The New Automation Mindset: AI + Automation + Integration

How Village Roadshow’s CIO is Doing More with Less

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Apr 9, 2025

Arul Arogyanathan, CIO of Village Roadshow, leads transformative initiatives in IT modernization and business collaboration. He shares insights on navigating pandemic disruptions and emphasizes a 'do more with less' philosophy. Discover how Village Roadshow embraced composable architecture, enabling greater agility and efficiency. Arul offers practical advice for fostering innovation and building a tech foundation ready for future challenges. Tune in for lessons on integrating technology strategically while enhancing customer experiences!

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ANECDOTE

Pandemic Sparked Transformation Opportunity

Village Roadshow faced severe pandemic disruptions halting core revenue from theme parks and cinemas.
This crisis also sparked a transformation opportunity to innovate and redefine business operations.

ADVICE

Integrate Business And IT Teams

Build integrated business-IT fusion teams to accelerate delivery and optimize costs.
Embed your tech strategy within the business strategy to remain agile and aligned.

INSIGHT

Avoid Tool Overload Pitfall

Selecting best-in-class tools without ecosystem fit leads to complexity and inefficiency.
Prioritize simplification, standardization, and rationalization for a cohesive tech ecosystem.

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In this episode, Markus Zirn and Arul Arogyanathan explore the transformative power of strategic IT leadership. Arul shares how he navigated pandemic-driven disruptions since stepping into his role in 2021, driving key initiatives like modernizing systems, fostering business-IT collaboration, and implementing composable architecture and automation. They dive into the creative ways Village Roadshow embraced automation, composable architecture, and a "do more with less" mindset to not only survive but thrive. Arul also offers practical advice on staying agile, driving innovation, and building a tech foundation ready for the future.

Timestamps

00:00 Episode Start

02:40 Who is Village Roadshow?

06:10 Arul's journey at Village Roadshow

11:30 Strategic IT transformation at Village Roadshow

20:50 Simplifying and standardizing technology

28:10 Rethinking IT transformation: Beyond ERP

37:30 Implementing composable architecture

41:45 Reflecting on Arul's journey: Lessons learned

Episode Key Takeaways

Prioritize integration, not just upgrades: Don’t just upgrade systems in silos. Focus on building a cohesive ecosystem where everything works seamlessly together. This reduces complexity, improves efficiency, and ensures your tech stack is aligned with business goals.
Build for agility with composable architecture: Create modular systems that are easy to scale, integrate, or swap out as needed. This flexible approach keeps your organization adaptable and minimizes disruptions during changes or upgrades.
Put your people first: Whether it’s your customers or employees, focusing on their experience is key. Map out the customer journey, identify what matters most, and implement solutions that go above and beyond. A people-first approach boosts loyalty, efficiency, and growth.
Work smarter with automation: Automation is a game-changer for getting more done with fewer resources. By rolling out low-code/no-code platforms and making automation accessible to everyone, teams can focus on meaningful, high-impact work while reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks.

Top Quote

“ As a leader, we need to think strategically and focus on the ecosystem rather than the system. That's the key element.”

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