Mobile has been slow to take off on garage forecourts, but Maggie Van't Hoff is pushing hard to deploy iPads for mobile payments and mobility to the Shell Retail workforce and bringing the anywhere anytime power of the cloud to service stations. Job titleShell Retail CIO. When did you start your current role?July 2012. What is your reporting line?Downstream CIO, via finance line. Do you meet with and discuss business strategy with the CEO every week?I meet with the head of retail once a month, and his VPs once a week to discuss strategy. Are you a member of the board of directors?No. What other executive boards do you sit on?Retail and IT leadership teams. Does your organisation have a CDO?No. What non-technology responsibilities do you have in the organisation?President Shell women's network UK since January, sponsor women in IT, European IT Talent Forum. How many employees does your organisation have?Shell 100,000; Retail IT 350. Does your organisation carry out significant trade in the EU?Yes. How many users does your department supply services to?Over 500,000. How do you ensure that you have a good understanding of your business and how your customers use your business's products?I (and my team) spend time with the business, working through their strategy and business priorities. I do a service day once a year at a retail site, spending time with the customer, and we regularly review the 'Voice of the Customer' feedback in my leadership team meetings. Shell Retail technology strategy and agenda Is your organisation being disrupted by the internet, mobility or technology-oriented start-ups?Yes. Are you empowered by your organisation to disrupt from the inside?Yes. Describe a disruptive measure you’ve led or played a major part inWe are actively progressing mobile payment and mobility for the workforce (ie looking for ways to deploy iPads to the salesforce), utilising the cloud for our service stations, and doing POCs to remove kit from the site and go more mobile. What major transformation project has been recently completed or is under way at your organisation?We are about to launch an innovative cloud and customer value proposition in the US, in which we've taken business logic off the site, thus creating more flexibility in delivering fast response to customer needs. What impact will the above transformation have on your organisation?For fuel retailers, this is massive change, as we will be able to be more agile and adapt to rapid changes in the business. A change which previously would have taken two years will now be completed in 90 days. How has your leadership style contributed to the outcomes of the transformation project?Empowerment and accepting risk, allowing my team to experiment, and driving business outcomes. Putting the right focus on our ecosystem of suppliers to drive a different way of working, which was unheard of before our project. What key technologies do you consider enable transformation?Agile methodologies like Edge and SaaS, and niche vendor solutions to support a different way of doing traditional fuel retailing. Are you increasing the number of cloud applications or infrastructure in use at your organisation?Yes. What is your information and data analytics vision for the organisation?Data and analytics is a foundational element of the strategy. First, we have to get the data right, which has been a number one priority of the strategy – getting business ownership and driving the right data value ownership. Next we utilise massive real-time memory-crunching tools like SAP Hana and SAS to provide analytics and make business decisions on how to access customers. Data privacy regulations play a big part as we need to make sure our data is protected and managed appropriately. We have a five-year roadmap, reviewed and governed by senior retail leadership and IT. How is mobile and social networking impacting operations and customer experience?Mobile is transforming the way we interact with our customers. Traditional fuel retailers are not into mobile due to the health and safety risks on the forecourt. We have to be innovative to find other ways to reach the market, which requires easy and convenient ways to pay and interact with Shell. This is part of our 360 view of the customer. Describe your strategic vision towards shadow IT and BYOD. How do you influence and engage executives and employees around choice?We have addressed shadow IT with joint ownership. Together with the business we agree on a set of guidelines to support more retail-driven spend, but governed by a joint IT/business council to maintain control. Shadow IT is a partnership and not underground. BYOD is driven by the enterprise in Shell, supported by a mobile connect service. Who are your main suppliers?Accenture, Wincor Nixdorf, JDA, Verifone, Gilbarco, NCR, AT&T, HP. Shell Retail IT security and budget Has your organisation detected a cyber intrusion in the last 12 months?Yes. Has cyber-security risen up your management agenda?Yes. Does your organisation understand the potential cyber-security threats it faces?Yes. Has this led to an increase in your security budget?Yes. What is the IT budget?In the hundreds of millions. What is the strategic aim of the CIO and IT operations for the next financial year?Simply keep the kit running and controlling the operational cost growth with the new investment. Are you finding it difficult to recruit the talent you need to drive transformation?Yes. Has recruitment and retention risen up your agenda as a CIO?Yes. Are you looking for recruits in the EU to fill the skills shortage you have?Yes. Does your IT organisation operate an apprenticeship scheme?Yes. Shell Retail technology department How would you describe your leadership style?Authentic and engaging. I empower my team to deliver against the goals set at the leadership team. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty yet I do not micro-manage the team. Explain how you’ve supported and developed your senior leadership team to support your overall objectives and visionI provide my team with the freedom to react and adapt to the changing environment. I trust their judgement and provide a supportive environment for working together. I provide 'air cover' with senior leaders and appropriate challenge where necessary for success. How many employees are in your IT team?350. What is the split between in-house/outsourced staff?40/60. Does your team include key skilled workers from the EU?Yes.