Our Chief Technology Officer, James Eaton, has been recognised in the CIO 100 Awards for 2024. 
The CIO 100 Awards UK celebrates excellence in digital transformation, recognising the best Chief Information Officers (CIO’s) and technology leaders in the UK.
We caught up with James to find out more about his role, and to get a deeper insight into the role technology plays at M&G.
Tell us a bit more about your role?
As Chief Technology Officer, I’m part of a technology leadership team that includes the Chief Information Security Officer, Chief Data Officer, and three business-aligned CIOs. I work closely with my peers to deliver centralised services and support the specific needs of our Life and Asset Management businesses. This ensures a unified vision for technology while providing tailored solutions for each business unit.
Can you talk about some recent successes that have driven business value?
In Asset Management, we've achieved a remarkable 95% cloud adoption rate, significantly reducing legacy technology. This has accelerated our pace of digital innovation, particularly in the adoption of Generative AI, where we've successfully deployed multiple use cases on an automated and reusable enterprise technology platform.
How many people in your organisation does your function provide services to?
I support M&G's 12,000+ employees and partners with 24/7 technology services and over the past three years, we’ve achieved a 20% year-over-year reduction in the number of incidents and the impact on colleagues’ services. This achievement is a direct result of our strategic focus on proactive incident management and the implementation of advanced monitoring tools that enable us to anticipate and resolve issues before they impact our clients and colleagues.
How have you been improving business culture, diversity and inclusion as well as empowering and developing teams?
As a sponsor of M&G's Enable network, I’m deeply committed to supporting our disabled and neuro-diverse colleagues. This role allows me to use my technology expertise to help colleagues fully immerse themselves in the workplace, exemplified by initiatives such as the introduction of Microsoft Copilot. These efforts have not only enriched my understanding of diversity, but also strengthened my role as an ally to all diverse groups.
I’ve led the creation of our Cloud Academy, a programme designed to develop digital and technical skills of our current and new employees. This initiative is pivotal in our transition to a fully cloud-based organisation, ensuring that we’re equipped to deliver unparalleled service to our clients, customers, and colleagues. The Cloud Academy has already seen measurable success, with a significant increase in cloud skills across the workforce, leading to improved operational efficiency and innovation.
James Eaton, Enterprise Technology Director, said: 
“Being recognised in the CIO 100 for 2024 is a great honour and a testament to the transformational journey we've embarked on at M&G. Leading the transition of a FTSE100 company with over 100 years of heritage from legacy data centres to the cloud has been both a monumental challenge and an immensely rewarding experience.
This recognition underlines the collaborative spirit and innovative mindset of our entire Technology team. Together, we’re not only modernising our infrastructure, but also pioneering advances in AI, cloud technology and digital innovation to ensure M&G remains stable, secure and competitive in an ever-evolving technology landscape. Our commitment to leveraging technology for strategic business growth and operational excellence is at the heart of our success.”