Video Q&A: Martin Schofield, retail operations director, Harvey Nichols - Part one

As part of Computing's Tomorrow's IT Leaders campaign, we talk to the UK's top chief information officers (CIOs) to find out their views on the role of IT leaders and how this will change in the post-recession world.

In this video, Harvey Nichols' retail operations director, Martin Schofield, talks to Computing senior reporter Angelica Mari, Colin Beveridge, chairman at the Better Practice Forum, and David Roberts, chief executive of blue-chip user group The Corporate IT Forum, about how the firm is developing its IT skills and transforming the function into an "internal consultancy".

Since joining Harvey Nichols in 2003, Schofield transformed the firm's IT, as well as the approach of the department, which has changed from being a glorified helpdesk with poor supplier management skills into an internal consultancy.

Schofield has also added two additional areas of responsibility since his arrival at the firm - logistics and operations - and now has some 15 store managers reporting directly to him, in addition to five IT managers. He is also a board member at the department store firm.

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Click here to watch the second installment of this two-part interview, in which Schofield talks about the future of IT leadership and the skills that will be required.