I recently interviewed Mark Taylor, the CEO at the Society for Information Management (SIM). Mark is a good friend and I deeply respect his long-term strategic commitment to our industry. SIM’s national programs and core offerings ​​create opportunities to engage in meaningful work with projects that range from independent research on IT trends to STEM outreach, enterprise architecture, procurement and other special interests. ​Joining SIM connects you with the top IT leaders in the industry including CIOs, senior business technology executives, prominent academicians, consultants, and other top IT professionals.

Here’s a lightly edited and condensed transcript of our conversation:

Hunter Muller:Mark, you’ve made amazing strides over the years in leading this dynamic organization. Can you give us a brief update.

Mark Taylor:There’s a lot going on in the technology community today and SIM is dedicated to creating value for our members across the country. We’re focused on really bringing together all the facets of the technology ecosystem and addressing the greatest challenges and opportunities that our members face.

HM: How do you equip your members to succeed, win and accelerate their performance?

MT:We come together around the intersection of business, technology, strategy, and leadership. If you think about those dimensions, technology clearly is advancing at a remarkable pace. We help our members keep up and stay aware of what’s happening in the technology world and how it can transform business strategy and also impact their leadership.

HM:Tell us a little bit more about SIM and its amazing scope.

MT:​With 38 active SIM chapters, members around the country have multiple opportunities to network, exchange information, and learn about what’s new in the industry. We have these tremendous communities that are developed around each city and reaching the technology leadership community within each metro area. It’s a tremendous organization and has a tremendous impact in the larger technology community, and certainly in the lives of many of our leaders.

HM: Please tell us about SIM Enclave®.

MT:The goal of SIM Enclave® is connecting our leaders at a very local level, and creating a great trusted environment where CIOs can connect with one another, those that are near them physically and near them within their area. The SIM Enclave® program has been really successful already. We’ve piloted for some years in our SoCal organization, and we’re now rolling that out across the country. We’ve got about 25 percent of our chapters already rolling here in the first half of this year.

HM:That’s great to hear, congratulations! The relationship between SIM and HMG Strategy goes back more than 20 years. I credit much of my success to being part of the SIM community. SIM is an amazing group of executives, collaborating and elevating the whole industry. Thank you.

MT:What’s unique and dynamic about the relationship between HMG Strategy and the SIM communities is that you bring that global perspective and access to the global community that you’ve created through the HMG Strategy Professional Network. You bring a valuable element of insight and perspective. It’s a wonderful and truly complementary relationship.

HM: Thanks for saying that, Mark. We pride ourselves for having built a strong global digital platform that helps executives uplevel their brands and ensure that people know who they are and what they do. Working hand-in-glove with the local SIM communities creates incredible value for everyone involved.

MT:It begins with the trusted environment and trusted community that we build in each of the cities that we serve. We work in each of our cities to connect deeply with the people around us. We have a deep sense of pride in the cities and communities we’re a part of and we have unique connections that enable us to give back to the community, including reaching out to the edges of the community and bringing people into this amazing digital economy.

HM: We live in a time of amazing innovation and disruption. Meanwhile, the economic environment has never been more challenging. What are you proudest about in terms of what you’ve accomplished over the past few years leading SIM?

MT: Wow, that’s a great question. I’m proud of the level of trust that we’ve developed between the national/international leadership team and the local chapters, and I’m proud of the trust that we’re developing between the chapters. That sense of trust will have a long-term positive impact and I’m really excited to see where it takes us.

HM: Great stuff, Mark. It’s a pleasure and an honor working with you and with the SIM community. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

 To learn more about upcoming events that HMG Strategy and SIM have partnered on, click here.