Fashion CIO goes from maths class to catwalk

As we near the end of London Fashion Week, the chief information officer (CIO) of one luxury fashion brand, Salvatore Ferragamo, told Computing about his career path and what it means to be a CIO in the fashion industry.

Walter Carmagnini hadn't always aspired to work in the fashion sector, nor had he harboured a long-term goal to work in IT, but instead he followed his passion, which was mathematics.

"I chose to study mathematics because I loved it," said Carmagnini. "For me, the career was not a problem: I didn't consider the day after the degree – I just loved mathematics and wanted to study it.

"But at some point you have to choose whether to stay on at university, teach in a school, or move into another field, like IT."

During his time at university, Carmagnini took a module in IT as part of his mathematics course before going on to work in the IT department at oil and gas engineering company Snamprogetti.

Following this, he worked at the IT department for Florence-based oil and gas machinery manufacturer Nuovo Pignone, where he spent eight years. During his tenure, the firm was acquired by General Electric, and Carmagnini credits the takeover with providing him with the skills he needed to become a CIO.

"General Electric was a very good school; they taught me all sorts of business skills including how to make presentations, how to reason, how to communicate, how to make a chart, for example – that's very important for communication," said Carmagnini. "Culturally, in Italy, it it is not the done thing to teach these business skills alongside IT."

And since his experience with General Electric, Carmagnini maintains that a role in IT requires considerable business acumen.

"For me, the business perspective is fundamental to having credibility – otherwise, you're just a technical guy," he said.

"In this sector, you can find people who love to be technical until the end of their days, but if you want to be a CIO, you have to change."

He added that those who aspire to these roles have to acquire financial skills because understanding figures is essential to discussing budget and the work you're doing.

After General Electric, Carmagnini looked for a new challenge, and stumbled upon Salvatore Ferragamo. He was attracted to the CIO's role because he saw it as a fast-growing company, which, at the time, was not very well-structured in IT. There was an opportunity for him to help restructure the business.

Today, in his current role, one area of focus is on furthering the company's efforts in the world of e-commerce.

Some may think that a luxury brand such as Salvaltore Ferragamo – it sells men's shoes worth £700 – would not have much reason to focus on e-commerce. You would expect its customers would want to try their shoes on for size.

However, Carmagnini insists that there is demand. He said that consumers are willing to splash out online because they don't have time to shop anymore, and other luxury brands are also cottoning on to this trend.

"If a person is used to buying Ferragamo products, it is easier for them to buy in front of a screen," he said.

"The perspective has changed radically in the last few years; e-commerce is becoming a real and important fundamental channel for serving customers."

He added that another benefit of e-commerce is that it reaches customers who are not situated near any of its stores but know and like the Ferragamo brand.