Brian Hofmeister
CIO
BellRing Brands
Brian Hofmeister is the CIO & VP, Information Technology, at BellRing Brands. He considers himself a life-long technologist who loves solving complex business problems. He has a passion for process redesign that comes to life through improved systems and data.
He’s incredibly grateful for the opportunities given to him that has deepened his understanding of information technology and its impact on enterprise results. When he’s not dissecting business challenges, you will find him in his woodshop building furniture.
Learn more about the St. Louis CIO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I started my career working for a spin-off of Ralston Purina called Ralcorp Holdings. This is where I first dipped my toes into system analysis for mergers and acquisitions. It was incredibly exciting to see how different businesses operate and transition them into one cohesive company.
I had a brief stay with Dell Enterprise, where I was exposed to other verticals, including energy, finance, retail and more. Shortly after, I started working with Post Holdings, where I was able to return to my M&A roots. This led to my current role at BellRing Brands as CIO & VP of Information Technology, where I lead an incredible team of talented professionals at an explosively growing $1.7 billion CPG business.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Always be willing to learn and don't be ashamed if the answer is, "I don't know." This field moves incredibly fast, and the only way to keep up is to be curious and ask questions.
What is the greatest challenge your particular C-level role is facing today, and how are you addressing it?
The lines between IT and business have become so blurred that it's impossible to keep them apart. There is a constant struggle around: "Should we have IT people who are incredibly strong in business? Or should we have business people who are incredibly strong in IT?” The answer I've landed on.... both.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?
The key to success is to listen, learn, simplify and get comfortable with constantly shifting priorities.
How do you measure success as a leader?
I measure success by outcomes. I spent far too long trying to manage how people reach the goal line before I realized that everyone attacks problems differently. This isn't meant to discount a well-governed process; that is also incredibly important. But as long as a project is well managed, we should focus on the destination.
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