What makes a leader? Not just an executive title or self-appointed honorific on social media, but someone who can take the breadth of their living and professional experience and channel it into enriching the work of their peers and championing their ideas and efforts to improve their field of expertise.

That’s what Carolina Restrepo, a Products, Technology and Innovation Manager at Vanderlande and 2023 Next CIO award-winner, aims to do. Carolina drives innovation and value by emphasizing storytelling as an approach to illustrate the positive changes that technological processes can bring to firms. As someone born in Colombia and having lived all over the world, not to mention a background spanning from industrial engineering to product management in technology, she understands acutely how complex processes lead to winning outcomes.

Host Mark Jacks leads a discussion with Carolina spanning a wide variety of topics including:

• The use of storytelling to convey messages and explain trends & processes
• How she adapted in transitioning from industrial engineering to being a leader in technology
• The importance of defining the value technology can bring to an organization
• Being a relatable role model to empower women in the tech industry
• Inclusivity and valuing different voices in taking on feedback
• What winning a Next CIO Award means for someone in her position

This discussion with Carolina is full of candor and sincerity, qualities which have made her a renowned leader. She is a leader’s leader, and this episode is a vital lesson for those aspiring to make it to the top of their field.