"Given the prevalence of technology not only as an enabler but also as a business driver, the CIO must build the table, set the table and decide what food will be served at the table"

NEAL GOLDSTEIN
Global Head of Technology
Liquidnet

Neal joined Liquidnet in 2008 and has served as Chief Information Officer since February 2011. Prior to that, Neal was Liquidnet’s Head of Enterprise Technology Services.

Prior to joining Liquidnet, Neal spent 12 years at a Canadian bank, both in the U.S. and in Canada. He had various roles in application management, technology infrastructure and program management. From 2006- 2008, Neal was the Head of Technology for CIBC World Markets USA and led the company’s technology platform through various transitions.
 

Challenges in technology to meet enterprise needs in 2013 and expectations

In my opinion, the biggest challenge in technology right now relates to attracting and retaining high quality talent as their skill sets are transferable to other industries.
      I look forward to the further expansion of our virtualization (PC, server, storage, networks, etc.) strategies and the culmination of all our big data strategies into actionable business intelligence.

My roles and responsibilities as a CIO

A few years ago, being ‘at the table’ where strategic business decisions were made, used to be a sign that you had ‘made it’ as a CIO. Now, given the prevalence of technology not only as an enabler but also as a business driver, the CIO must build the table, set the table and decide what food will be served at the table.

Manner in which Data is used to head off problems and complications before they happen

Newer data tools allow us to crunch numbers faster and more accurately than we would have dreamed of doing in the past. This translates into significantly reduced times to our customers for information that is valuable to them, especially when time can easily translate into dollars.

Thoughts on how IT strategic planning supports organization-wide efforts to improve quality, cut costs and improve efficiency in the financial sector

Understanding the long term strategy of the firm and where it is headed within the industry is critical. It’s easy to illustrate the costs of neglecting strategic planning by simply adding up the total cost of tactical solutions. Once again, it’s about forward thinking. This is the approach we take at Liquidnet, which results in a consensus with our business partners to build technology solutions that are of high quality, less expensive to create and relevant for a significant amount of time.

Technology trends impacting enterprise business environment

Data consumption and analysis is a fast paced alligator with which we often wrestle. The BYOD model has pushed us aggressively to satisfy a growing internal consumerization demand. Finally, nimbleness and the ability to ramp up/down initiatives have led us to more cloud computing.

The areas in business environment where solutions do not yet exist or not up to the mark, and which if existed, would've made job easier

The solutions that were appropriate a year or two ago quickly fade into obsolescence as capacity demands and operational complexities grow exponentially. At Liquidnet, we’re always focused on remaining ahead of the curve. Quite often that means thinking a few years ahead when it comes down to organizational dexterity, innovation and also maintaining strong relationships with business partners to understand where they are headed.

Lessons learned and your advice for fellow CIOs

It is always about the right people. I see myself more as a pitching coach adjusting the mechanics of a greater team of technologists, occasionally changing what role they play and figuring out where they can each deliver the most value. A flat organizational structure and lots of collaboration and trust is the key to any successful IT organization.