LEVERAGING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Innovation and technology are critical in the 21st century, driving change, opportunities and financial results, and creating new industry models while decimating traditional ones. The sharing economy is reshaping transportation and hospitality through companies like Uber and Airbnb. Apparel is being reinvented by wearables, healthcare by ingestible sensors to track physiological data on smartphones, mobile and the Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting billions of people and changing retail and buying patterns.
Consequently, boards must get further invested in technology and innovation, taking a strategic view on how both are impacting their company’s present and future. Major technology trends like cloud computing, big data, mobility, social media, IoT, 3D printing and machine learning are driving a wave of disruptions, creating both structural challenges and significant opportunities. The impact is substantial – major corporate investments, including operating model transformations, often have an IT underpinning. Half of M&A synergies depend on IT, making it a driver of successful deal implementation. Cyber security is a threat to companies large and small, public and private, and needs to be on the board agenda. Board oversight helps gain support for large innovation and integrated technology investments and ensures tracking progress toward integration.
Jul-Sep 2015 Issue
Women Corporate Directors