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Leading Global Teams: Lessons from the Front Line of Global CIO Leadership

  • Writer: Richard Keenlyside
    Richard Keenlyside
  • Jun 8
  • 3 min read

TL;DR

Leadership in global teams demands more than hierarchy. It’s about influence, clarity, and cross-cultural alignment. With over 600 staff managed across seven countries, I’ve learned that successful global team leadership blends governance, trust, and digital maturity. Here's how to scale leadership on a global stage.

Smiling man with short hair wearing a black sweater against a gray background. The mood is friendly and content.
Richard J. Keenlyside

Introduction: The Realities of Leading Global Teams

As a Global CIO and former IT Director of J Sainsbury's PLC and MI Dicksons, I’ve had the responsibility of managing teams across several businesses in various countries, including the UK, US, UAE, India, China, Australia, and Romania. Leading global teams isn’t about time zones or dashboards—it’s about alignment, accountability, and agility.


Too often, global team leadership is misunderstood as a technical or organisational challenge. But in my experience, it’s a strategic discipline that can make or break a business operating at scale.


Why Global Team Leadership Matters More Than Ever

As remote work, M&A, and global expansions become the norm, leading global teams is not a future skill—it’s a core competency today.

From digital transformation programmes worth £150M+ to aligning 600+ personnel across three continents, I've seen how global leadership enables business continuity, scalability, and innovation.


The challenge? Every region has its own culture, pace, and expectation of leadership.

The CIO Perspective: Governance, Culture and Clarity

Governance: Structure Before Speed

When I took the helm as Global CIO for a multinational manufacturer, my first step was not tech—it was governance. We implemented a global IT operating model that unified 13 business units. That alignment allowed us to deliver a 5-year cloud migration plan, reducing technical debt by over £2M in just eight months.

Tip: Create consistent programme governance across geographies. If your PMO doesn’t scale globally, your transformation won’t either.


Culture: Not Just Communication, but Connection

Cross-cultural leadership demands more than localised greetings or translated documentation. It requires empathy with context.

At Mothercare, I led the separation of global entities and built standalone IT organisations. Managing 600+ staff meant understanding cultural differences between UK-based engineers, Indian dev teams, and UAE security ops.

Tip: Treat diversity as a strategic advantage. Build frameworks that empower local autonomy within global direction.


Clarity: Define Roles, Results and Rhythm

When leading large international teams, ambiguity kills productivity. At an apparel retailer and manufacturer, I led a £14M ERP programme uniting operations from London to Ho Chi Minh City. We reduced technical debt by £2.5M annually and harmonised operations across time zones.

Tip: Use standardised KPIs and weekly syncs. Remote doesn’t mean disconnected—unless you let it.


Tech-Enabled Leadership at Global Scale

Leadership must be enabled by technology, not trapped by it. Whether through Microsoft Teams, Oracle SaaS, or global Power BI dashboards, the tools must reinforce the team’s purpose.

At M.I. Dickson, I delivered an AI chatbot and centralised data lake across retail and wholesale. Efficiency rose 40%, and supplier debt fell 29%. Tools only matter if they improve clarity, speed, and feedback loops.


Common Pitfalls in Leading Global Teams

  1. Lack of localisation: Applying UK-centric models to APAC teams alienates and frustrates.

  2. Over-centralisation: Standardisation is key, but not at the cost of speed or cultural fit.

  3. Ignoring the time zone effect: If your leadership style doesn’t accommodate flexibility, your best people will leave.

  4. Underinvesting in middle leadership: Regional leads need autonomy and executive backing to succeed.


My Global Team Playbook

Here’s what I’ve learned over 34 years:

  • Hire for alignment, train for skills.

  • Document everything—process clarity beats charisma.

  • Be visible, not omnipresent—trust your regional leaders.

  • Celebrate results globally—recognition is the currency of retention.


FAQs

How do you align global teams with different cultures?

By building process-based trust, not personality-based dependency. Align through frameworks, not force.

What’s the role of the CIO in global team leadership?

A CIO sets not just the digital vision, but also the organisational cadence. You own the operating rhythm of IT across borders.

How do you manage accountability remotely?

With clear KPIs, weekly cadences, and a culture of results-first performance. Visibility is built through metrics and management—not micromanagement.


Final Thoughts: Leading from the Centre, Empowering the Edge

Global team leadership is no longer optional for modern CIOs and transformation leaders. It’s the backbone of any sustainable, scalable operation.

Whether you’re leading a 600-person IT team or guiding a startup through its first international market, remember: leadership isn’t local anymore. It’s global—or it’s not enough.


Richard Keenlyside is the Global CIO for the LoneStar Group and a former IT Director for J Sainsbury’s PLC.


Call me on +44(0) 1642 040 268 or email richard@rjk.info.Follow me on X & LinkedIn.

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