CIO Spotlight: Rafael Pimentel Pinto, Chief Information Technology Officer

Walk us through your CIO path. How did you decide to pursue a career in technology, and how did you progress to your current organization?

When the time came to decide on my professional studies, my first choice was Electronic Engineering and Communications. After a year, however, I realized it was not going to get me to where I wanted to be.

After that disappointment, and a few months of going to the gym, watching TV, and repeating that cycle, I decided the best option for me was Computer Information Systems.

That decision made sense in hindsight. I learned how to program in BASIC at a very young age. I was 10 years old, and my dad had a Timex Sinclair computer, and I quickly became fascinated with copying “the instructions” from the user’s manual and changing “the numbers” to make shapes shift in color, movement, and form.

A few years later, I realized those instructions were actually examples of simple programs written in BASIC.

By the time I reached high school, that early exposure paid off, my teachers were amazed that, in my first programming class, I already had geometrical shapes bouncing, spinning, and changing colors on the screen. By the time I finished college, I was looking for a job where I could continue learning while applying what I already knew. My first role was very simple, but it gave me a great deal of freedom to experiment.

Over time, though, I found myself wanting more and started asking around for new opportunities.

That’s when a good friend told me about another friend who was hiring for a middle management position in the federal government, and that is where the craziness began, 20 years ago.

I took on a mid-management role, overseeing all administrative tasks for a large IT infrastructure department that supported many mission-critical applications for a national security federal agency in Mexico.

After a couple of years, I was promoted to a director position, right in the middle of two major projects. Those projects not only forged my character but also gave me enough exposure in the tech industry to open doors later on. Eventually, though, the 75-hour workweeks pushed me to consider my next move.

Not long after, I received a call from an HR department asking if I was available to start a new role and whether I would be interested in leading the IT department of another government agency. It was smaller in size, but the responsibility was huge.

And that’s how I started in this wonderful journey as a CIO.

Since then, I’ve held that role across government agencies, an insurance broker, a space agency (wow, I know!), and one of the most important corporate groups in Mexico.

Eventually, my wife and I decided it was time to leave Mexico. We moved to Austin, Texas, and after a few months, I landed my current role, leading IT strategy and operations for the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

Can you tell us about some of the initiatives and major career accomplishments that you are proud of?

One of the things I am most proud of is the teams I have built over the years.

What I enjoy most is seeing how, even years after I leave a role, teams continue to work and interact in the way we established together, and how they still reach out to share accomplishments or ask for advice.

There is also a strong sense of pride in the changes I have seen within the organizations I have worked for, particularly when people recognize that the hard work made a real, tangible difference in their day-to-day jobs.

“I love what I do, and I truly believe we are living in the most exciting time in history to be a CIO.”

I am incredibly proud to have received several awards for leadership and innovation, including being recognized for four years among Mexico’s Top 100 CIOs, being ranked number two in the country as one of the most innovative CIOs in 2022, and being featured that same year on the cover of Forbes Magazine as a Digital Transformation Genius.

Those last two recognitions were because I led an interesting transformation process.

The initiative involved turning a traditional radio broadcasting company into a true player in the modern digital world, while keeping its core strengths at the center.

As part of that effort, the entire advertising lifecycle, reception, programming, transmission, auditing, and reporting, was completely redefined. What once took days now happened in real time, allowing customers to receive reports and affidavits instantly.

At the same time, all shows became available not only on traditional FM radio, but also across multiple streaming platforms. Content was delivered in audio and video formats, as podcasts, on demand, and specifically created for social media, apps, and the web.

The organization was ultimately recognized as the most important radio network in the country.

And last but not least, my most recent accomplishment was being the recipient of The CIO Professional Network’s CIO Cup.

This is the first award I have received in the United States, and it makes it very special because the transition from one country to another has not been easy at all. Receiving this award made me feel that I made the right decision in coming to this country and that I am in the right place.

What are your top 3-5 (ongoing) main priorities as a technology leader in your organization?

For some years now, my number one priority has been to be the best leader I can be for the team I lead and the organization I work for.

I think that if I can accomplish that, then the team will deliver the best results they can.

That means I need to study, read, and constantly learn about leadership, human behavior, the industry I work in, the political and economic situation that may affect our ecosystem, and, of course, new technological developments.

Number two, I would say having a clear understanding of the current state of new technologies and being able to communicate efficiently with everyone around me on what I think is happening, where I think things are going, and where we should be trying to go.

And number three, helping the organization get to where it wants to be.

Sometimes it is hard to decide the best way to get from point A to point B, because point B is usually a little, or a lot, out of focus. So, my goal is to bring that point B into sharp focus and create the best strategy to get there.

How do you decompress from your role as a technology executive?

I love music! I mainly enjoy playing the guitar and the piano, and singing.

A few years ago, I started my YouTube channel, where I play every instrument in a song and sing it, or sing all four parts in choral music. I called that project “Dissociative Identity Disorder”.

Music has always been part of my life in one way or another, for as long as I can remember.

Photography is another interest of mine, even though I have not been taking many pictures lately.

Finally, my wife and I are big movie lovers, so we spend a fair amount of time watching movies, either in a theater or in our homemade, high-tech “TV room.”

What do you think are the biggest issues facing CIOs in your industry?

I think for any industry, trying to keep up with the expectations is a great challenge.

We are expected to innovate at a pace that many organizations cannot achieve, for reasons such as budget limitations, cultural shifts, or regulations. The sheer number of available solutions and technologies can also be overwhelming, and understanding them deeply enough to choose the best fit for a specific situation becomes very challenging.

“Understand the impact of your decisions before making them.”

Cybersecurity risks and evolving threats are one of the biggest headaches for everyone, as threats become more sophisticated and technology supports more, if not all, operations in some organizations.

Balancing innovation with cost, while also updating legacy systems, is a recurrent topic in many roundtables and events, and it is something I have faced in every organization I have worked for.

Finally, finding and retaining talent is always at the top of the list of challenges.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be a CIO?

I would encourage them to go for it!

I love what I do, and I truly believe we are living in the most exciting time in history to be a CIO.

What I usually tell people when they ask for advice is:

• Learn as much as you can about the business.

• Keep working on your soft skills, and never stop improving them.

• Say yes to new challenges, but don’t hesitate to say no when it’s the right call.

• Be someone who brings solutions and helps the team find the right ones.

• Build credibility within the organization.

• Learn to step back, see the big picture, and plan for the long term.

And, very importantly, understand the impact of your decisions before making them.

Can you list the top book that you would recommend for a technology leader to have on their bookshelf/Kindle?

1. Future Shock by Alvin Toffler

2. Rewired by Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje and Rodney Zemmel
   
3. The Spartan Way by Joe De Sena
   
4. The Geek Way by Andrew McAffe

Can you share a specific quote that is a source of inspiration for you as a leader?

“Great leaders create more leaders, not followers.”

Roy T. Bennett