Industry: Technology
Role: Technology, Product & AI
Lessons in leadership from a multi-time enterprise CIO on mentorship, resilience, and developing the next generation of technology leaders
Diane Schwarz, Group Chief Information Officer at Smurfit Westrock, spent a decade building applications that mainstream IT departments didn’t want. She calls those years her time in “shadow IT.” Today she’s a multi-time enterprise CIO with a rare track record of developing the next generation of technology leaders.
JM Search Partner Jamey Cummings has spent nearly two decades recruiting and advising senior technology and security leaders. He sits down with Diane to unpack the specific moments that shaped how she leads: the boss who told her to “just go do IT,” the women who showed her what authenticity and work-life integration actually look like, and the day someone told her she was being groomed for the enterprise CIO role and how hearing that out loud changed everything.
They get into why she doubles down on what people are already great at instead of rounding out their weaknesses. Why she took her team to a Peter Gabriel concert in the middle of a cyber incident. And the communication skills she uses to build credibility with executives who don’t speak technology. She also shares her perspective on humility, resilience, and what she’s learned about shielding her teams when pressure is highest.
In This Conversation:
- 0:00 Introduction and leadership philosophy
- 1:20 Diane’s path into IT and the people who shaped her
- 2:25 Lessons from former bosses and unlikely mentors
- 6:30 The power of telling someone what they’re capable of
- 8:50 Stepping into the top role and building confidence
- 10:55 Developing people: honest feedback and complementary strengths
- 12:00 Inheriting a high-stakes CIO situation
- 16:45 Why soft skills are the key to CIO success