Dan Roberts: Given the diversity and complexity of the ever-changing role of CIO, there is no one single way of getting there. Can you talk about your path and how it’s shaped your leadership philosophies and style?
Katrina Redmond: I have undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and psychology, and a master’s degree in industrial engineering with a focus on quality assurance and control. I was actually planning on going to med school, but I had a bad auto accident that set me back from that journey. I ended up staying in the process space at GE, and the direction I went there has really informed my entire career.
I started off in process work and getting Six Sigma certified, becoming a Green Belt, then a Black Belt and Master Black Belt. From there, they launched me into sourcing and inventory leadership, operations management, facilities management, and various other operational roles. At one point, I was at a GE business that was struggling on the IT front, and they asked me if I would take on both quality and IT. I said, ‘Absolutely, but I’m not technical.’ And they said, ‘We need your process skills more than your technical skills.’ So I transitioned into a CIO role, and I’ve stayed in the role basically ever since.
