THE INTERVIEW
The Dell Digital Way
BY ANNA-LEE MUCK
20
Chief Digital Officer Jen Felch, in
conversation with Realize, shares
her experience leading digital
transformation at Dell Technologies.
What was your path to becoming
chief digital officer (CDO) at Dell
Technologies?
I started my career as a software developer
and have always enjoyed creating solutions.
I then moved into software product
management to get a better understanding of
the user context. I spent the first part of my
career in product line management, working
with customers, end users, and software
development teams.
Before joining Dell, I held a variety of
engineering and leadership roles at Boeing,
Parametric Technology Corporation, and
a few software startups. And then here
at Dell Technologies, there were a couple
of experiences that were instrumental in
preparing me for the CDO role. The first was
working in our United States desktop factory,
where we would see any process issues that
could impact our ability to deliver. In any big
operational job, leading and executing are not
optional.
The other role that was great preparation
for this one was being in the business
transformation program office, giving me a
great perspective on the broader organization,
including IT, and how to drive end-to-end
change. Of course, my experience within IT over
the last four and a half years has helped, too.
How do you define the CDO role?
The CDO role combines the traditional
roles and responsibilities of a CIO with the
emerging role of change agent for digital
transformation. It sets the bar for me and my
whole organization that we are key enablers
for digital transformation and much more than
“keeping the lights on.”
PHOTO BY BRYAN KUNTZ