Unum Group EVP Chief Information and Digital Officer and former Aflac EVP and CIO Shelia Anderson kicked off a high-tech career back in the late 80’s when few women could even hope to attain IT leadership positions. She earned a B.S. in computer science at Louisiana Tech University and an M.S. in engineering management at Southern Methodist University before starting her career in a tech world still dominated by mainframes, while the market for clunky PCs was expanding. Not long after, “local area networks” or LANs emerged, and the “killer app” was printing, followed by the interconnection of PCs or networking as we know it today.
Anderson’s first job was working for global tech consultancy Electronic Data Systems (EDS) as a technology consultant.
“[At the time,] we didn’t have all the big technology consulting firms that we have today. I went through EDS’s systems engineering development program, which was an industry-leading ‘tech boot camp’ at the time,” says Anderson. “[It was] a very disciplined approach to learning how to code and how to do technology the right way. You learned a lot of basic skills, [some of which I use] in my disciplined approach today.”
A few years later, the internet appeared as The Next Big Thing because it was obvious ubiquitous global interconnection would change everything. By this time, Anderson was already doing Internet consulting for a group within EDS that was spun off as a startup called “Chaos to Order.” Its charter was to develop innovative solutions using all internet-related emerging technologies.
“The internet was my first love. I developed new skills and learned many new and emerging internet technologies,” says Anderson.
Kicking Her Career into High Gear
Keeping current on technology has always been important for a tech leader, though the job is no longer all about tech. There’s also an important human factor that Anderson learned to appreciate early on that included navigating gender bias.
“Today, we have a lot of inside and outside support, but at the time you had to learn how to navigate those perspectives and perceptions on your own,” says Anderson. “It taught me the importance of showing up strong and making the most of your seat at the table. You had to be prepared to contribute to those discussions meaningfully, ask thoughtful questions, and help drive the conversation forward. That’s how you demonstrate your value — by adding insight and making an impact that others can clearly see.”
Meanwhile, she was about to experience a common obstacle, which is balancing a demanding job with parenthood, which was more difficult then than it is now, given modern HR practices. Anderson found balancing work and home so difficult, she questioned what she “should” be doing.
“I was leading a very demanding transformation around a large system development initiative [with] never-ending working days and nights. And those were the days when you did not have the ability to work from home, because we had a green screen,” says Anderson. “If you had an issue, you could log in and see it, but to do the work, you had to drive into the office. I reached a point where I felt I was just not doing my best at home or at work when I returned into this pressure cooker of an environment. I quickly got to the point where I said, ‘Okay, this isn’t working. I’m going to have to quit,’ because I’m not doing a great job and I’m letting everyone down on both sides. [Surprisingly,] a male advocate who was very supportive asked what I needed.”
She kept her job, albeit at 40 hours, and was able to continue building her career.
“When I think back, and [wonder] if that [situation] had been handled differently at that time, would I even be where I am today? I don’t know,” says Anderson. “It’s important to surround yourself with people who are going to be both supporters and challengers who help guide you along the path. I’ve had the privilege of working with and for some amazing leaders, teams and companies, and I take that with me everywhere I go.”
After EDS, she was promoted from IT director, business management to director, asset engineering at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. After that, she served as managing director, business advisory services at IT consultancy Grant Thorton. Next, she moved into her first CIO role as vice president and CIO property and casualty at financial services firm USAA, then to EVP and chief information officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Most recently, she was EVP and CIO at insurance company Aflac.
Strong, Positive Relationships Are Critical
Anderson places great importance on building and maintaining strong relationships. In fact, she’s hired prior technology leaders with whom she worked at previous jobs to help lead transformations.
“The CIO role changes every day now. Previously, you had tried-and-true practices you could anchor on, knowing that you could be successful with them,” says Anderson. “Now expectations are far greater. There are always pressures around the expected business value you must achieve in the business relative to all the technology advancements. How do you leverage these new and emerging technologies to drive value through innovation?”
Like other CIOs, she hasn’t had the luxury of keeping the business running at the cost of innovation or vice versa.
“It’s a very intentional focus for me, making sure that I’m carving off both the investment and the time to focus on the value-added capabilities. Today, there’s more emphasis on shortening time to value and measuring that,” says Anderson. “This is truly problem-solving every day, and all of us really [need to] reimagine how we’ve traditionally solved problems. How do I tell that story as a CIO in an organization?”
Recently, she says, there’s a broadening of the CIO role to include adjacent titles. Anderson is one example as EVP chief information and digital officer.
“Going forward you’ll see more titles like chief technology and innovation officer or AI officer. We’re starting to see a lot of this with the title,” says Anderson. “You’re starting to see a move away from CIO as a title and that tells you people are trying to figure this role out going forward. You’re almost a mini-CEO of your own business because of all roles in a company, this one has strong linkages and dependencies with your talent, legal and finance organizations.”
Another important factor is to have a strong, positive relationship with the CFO. To strengthen the partnership, a CIO needs to demonstrate their ability to manage the financial aspects of technology investments and be able to show how those investments are driving business value.
In addition, the CIO needs to have strong relationships with all their C-suite peers who run different aspects of the business. Anderson also makes a point of participating in CIO councils.
“How you approach managing your relationships, whether it be your own direct team or the peer executives that you’re working with, is just as important as the technology itself,” says Anderson. “The other piece of it is continuous learning for both you and your organization. One of my biggest challenges has been telling the story in a way that would help achieve the expected results. Yes, it requires facts and data, but telling the story that is relevant to the business is important, especially as you get into a senior leadership position.”
Enabling Others’ Career Growth Is Also Important
Anderson strongly believes CIOs should stay connected outside their organization.
“[I and others on these CIO councils] all have different strengths, and we all bring different experiences,” says Anderson. “One of the beauties of that is you can connect with other executives who have worked inside and outside your industry. We’re all learning from one another and the strength of your network matters.”
She also feels strongly about being an ongoing coach and mentor for others with whom she worked previously.
“I’m passionate about investing in people and watching them grow into successful roles. Several of my prior directs have gone on to become early-stage CIOs,” says Anderson. “I continue to meet regularly with many of them, and I especially love that a significant number of them are female.”
Business and technology have all changed greatly in the last few decades, and all those things have continued to shape and reshape the CIO role. The more business-centric the role becomes, the more important it is to double down on soft skills. Anderson realized this early in her career, and it has served her well.
