Why VTCDO Exists

VTCDO exists because the technology kept improving, but the clarity did not.

For over twenty-five years — at IBM, at Belden, at AFL Global, at Valmont Industries, at Lamb Weston – I watched organizations invest heavily in data platforms, analytics tools, and AI. The technology got better every year. The questions from senior leaders stayed the same:

What decision are we actually trying to make? What matters most right now? What risks are we accepting — and which ones are we ignoring? How do we know if any of this is working?

I built VTCDO to fill that gap. Not as a replacement for leadership, but as a force multiplier for the judgment that only experienced leaders can provide.

The Pattern I Kept Seeing

Most AI tools optimize for speed, volume, or novelty. Most analytics platforms optimize for reporting or operational efficiency. Very few are designed for executive judgment.

At Valmont Industries, I was hired as the first functional Chief Data and Analytics Officer. We achieved 80% faster delivery time and a 26% improvement in time-to-insight — benchmarked by Gartner — not by deploying more technology, but by restructuring how leaders engaged with data. We cut $1M in manufacturing waste and reduced time-lost safety incidents by 14% through applied analytics. We even built predictive models that identified life-threatening safety events before they happened.

At Lamb Weston, I built and led a globally and functionally diverse 60+ person data, analytics, and AI organization supporting a $6B global CPG enterprise. We generated $1.4M in savings through AI-driven inventory optimization. We enabled 4% year-over-year volume growth by connecting digital initiatives to commercial strategy — not by running experiments in isolation.

The lesson was always the same: the technology is not the hard part. The hard part is connecting technology to decisions that executives and boards can actually govern, defend, and be held accountable for.

That conviction is what VTCDO is built on.

A Different Philosophy on AI

AI is powerful. It is also incomplete.

Used poorly, it creates confidence without understanding. Used responsibly, it sharpens thinking and surfaces blind spots executives would otherwise miss.

VTCDO is built on four principles:

  • AI should support decisions, not make them
  • Context matters more than output volume
  • Governance is not a constraint — it is an enabler
  • Leadership responsibility cannot be delegated to a model

Every tool, every framework, and every advisory engagement at VTCDO reflects this philosophy. If you want a platform that will tell you what to do, this is not it. If you want one that will help you think more clearly about what you already know matters — and what you might be missing — this is what VTCDO was designed for.

Built from Real Operating Experience

This perspective was not shaped in a lab or a consulting firm. It was shaped by building and leading data organizations inside companies where the stakes were real:

Lamb Weston — Senior Director, Data Analytics and Insight. Built and led the Chief Digital and AI Office across a $6B global food company. Unified fragmented data efforts into an enterprise-wide function with 60+ people across direct teams, embedded functions, and partners. Delivered measurable savings, reduced supply chain risk, and improved project delivery by 24%.

Valmont Industries — Director, Data Analytics and Insights. First functional CDAO at a $5B global industrial manufacturer. Created the analytics foundation from scratch. Operationalized AI across manufacturing and commercial functions. Delivered Gartner-benchmarked performance improvements.

AFL Global — Director of Business Solutions, then Interim CIO. Stabilized two failing legacy platforms, protecting $30M in revenue. Generated $3.5M in first-year value. Modernized the enterprise data landscape for a $1.5B fiber optic infrastructure manufacturer.

Belden — Global Senior IT Manager. Established the company’s first Global PMO. Drove a global sales operations transformation generating $10M+ in revenue impact. Increased CRM adoption from 6% to 89%.

Virtual Business Office Associates (PwC) — Director of Technology, Units CIO. Reduced client onboarding time from six months to under 30 days in a healthcare revenue recognition environment.

IBM — Five years as an Advisory Engineer, building the early-career foundation in enterprise technology.

Hawksroost LLC — Founded in 2020. Fractional CIO, CTO, and CDAO engagements across industrial, manufacturing, ag tech, and healthcare enterprises.

Credentials and Recognition

  • NACD Directorship Certified (NACD.DC) — National Association of Corporate Directors
  • NACD Effective AI Oversight for Directors Certificate — Carnegie Mellon University
  • CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight — Carnegie Mellon University
  • Forbes Technology Council Member
  • CIOReview Top 10 Data Analytics Leader (2024)
  • OnCon Top 100 Data and Analytics Professional (2024)
  • Informatica Innovation Award, Business Acceleration (2023)
  • MBA, IT Management — Western Governors University
  • MSc, Management and Leadership — Western Governors University
  • BSc, Computer Science — Marist College
  • Project Management Professional (PMP), Scrum Master Certified, ITIL Foundation, Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Published in Forbes Technology Council:

  • “How To Turn Data Into Margin: A Playbook” (September 2025)
  • “Why IT Hasn’t Delivered On Its Business Promises And What We Can Do About It” (May 2025)
  • “The AI Edge: Transforming Business Growth In The Digital Era” (January 2025)

How VTCDO Is Designed to Work

VTCDO is a decision support platform — not an automated decision engine, not a system of record, and not a generic AI chatbot.

It is designed for senior leaders, executives, and board members who need clarity around decisions, not more analysis or AI tools that promise certainty where none exists.

The platform works best when:

  • Inputs are thoughtful and specific
  • Outputs are reviewed critically, not accepted at face value
  • Results are discussed with stakeholders before being acted on
  • AI-generated content is treated as a starting point for judgment, not a substitute for it

VTCDO does not provide legal, financial, tax, or regulatory advice. It does not approve investments, set targets, or replace executive accountability. All decisions remain yours.

What Success Looks Like

If VTCDO is successful, it will not be because it produced the “right” answers. It will be because it helped leaders:

  • Ask better questions
  • See trade-offs earlier
  • Align around intent before committing resources
  • Make decisions they can stand behind
  • Govern AI thoughtfully rather than reactively

That is a quieter kind of success — but a more durable one.

A Personal Note

VTCDO reflects a belief that leadership still matters, even in an age of automation. Tools should serve judgment, not replace it. Technology should elevate responsibility, not diffuse it.

This platform exists to support leaders who take that responsibility seriously.

— Jay Hawkinson, Founder
VTCDO / Hawksroost LLC