Tech Officer Vantage Point: Haleon's Amy Landucci

Leading tech officers give the inside track
on how to unlock advantage through tech.

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Three takeaways from our conversation with Amy Landucci, chief digital and technology officer at Haleon. 

Tech officers need to show up differently. We can’t just talk about technology. We need to be able to talk about the impact technology will have on the businesses… in real terms.

Amy Landucci
Chief digital and technology officer, Haleon

The organizational behaviors that unlock advantage from tech...

One of the most important ways C-suites and boards can move the needle on technology is digital is by continually challenging the organization to not accept the status quo. They need to encourage curiosity, and have a willingness to accept the risk of failure, as well as embrace successes. That’s how you create the right environment for experimenting with technology.

Leaders should also push their organizations to break down traditional silos and work more horizontally. That will allow them to move at pace in a digital world. And breaking down silos is not just about getting disparate teams to talk to each other. It’s about how you put together an autonomous, empowered team of cross-functional people to solve a problem. 

And, if you truly want to be a technology company, you need to understand that it’s not just about the tech officer or tech function. It’s about upskilling everyone across the company and embracing the right behaviors and skills outside the walls of a technology department. There are a lot of buzzwords and concepts that people can be embarrassed to admit they don’t truly understand (even those in the C-suite). That’s why it’s important to create a culture where everyone is willing to say: “This is new to me, I don't know.” It sends a signal to the organization that it is okay to not be the expert. You can be open and transparent about that and then seek to learn and understand. 

Why CEOs need to embrace the chaos of change…

If an organization wants to truly take advantage of technology, the CEO needs to think about it as more than just a cost center or back-office function. And it’s not just about recruiting a tech officer, either. It’s about also giving these leaders a seat at the table. Tech officers are hugely untapped assets. They are truly enterprise leaders that see across every piece of the business. So, their expertise needs to be drawn on for all business strategy discussions.

And for other business leaders across the organization, I would say: Embrace the chaos, embrace the fact that change is uncomfortable. Because by embracing that, by being curious and leaning on your technology partners, you can start to see innovative solutions and tremendous growth opportunities that you haven’t yet imagined. But if you act from a place of fear or protection or saying, “This is my role and this is your role”, your company is never going to realize the upsides of technology—but someone else will. 

How the tech officer role is evolving...

The tech officer has always been and still should be the business leader who is most versed in technology in the organization, and who has a wealth of knowledge about what’s working, what’s not, and how to make things better. 

What I see changing, though, is that if tech officers have a seat at the table and are involved in business strategy (as they need to be), they will need to have much stronger business skills and acumen than in the past. We need to show up differently. We can’t just talk about technology. We need to understand the company trajectory and what impact technology will have on our businesses in real terms. And we need a much higher understanding of our consumers’ needs and be out interacting with internal and external customers rather than sitting in the office working on siloed projects.

I also think as a tech officer you increasingly need to know what you don't know. For example, just because you are in the top job it doesn’t mean you are going to know how to run a services business, especially if you’re new to that industry. You need to be willing to say where you might lack certain skills. And you need to be able to bring in the right skills to your team.

Finally, I would urge tech officers to tap into the innate digital savviness of younger employees. There is a lot we can learn from them. And by pulling them into relevant discussions, we can increase their engagement as well as benefit from their expertise.

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