Gary Scholten (Twitter, LinkedIn) has been with Principal Financial Group since 1980 — which, in today’s “gig economy” – is almost unheard of. But Gary has grown with Principal and has helped the company usher in a number of digital and technical innovations that serve customers, shareholders, employees, and everyone in between.

In an interview on IT Visionaries, Gary explains his many titles at Principal, which include Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, and, most recently, Chief Digital Officer. He also defines what it means to be a CDO today – how it’s a role he’s excited about, and one he believes will allow him to combine the business strategy and digital strategy in a way that will enable success for Principal and its customers.

What it means to be a CDO and embracing a strategic role:

There’s so much change going on throughout every industry, and especially in the digital world. Companies are constantly trying to adapt and stay ahead of the curve. According to Gary, the forward-thinking companies are taking a different approach than simply relegating technology to the back burner.

“I think this is a part of where CIOs in the future are going… to really be considered a business strategist and to make sure that technology is driven deeper and deeper into their business and business strategies,” he says.

 In order to be successful, though, there has to be a link between all sides of the business. As a CDO — or even a CIO — Gary says that digital strategy and business strategy must be thought of together.

“I think it’s critical that technology and the IT area and business are not separate at all,” he cautions. “They should be fully integrated.”

Identifying offensive versus defensive digital strategies, creating enterprise strategies, and serving shareholders by accelerating the digital strategy are all part of Gary’s job as CDO, and that all has to do with business strategy – as well as IT.

“Everybody needs to be developing themselves to be a part of the workforce of the future, where technology is a central part of our strategy,” Gary says.

To listen to the full interview, click here.