Board & Advisory
For boards vetting technology leadership.
For board chairs and PE partners who need an honest read on whether the CIO in the seat — or the one about to be — can actually lead what’s being asked of them.
Ron has been in the chair: UTi during fifty acquisitions, DFS during the transformation Computerworldrecognized, and a decade at a Fortune 500 grocery retailer. Across Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and the US — fifteen to sixty-nine countries at a time — he’s also watched plenty of CIOs struggle. Not because they lacked skill, but because no one around them knew how to tell them the truth. Advisory work is about being the person who can.
The governance lens is specific: technology and cybersecurity oversight, M&A integration, global sourcing and operating models — and the question underneath all of them, whether the leadership team can carry the change while the business keeps running.
The engagement.
- Cadence
- Monthly or quarterly. Retained relationships, not one-off consults.
- Format
- Board-level review plus direct CIO coaching between board dates. Confidential.
- Investment
- Multi-quarter retainer. Scoped to the board’s actual risk, not a template.
Track record
EVP / CIO at Trader Joe’s, 2013–present.
Two frames held the work together: the inverted pyramid— the frontline is the top of the org chart — and managing sideways— breaking silos instead of climbing them.
- Team
- Promoted from within. A department business-focused, close to stores, trusted by the rest of the company.
- Delivery
- SAP, POS, accounting. On time, on budget.
- Cloud
- Seamless transition. No business interruption.
- AI
- An AI-enabled supply chain platform: better on-shelf availability and fresher perishables in stores, leaner weeks of supply and safety stock behind them.
- Crisis
- Ran IT through the pandemic.
- The person
- Promoted to EVP / CIO. Earned a doctorate in leadership in the same window.
Governance
Seven boards. Five sectors, three countries.
Technology, aerospace, manufacturing, private equity, and nonprofit — in the United States, Canada, and India.
- 2020–
Pacific Growth Investors — Advisor.
- 2021–24
Persevere — Board member & educator.
- 2021–24
Delivering Better Lives Foundation — Director.
- 2003–13
Kesem National — Chairman & interim CEO.
- 2005
Manthan Systems — Advisory board.
- 1996–97
Optimal Robotics — Director.
- 1996–97
Trident Systems — Director.
From the room
A CEO, a CIO, a change executive.
“Ron is a leader who sets visionary goals and then inspires others to join that mission.”
“Ron’s ability to bring leaders along the transformational journey, identify emerging talent, and invest in them to learn in action is what I will always remember and admire.”
“Thank you for sharing with such candor, generosity, and enthusiasm your wealth of experience in an area that is dear to me: change management.”
Inquire about Board & Advisory.
A pre-read so Ron can get a feel for where you are and what you're weighing. The next step is a no-charge 40-minute exploratory call — Pacific hours, Mon–Wed. Two-way conversation, no pitch, no price.