CIO Profile: T-Mobile’s Cody Sanford

T-Mobile’s CIO and CPO Cody Sanford’s most significant the latest accomplishment was doing the job on the company’s merger with Dash. Here’s far more about this tech government in his very own words.

Image: nao5970 - stock.adobe.com

Image: nao5970 – stock.adobe.com

Who is modern CIO? The job has adjusted above the very last few many years as technological know-how has come to the forefront of lots of corporations, specially in the wake of electronic transformation. Yesterday’s CIOs led interior assistance corporations that supplied technological know-how and support desk help to an enterprise’s workforce. Present day CIOs do that and considerably far more.

Present day CIOs, in lots of conditions, have taken on a strategic job, too. These executives are now technological know-how advisors to the relaxation of the C-suite and the organization’s board of administrators. These executives support established technological know-how procedures and priorities. Present day CIO is far more probable to operate with consumer-experiencing technological know-how and earnings-driving technological know-how, too.

In the midst of this change, InformationWeek is connecting with some of modern CIOs to get a deeper perception about the projects they are doing the job on, their best procedures ideal now, furthermore some aspects about how they acquired their commences in the marketplace.

Top off, we related with mobile telecom carrier T-Cell CIO Cody Sanford. In addition to the title of CIO, Sanford also is an government vice president and main item officer for this business, which just accomplished a big merger. Here’s what he had to say.

Cody Sanford

Cody Sanford

How extended have you been in this job at the business?

I joined T-Cell in 1999, which at the time was VoiceStream before we ended up acquired by Deutsche Telekom in 2001. I begun in radio community engineering, before transferring into retail, and then technological know-how. In 2016 I grew to become CIO, and in April 2020, adhering to the near of the Dash and T-Cell merger, I grew to become CIO and Main Solution Officer. 

Describe your technique.

My task as CIO and CPO is to ensure we can make significant consumer knowledge-obsessed products and solutions at the speed of our Un-carrier mission. This implies infusing a shopper-products and solutions mentality and consumer-very first style and design philosophy into the IT organization’s DNA and electronic transformation endeavours.

The other essential matter I’m concentrated on is the federation of technological know-how. Program touches nearly anything in modern environment, which implies we want to ensure that just about every workforce within T-Cell, from item to frontline to again office, has obtain to use the most fashionable technologies to support them unlock better added benefits for our shoppers and workers.

1st task of your job?

My very first “job” task was at a compact boutique telecom consulting business known as the Walter Group. I labored domestically and internationally to support get started new wireless organizations and develop out wireless networks. My very first “task” task was washing dishes at Ollie’s Cafe.

Most significant lesson you discovered from your mentor/a trainer/a boss? 

A leader’s most significant task is to hear and use empathy to serve and empower the men and women who operate for them, a lesson discovered from lots of diverse instructors.

Largest problem for IT corporations now?

IT corporations and the tech that they develop and help are central to anything that any fashionable business does, which implies they have to innovate at the pace of the business and market, as well as understand and adopt new technologies at customarily unheard-of speeds. The most significant problem is balancing how to do the two at the very same time. 

Massive undertaking you are doing the job on?

The T-Cell/Dash integration and bringing with each other the most effective of these two cultures and technological know-how capabilities to supercharge the Un-carrier. Of program, COVID-19 is best of thoughts for anyone, and as a CIO, I’m concentrated on ensuring T-Mobile’s workers and shoppers are equipped to do all the factors they can do in a environment where electronic activities are paramount for everybody’s basic safety.

Largest accomplishment of 2019/2020?

Closing the most significant telecom merger in US heritage to make the new T-Cell. 

Greatest e-book you endorse?

Preferred e-book is Anathem or Cryptonomicon. Both are written by Neil Stephenson who is the supreme futurist. He has a impressive capability to craft imagery of worlds and futures and realities that never exist. My favorite company e-book is known as The Objective, which is an old company allegory about the idea of constraints and the most significant classes of getting operate finished in the most constrained environments.

Piece of information for inexperienced persons or mid-job men and women in IT?

In no way prevent finding out. Be curious. Really don’t get cozy.

Do you know a CIO or other IT leader who we should really attribute in an InformationWeek profile like this one particular? Enable me know at [email protected] with a matter line “IT Leader Profile”.

 

Jessica Davis has put in a job masking the intersection of company and technological know-how at titles such as IDG’s Infoworld, Ziff Davis Enterprise’s eWeek and Channel Insider, and Penton Technology’s MSPmentor. She’s passionate about the practical use of company intelligence, … Look at Full Bio

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