Diane Schwarz is Johnson Controls' chief information officer and the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. She is responsible for leading a global, business-aligned information technology organization. Schwarz develops and executes enterprise-wide I.T. strategy to ensure a strong digital core for Johnson Controls to scale and achieve its global growth objectives.

A senior I.T. executive with experience in building and leading best-in-class I.T. teams, Schwarz most recently served as chief digital and information officer for Hunt Consolidated and previously worked at Textron, Bell and Honeywell. With a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, her scope covers digital transformations, cybersecurity, data analytics, infrastructure and cloud operations, ERP/SAP applications and I.T. supplier management.

Schwarz holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a board member of NPower, a non-profit that creates pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities and of T200, a non-profit that elevates women in technology. 

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Work Hard, Party Harder.


• Addressing issues one at a time.


• Moment of humility, don't know it at all.


• Having diverse experiences, trying everything.


• Startups don't align with everyone's risk tolerance. 


• Recognizing traits that will stop you from scaling as a leader.


• Vulnerability and Empathy are essential skills for becoming a better leader. 


• Make the right choice for the family while having a sustainable career.


• You will not be able to do your job well if you don't care for yourself.


• Identifying and addressing behaviours to evolve as a leader.


• Helping others succeed creates opportunities for your own success.


• Self-awareness to become better as humans, as parents, and as professionals.


• She who wants to go fast goes alone; she who wants to go far goes together. 


• Mentors can come from different backgrounds, not just the business world.

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