nice milestones, but they do not define what I do today.
On the side I make small early stage investments and learn from founders. I once wrote a short introduction to angel investing called “How to Seed Smart: Introduction to Angel Investing”. It captures what I had learned at the time rather than a big theory on how anyone should invest.
Speaking
From time to time I accept speaking invitations for internal events, conferences or executive sessions.
I usually speak about:
– digital decision making for non technical leaders in industrial and food businesses
– IT, data and cybersecurity as part of factory, quality and supply chain reality
– how to connect existing systems with new digital projects in a way that people can live with
Talks are adapted to the audience. Executive teams, boards, business functions or IT.
I do not provide hands on consulting at this stage. For speaking requests, please contact me to learn more.
Privacy Policy
You may view the Digitalaoban Privacy Policy here.
By using this website you accept this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the site
Disclaimer
– The opinions on this site are my own. They do not represent the views of my current or past employer, my clients, or the companies in which I invest or that I advise.
– The content on this site is for general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial or investment advice. Do not make important decisions based only on what you read here.
– I may be an investor or adviser in some of the companies that I mention or that appear in examples. When this is the case I will say so, but you should assume I am not neutral.
– Examples of projects, organizations and situations are often anonymized or combine several real cases. They do not describe a specific company, team or individual unless stated explicitly.
Contact
To contact me, please send me a message directly. I make every effort to respond to regular readers and to others as time allows. It may take me a few days. All media requests require at least 48 hours lead time, and I often decline. If your request is urgent, you can follow up once. You can follow us on Linkedin.