We speak to David Threlfall, CIO at Britishvolt, about what makes him tick inside and outside the office.
Describe your current job role.
I’ve held the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Britishvolt since June 2021, responsible for designing and building the IT enterprise architecture as well as a diverse and inclusive IT team that will support and enable the overall Britishvolt business objective of building the UK first battery manufacturing gigaplant in the north-east of England and scale-up and R&D facilities in the Midlands. We are extending our manufacturing footprint to a second gigaplant in Canada.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
On a personal level, my most memorable achievement is seeing my two children grow into their areas of profession (medicine and engineering) and continue to grow into caring parents in their own right.
Professionally, though, I have been lucky enough to build and lead several talented IT teams and seeing those individuals grow and prosper is my greatest professional joy.
The pandemic provided unique challenges and rewards in equal measure as it became so important through a period of uncertainty and dispersed working to maintain morale, optimism and a focus on delivering business value.
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position?
I am passionate about being an authentic leader, demonstrating honesty and transparency to build team trust and engagement that is so critical in high performing teams. Additionally, creating an ethos of inclusion, diversity and mutual respect is as important as building technical skills and competencies within any team.
I feel it is super important to trust the team you have around you, have each person feel they play a really important part in the success of the business rather than be perceived as a ‘cog in the machine’.
I focus a great deal on personal responsibility and accountability, which is another great enabler for building trust and transparency among the team.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
So, regarding my area of expertise, relating to manufacturing technologies, it has to be information security and the drive to smart and intelligent manufacturing – specifically digital modelling, simulation and twinning of products, processes and overall operation.
We have been hearing for years about how ‘Industry 4.0’ practices will revolutionise manufacturing which in my experience usually focuses on cost reduction but it is only now with challenging supply chain issues and global disruption, automated processing that reduces waste and increases quality is at the top of every forward-thinking manufacturer as well as embedding digital innovation within the fabric of the organisation, focusing on adding value to products and services.
Another area is being able to evidence, monitor and report on the carbon overhead of the organisation. ESG agenda is extremely important to the board, investors and consumers, therefore building out a full range of sustainability solutions is extremely important.
If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be?
My brain doesn’t work that way – I truly believe every decision that results in perceived success or failure should be used as a learning experience – we make decisions based on what feels right at that time and embrace the lessons you learn!
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry?
My advice is to be true to yourself and your colleagues, stand up for what you believe in and do the right thing.
In a function such as information technology, it is incredibly important to ‘speak the language of the business’ and focus on how technology can provide business value, not the technology itself.
Be a champion of your business, get to understand the drivers and challenges to revenue streams, cost management and risk mitigation.
What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
I work hard to build positive working relationships across the organisation, so that’s being open, honest and approachable, as well as delivering on promises.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
Not so much a trick but I find being organised and continually prioritising tasks is really important – especially working from a home office for over the last two years!
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months?
There has been a shift in emphasis from IT being perceived as a support function to being real business enablers, architecting, driving and delivering the digital strategy that is now seen as critical for all parts of the organisation.
The digital agenda has certainly accelerated through COVID-19 and I do not see it slowing down. Clearly, there are still pockets of the industry that perceive IT as a traditional support function, but to quote Albert Einstein: ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’.