Hospitality Daily Podcast How We Led Digital Transformation at Mandarin Oriental by Putting Brand First - Monika Nerger
Jan 3, 2026
Monika Nerger, the former Group Global Chief Information Officer at Mandarin Oriental, leads a deep dive into digital transformation centered on brand integrity. She highlights how the pandemic sparked a strategic rethink, emphasizing trust and change leadership. Monika discusses the importance of data governance in breaking silos and making informed decisions, and how cross-functional collaboration reshaped the hotel’s approach. She shares insights on launching the Mandarin Oriental app and fostering a culture of engagement among colleagues to make change stick.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Prove Change With A Simple, High-Impact Win
- Moving email to the cloud proved the concept and built trust to enable broader cloud migration.
- Change leadership was critical to get everyone to accept and trust the new infrastructure.
Data Governance Is The Foundational Layer
- Data governance became the foundational requirement to use data for insights and AI.
- Organizing data early enables intelligence, visualization, and future AI use.
Begin With Brand DNA, Not Tech
- Start transformation by defining your brand DNA and market differentiation.
- Use that brand clarity to align technology, marketing, operations, and people efforts.