Board Level CIO |

Rick King, EVP and CIO of Thomson Reuters

April 03, 2017

Among other topics, Rick discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

• The role of the CIO in an information based company
• Recruiting and retaining talent
• Providing employees with opportunities for growth and advancement
• Leading with the mindset of a teacher or coach
• Veteran advice for technologists seeking a board position
• Proven techniques for increasing the presence of women in all levels of an organization
• The benefits of involving CIOS when developing strategic partnerships
• Creating symbiotic relationships with partners to drive and support growth and innovation

Rick King’s Biography

Rick is the Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer of Thomson Reuters, an $11 billion provider of news and information for professional markets. Rick has been with Thomson Reuters since 2000, previously serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Technology and as the Chief Technology Officer of various units.

Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Rick held executive-level positions at Ceridian Employer Services and Jostens Learning, among other companies. He began his career as a teacher and coach.

Rick is a member of the board of directors for TCF Financial Corporation, a publicly traded bank holding company, where he chairs the Technology Committee and sits on the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee. He is also heavily involved in his community, serving on the boards of trustees for Minnesota Public Radio and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Rick was appointed by the Governor of Minnesota to the Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission, where he chairs the Management and Operations Committee, as well as to the Technology Advisory Committee, which he also chairs.

Recently, Rick was honored with a 2017 “Guys Who Get It Award” for his work on gender partnership.

Rick holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont in Mathematics – Teacher Education as well as a master’s degree in Education Administration and Planning from the University of Vermont.

I recently caught up with Rick over the phone from his office in Eagan, Minnesota. Our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed recruiting and retaining talent, specifically Thomson Reuter’s success with increasing the number of women across all levels of the organization. We also covered World Class Principle Five, External Partnerships, as Rick described the symbiotic partnerships that he has developed that both ease and enable growth and innovation. We also discussed CIOs as strategists, his experience as a board-level CIO with advice he has for those who wish to follow in his footsteps, as well as a variety of other topics

The World Class IT principles in yellow were the focus of this interview

  • 01 1- People
  • 02 2- Infrastructure
  • 03 3- Project and Portfolio Management
  • 04 4- IT & Business Partnership
  • 05 5- External Partnerships

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