Chief Information Officer

Job Description
Chief Information Officer (CIO) — India (Mumbai, MH)

Global Technology & Digital Transformation Leadership

1. The Organization

Our client is a Japan-headquartered multinational enterprise renowned for its precision technologies, scientific instrumentation, and advanced manufacturing systems that enable discovery, innovation, and industrial advancement worldwide.
With operations across Asia-Pacific, EMEA, and North America, the company combines over a century of engineering heritage with an evolving focus on digital transformation, automation, and connected intelligence.

The company's technology ecosystem underpins research, manufacturing, and customer applications across life sciences, industrial systems, and environmental technologies. It is committed to driving innovation with purpose—advancing sustainability, safety, and scientific progress globally.

Today, the organization is executing a multi-year global technology transformation to unify its enterprise systems, modernize its cybersecurity framework, and enhance digital collaboration across all regions.

2. The Context

As part of its global modernization agenda, the organization is establishing a newly created Chief Information Officer (CIO) role in India to anchor technology governance, enterprise architecture, and cybersecurity leadership across its expanding footprint in APAC and EMEA.

This role will lead the IT Strategy & Management function based in Mumbai, with strategic oversight of the Global Capability Centers (GCC) in Hyderabad and Mumbai. It represents a shift from a legacy Center of Excellence (CoE) model to a globally integrated, decentralized digital delivery ecosystem.

The CIO will play a pivotal role in shaping how technology enables business transformation, while collaborating closely with peers in global innovation hubs in Japan, Singapore, Germany, China, and the United States.

3. The Role

The Chief Information Officer – India will report directly to the Global CEO (based in Japan) and serve as a member of the extended global leadership team.
This executive will define, implement, and continuously refine the company's technology strategy—balancing operational stability, cybersecurity, and digital innovation within a globally distributed framework.

Key Accountabilities

• IT Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute the enterprise IT roadmap aligned with global business objectives and digital transformation goals.

• Governance & Capability Building: Lead the India-based IT Strategy Management team, overseeing transformation delivery, risk governance, and operational performance of technology systems in APAC and EMEA.

• Global Collaboration: Work in close partnership with CIOs of the company's high-tech innovation centers in Japan, Singapore, Germany, China, and the United States. While not directly leading these hubs, the India CIO will ensure strong collaboration, knowledge flow, and strategic alignment across all technology domains.

• Cybersecurity & Risk: Strengthen the enterprise's cybersecurity posture through proactive risk management, ethical hacking simulations, and advanced digital defense programs.

• Enterprise Systems & Automation: Oversee the modernization of ERP, supply chain, and automation platforms, enhancing efficiency, transparency, and agility in manufacturing and logistics.

• Digital Infrastructure: Drive migration from legacy systems to scalable, cloud-enabled architectures that support business continuity and resilience.

• Decentralized Leadership: Foster a culture of empowerment and innovation within a globally governed but locally accountable structure.

• Transformation Management: Lead the successful transition from CoE to GCC delivery models, ensuring business alignment and measurable value realization.

4. The Candidate Profile

We are seeking a strategic and globally minded technology leader with a blend of operational excellence, cybersecurity expertise, and experience in enterprise transformation.

Experience & Expertise

• 20+ years of leadership experience in IT strategy, digital transformation, and cybersecurity within industrial, manufacturing, or supply chain–driven sectors.

• Proven experience in establishing or scaling GCCs or shared services organizations within India, ideally having transitioned from CoE models.

• Demonstrated mastery in cybersecurity, threat management, and ethical hacking, with the ability to build and govern secure global systems.

• Deep technical fluency in ERP, MES, and automation systems (SAP, Oracle, Siemens, or similar).

• Strong exposure to global operations across APAC and EMEA, ideally within matrixed multinational environments.

• Successful track record of leading multicultural, distributed teams and partnering with senior leadership across geographies.

• Educational foundation in Computer Science, Engineering, or Information Systems; certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or cloud architecture credentials preferred.

• Location: Mumbai, with regular travel to Hyderabad and other global centers.

5. Leadership Attributes

The ideal candidate will exhibit:

• Strategic Vision: Ability to see the "enterprise whole" and translate digital priorities into business outcomes.

• Global Mindset: Cross-cultural fluency and the ability to collaborate across time zones, languages, and perspectives.

• Operational Rigor: Focus on governance, risk, and process discipline, balanced with innovation.

• Transformational Energy: Capable of inspiring teams through change and building capability at pace.

• Executive Presence: A trusted partner to global leadership; articulate, poised, and decisive.

• Ethical and Empathetic Leadership: Deep integrity and awareness of the human dimension of technology transformation.

6. The Opportunity

This is a rare and strategic leadership opportunity to define the digital backbone of a globally admired enterprise.
The role provides a platform to:

• Lead a high-impact transformation of the company's IT and cybersecurity ecosystem.

• Shape the architecture of a global GCC network serving APAC and EMEA.

• Collaborate with global technology leaders and innovation centers at the cutting edge of science and engineering.

• Influence enterprise-level decision-making alongside the Global CEO and board leadership.

For the right leader, this is not simply an IT role—it is a mandate to reimagine how technology empowers innovation, resilience, and global integration across a century-old yet forward-looking enterprise.

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