Lorraine Dodd

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK in 2025.

Throughout her career, Lorraine has been driven by the belief that technology unlocks human potential and transforms organisations. With over a decade at Renault Group, she has led key projects fuelling digital transformation and innovation.

As the IS/IT Director for Renault UK since December 2023, Lorraine’s focus is on technology for growth, streamlined operations and enhanced user experience.

Previously, at Mobilize Financial Services, Lorraine held roles that shaped her leadership, including Head of Security and Governance, and Head of Organisation & Projects.

She is passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation of women and girls in tech in the workplace.

What's the most exciting part of your current role?

The most exciting part of my current role is the transformative phase I'm experiencing right now.

Having completed my first year, which was a period of absorbing vast amounts of information and laying down the groundwork, I'm now in the phase of execution.

I feel incredibly lucky to genuinely love my job and am energised by the prospect of turning plans into reality.

I oversee four fantastic departments: Digital, Business Intelligence, Security, and Infrastructure. The diversity and points of view these teams bring makes my role exceptionally varied and invigorating. I learn from them all everyday.

What truly excites me is witnessing how our teams work together to deliver outstanding results. This cross pollination is where real value is created, not only enhancing our capability to deliver high-quality and timely solutions but also empowering the teams to ensure they have maximum motivation.

We are also expanding this more and more with other business units ensuring we incorporate the voice of the customer in everything we do. By clearly defining what 'done' means and executing with the aim of adding maximum value.

This collaborative spirit and collective drive to innovate and improve are what make me love coming to work.

What do you consider your greatest IT achievement of the last 12 months?

Over the past year, my most significant IT achievement has been successfully navigating my first year as IS IT Director in a new role.

This transition was challenging, as I balanced the learning curve of a completely new area of the business and adapted to its unique approach while ensuring that results were delivered. The introduction of a new leader can be a significant adjustment for the team, as it involves aligning with different leadership styles and strategic visions. Building trust and rapport was crucial in overcoming these challenges and fostering a cohesive environment.

I am proud to say that we navigated the uncertainty together, and the team delivered exceptional results. They enhanced security through effective vulnerability management and awareness programmes, improved self-service by 48%, rolled out new equipment and at the same time implemented sustainability initiatives for older kit, achieved a 99% satisfaction rate in surveys. The business intelligence team increased output by an impressive 271%, and the digital team simplified work processes and successfully delivered 92% of projects on time.

These achievements reflect the team's dedication and adaptability.

What's the biggest challenge facing IT leaders today, and how are you tackling it?

The biggest challenge for IT Leaders is gender diversity. When I was a teenager, I remember when I chose my GCSE subjects, one of them was IT. It quickly became my favourite, but in a classroom full of students, there were only two girls, including me. At the time, it felt normal, but looking back, I now see it as a stark reminder of the gender imbalance in technology.

Fast forward to 2024, and while progress has been made, the gender gap remains significant. In the UK, 95,841 students took the GCSE Computer Science exam yet only 21,020 were female (22.4%). That's why I'm passionate about creating opportunities for young girls to find their place in the industry.

I believe we need to ignite a passion for technology in the younger generation. I recently became a school governor, where I champion STEM initiatives that keep tech at the forefront of education and connect the school with valuable opportunities.

At the office I run hands-on insight days ensuring the students gain exposure to career pathways they may not have considered before and normalise then seeing more women in tech at the same time.

What piece of technology could you not live without, and why?

My car! Modern vehicles are no longer just to get you from A to B, they are advanced pieces of tech designed to make life smarter, easier and more connected. I am lucky to work for Renault and I get to experience this innovation first hand every day.

My car feels like a computer on wheels; integrated Google responds to voice commands even including activating the Solarbay, which is a smart glass roof that switches between transparent and opaque. But what excites me the most is Renault's electrification; we have fast charging, which can take the battery from 0 to 80% in just 30 minutes, making the transition from internal combustion engine to electric vehicle more of a reality for many people, and more recently bi-directional charging: my car isn't just a vehicle, it's a mobile power source, capable of powering external devices straight from the battery.

For me, it's not about driving it’s more about the tech!

What excites you most about the future of IT?

Growing up, I vividly recall being one of the first in my year group to own a mobile phone. It was a small red device with a black and white screen, no games, and text messages that took ages to compose, each costing 15p. Topping up required purchasing a voucher, where £3 went on as credit and £2 as a service charge. That weekly credit vanished quickly, leaving me unable to use the phone for much, yet it still felt incredibly cool to own one.

Fast forward about 25 years, and the transformation is astounding. My phone now holds the keys to my life. With unlimited calls, texts, and data, I can play games, make payments, jot down notes, organise the kid, join group chats and engage in social media. The possibilities are endless.

This is what excites me most about IT: where will we be in another 25 years? While I'll certainly be planning retirement by then, it's truly remarkable to have witnessed and been part of such rapid technological advancement.

The journey from a simple device to a multifunctional smartphone epitomises the incredible evolution of technology - and don't even get me started on dial-up internet!

What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?

Working as a Cast Member in a Disney Store. On paper, it seemed like my dream job because of my love for Disney. However, it turned out to be quite the opposite. While the experience had its perks, like enjoying a staff discount and watching Beauty and the Beast during lunch breaks, I quickly realised that retail wasn't my calling – but it was the place where I discovered that I needed a career with more possibilities, where there's always something new to learn, build and innovate.

Despite this realisation, I look back on my Disney days with fondness and a smile, appreciating the unique experiences and lessons learned.

If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be?

It would be Creative Design. I greatly admire my marketing colleagues who excel in this field. Their ability to create visually engaging content that captures audience attention is truly remarkable.

Although creative design isn't my specialty, my team and I are dedicated to supporting the broader business by providing state-of-the-art digital tools. Recently, we launched a recording studio available for the entire company to use for creating communications, training, and media. Our goal is to foster an environment where creativity and technology intersect, enabling experts to bring their creative visions to life without technological barriers.