Dave Hoag bought an early commence on his tech profession at age 11. That’s when his uncle launched him to an Apple IIc, and he was instantaneously hooked. He learned that he could publish code and make images dance on a display. And he never ever looked back.
Hoag has used the majority of his career in fiscal know-how, directly included in the transformation of the derivatives market infrastructure. He is at this time main details officer at Chicago-based OCC (Selections Clearing Company). Hoag was a winner of the 2019 CIO of 12 months ORBIE Award.
As vice chair of ChicagoCIO and incoming chair of the organization, Hoag recently talked with Crain’s about his plans for the progress of the peer-dependent group and his management fashion. Right here is a recap of the discussion.
Q: What are you doing work on at OCC?
Hoag: As possibilities buying and selling quantity exploded during the pandemic, I’ve been concerned with modernizing OCC’s clearing and hazard system to present higher resiliency, potential and stability for the sector. Our large transformation challenge is called the Renaissance Initiative, and pending regulatory acceptance we plan to adopt a new intent-constructed cloud system to better provide our stakeholders and the buyers of the U.S. equity choices and futures markets.
Q: How has the job of CIO developed around the several years?
Hoag: Whilst technologies is at the core of the role, CIOs are now associated in the overall technique of a firm. We’re not just placing up a assistance desk. Engineering is a essential portion of each individual business enterprise at all amounts. CIOs enable corporations to grow and lead to business enterprise results by leading on execution and tactic.
Q: What is your leadership model?
Hoag: I’m a pretty fingers-off chief. I test to empower my immediate studies to set aims and results and rely on they will produce. I like to talk to the staff at all stages to recognize what they are viewing and the issues they’re encountering. By participating and searching for out information and facts, I have a more holistic picture of the place I could possibly add and aid my immediate reports realize their objectives.
Q: What is actually your assistance to CIOs?
Hoag: It really is critical to network in just your peer community and in your organization. You do not just operate an IT workforce. As a CIO, you have to run and execute as a company chief. There’s no problem that is not yours mainly because it really is a trouble with the business.
Q: How very long have you been involved with the ChicagoCIO community?
Hoag: I acquired included in 2018. ChicagoCIO is really a community driven by and for the CIO in Chicagoland location. The firm also connects users to other chapters and nationwide gatherings.
Q: As vice chair, how have you grown the peer community?
Hoag: I’ve worked jointly with our latest board chair Lisa Dykstra to produce worth for users. If we emphasis on making price, we will obtain participants. My key contribution is to make guaranteed our applications are a fantastic use of our time. CIOs are very hectic.
Q: For illustration?
Hoag: ChicagoCIO just lately facilitated a digital dialogue where we broke into tiny groups to examine a venture or dilemma, this kind of as how we’re handling distant operate and what it suggests for expertise recruitment and retention. We’re able to share thoughts and find out what other corporations are performing. We all close up in a improved position simply because of all those interactions. It is really actually purposeful.
Q: Why is the ChicagoCIO peer network important to the field, and vital to Chicago?
Hoag: Technologies is a important expansion driver in several metropolitan areas and Chicago above the past 10 years has accomplished a fantastic career at producing the technological innovation industry. For the health and fitness of Chicago, we have to have nicely operate IT companies. We need to have to apply engineering to make value for our business and customers and not just as a value heart important to run a small business at scale. As an alternative, know-how really makes it possible for companies to produce price for their consumers. The prolonged-term well being of Chicago relies upon on a lively technological know-how neighborhood and organizations like ChicagoCIO.
Q: As the incoming ChicagoCIO chair, what are your programs for the firm?
Hoag: We have to have to lean into our strengths. We do a decent job of bringing CIOs with each other. We want to do a lot more issue solving and enable aid people to acquire a own board of directors, friends they can simply call and talk to on an informal basis. We are going to do extra to foster peer collaboration. We will have much more in-human being occasions, this sort of as driving-the-scenes excursions of technologies functions. But we are going to also carry on our digital occasions. A mix of celebration formats makes it possible for the customers to come together the place and when they have availability.
Q: What else would you like to incorporate?
Hoag: ChicagoCIO is internet hosting the ORBIE Awards application in individual on Could 13 at the Marriott Marquis Chicago. We are thrilled about that.
We are recruiting new customers. We talk to our associates to invite other CIOs to test out ChicagoCIO. When CIOs arrive to one particular of our activities and meet our associates, we have a fantastic conversion rate because they see the worth in what we do.
