Career background
Twenty-five years in senior technology roles, mostly in manufacturing.
Most CIOs sit on the technology side of the table. I spent my career on the business side.
Every role I had started the same way: I came in for IT, then kept getting pulled into the room for decisions that had nothing to do with technology. Pricing. Market entry. Org structure. Vendor choices. When you understand a company's data and systems, you see things the P&L doesn't always show — where the business is leaking, where the growth is stuck, where the next play is hiding.
Nine of those years were as Chief Information Officer of a multinational industrial manufacturer serving the global logging and wood products industries, with operations across North America and Europe. I led IT through a successful 9x exit of the operating divisions.
Most recently I joined a beverage-sector manufacturer as Vice President of IT, moved into Chief of Staff to the CEO, and relocated to Barcelona as General Manager to stand up their European entity. Each role added to the last rather than replacing it.
Today I work as a self-employed independent contractor.
An independent contractor, not a company
I practise under my own name. Clients contract with Sanu Chacko as an individual, and I invoice them directly for services rendered under those agreements. There is no company, no staff and no subcontracting.
- Practice name
- Sanu Chacko
- Legal form
- Self-employed independent contractor
- Employees
- None
- Service delivery
- Performed personally by Sanu Chacko
- Longest client relationship
- More than eight years, ongoing
- Base location
- Seattle, Washington, USA
What the roles involved
As CIO and VP of IT
In executive roles at manufacturing and retail companies from $20M to $200M+ in revenue, I was responsible for:
- Full IT P&L and budget management, from $500K to $5M+ annually
- ERP selection, implementation and ongoing management
- IT team hiring, development and leadership
- Vendor relationship management and contract negotiation
- Cybersecurity program development and compliance
- Board and executive reporting
- Strategic technology planning aligned to business goals
- M&A technology due diligence and integration
Eight ERP implementations
Led as the accountable executive rather than as a project team member or external consultant.
Platforms
Scope
- Single-site and multi-site implementations
- Net-new implementations and platform upgrades
- Post-M&A system consolidations
- Cloud migrations and SaaS transitions
International
- Established and managed manufacturing operations and a technical team in Spain, with UK and EU sales and project management teams
- Managed cross-border technology projects
- Coordinated multi-country ERP deployments
- Navigated international compliance and data requirements
Fractional and interim work
My first fractional engagements began in 2017, negotiated as part of my transition out of a full-time CIO role. Since 2018 I have worked on a long-running retained basis with a manufacturing company, overseeing IT strategy, ERP management, the cybersecurity program, vendor relationships and digital transformation initiatives.
Earlier fractional and interim roles included a nine-month interim Head of IT position at a third party health insurance administrator, and shorter engagements in real estate and confectionery manufacturing.
Case studies
Real estate investment company
As fractional head of technology, designed an all-cloud environment for a Pacific Northwest real estate investment and management company, and helped select and implement a cloud-based real estate management system.
Confectionery manufacturer
Mentored a newly appointed Director of IT with a limited technology background into becoming comfortable in the role, and helped the management team understand technology as a solution provider to the business.
Multinational manufacturing company
As fractional head of technology, created a disaster recovery plan that allowed the organization to transition smoothly to remote work during the COVID-19 period, and led initiatives to implement a new ERP system and Salesforce.
Health insurance administrator
Helped stabilize IT operations at a third party administrator as interim head of technology. Established a project management office, built a development team, and improved the working relationship between IT and the rest of the business.
Client names are withheld under confidentiality obligations. References are available on request.
Outside work
My home base is Seattle, Washington.
I enjoy seeing my daughters grow into confident young women, and spend time walking and hiking with my German Shepherd. I also volunteer with the US Navy and US Coast Guard through the Seattle Council of the Navy League of the United States, supporting morale among the enlisted men and women who serve.