What happens when a self-described “data geek” takes on a top leadership role in one of the most traditional sectors of the economy? At Delek US Holdings, a $10B+ energy company with deep roots in oil refining, logistics, and fuel retail, it means shaking up the playbook from the inside.

Ido Biger wears two hats at Delek: Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer. That dual role isn’t just a title, it’s a strategy. With experience in aviation, telecom, and finance, Biger brings an outsider’s mindset to an industry built on assets, efficiency, and long-standing processes. But rather than pushing change from a distance, he’s all in — putting on a hard hat, shadowing frontline operators, and learning the business before mapping the tech.

In this three-part interview series, Fred Knops, SVP at Data Society, sits down with Biger to explore what transformation really looks like beyond buzzwords, in a company where safety, scale, and operational rigor come first.

In Part 1, Biger talks about why data leaders are increasingly stepping into CIO roles, how hands-on learning beats slide decks, and why building a data-driven culture in oil and gas starts by speaking the language of the field — not just the cloud.

Edited Excerpts

Can you briefly walk us through your background and the experiences that brought you to your current role?

I’m the Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer at Delek US, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. In my previous role, I served as the Chief Information Data Officer for EL AL, the national airline of Israel. Before that, I worked at Yes Television, a large Israeli communication company. Prior to that, I was in the financial industry in New York, supporting a range of compliance needs for tier-one banks — mainly Deutsche Bank, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, and others. Earlier in my career, I spent many years in the high-tech scene, primarily in Israel.

I’ve pretty much been a data geek throughout my entire career. Over the past six to seven years, my focus has shifted more toward technology leadership, taking on CIO and Chief Data Officer roles.

How have your diverse experiences shaped the way you approach your role as both CIO and CDO today?

It was very helpful for me to become a Chief Information Officer after being the Chief Data Officer. Traditionally, CIOs came from backgrounds in applications, infrastructure, or networks. But in my case, I was already leading data efforts within the organization, and that’s how it happened at EL AL Israel Airlines when I was promoted to CIO. I really wanted to keep both roles because it allowed me to view things from all angles.

As a data person, you’re already quite aware of everything happening on the infrastructure, cybersecurity, application, and network sides. Stepping into the CIO role felt like a natural progression as I was already familiar with many of the areas I now oversee.

We’ll see more Chief Data Officers stepping into CIO or CTO roles in the future because they’re already deeply involved in what’s happening across the technology stack.

The biggest advantage of holding both roles is that it helps position data as a strategic asset for the company, not just a function under my leadership. I’m trying to promote the benefits of combining both roles.

How do the challenges you’re facing at Delek today compare to what you’ve seen in other industries you’ve worked in?

I’m privileged to have worked across several industries — automotive, high-tech, oil and gas, communications, financial services, and aviation. What stands out with oil and gas is that it really brings you back to the fundamentals. It’s a very traditional industry, where the core asset is clearly defined, and the technology around it is focused on enabling the production of that asset and its related products. It’s all very tangible.

The challenges we’re facing now largely revolve around maintaining high safety standards, supporting operational excellence, and advancing with technology in alignment with business needs. In many ways, it’s quite similar to aviation, where safety in operations is the top priority, something that’s been reinforced even in recent weeks.

Overall, the journey from high-tech and telecom to aviation and now oil and gas has been like a return to the fundamentals.

Do you approach roadmapping and strategy the same way in your current industry, or does it require a different approach compared to your previous roles?

So, in many ways, it looks similar, and that starts with understanding the business first. You can’t come up with a technology strategy without first understanding the business.

Whenever I enter a new industry, the first thing I do is take the time to learn about what I’m becoming a part of. And when I say “learn,” I mean it’s truly boots on ground. In oil and gas, that meant going out to different refineries and joining the day-to-day operations — working directly with the commercial teams, the operators, and the maintenance crews. We also have a large logistics company that deals with crude and gas, so I visited the plants, put on a hard hat, and got out into the field to feel the operations.

Same thing with aviation. I had the chance to prepare catering dishes, join the maintenance teams, and even participate in a C-check for a 747. The idea is always to feel the operations first, understand the business from the inside, and only then start thinking about where we can go strategically, and how we can move forward alongside the business. That includes bringing in perspectives from other industries, ideas that someone who’s been in one sector for years might not have considered, simply because they haven’t been exposed to those outside experiences.

At the same time, I have a deep appreciation for people who’ve been in a specific industry for many years. They have a level of knowledge that you just won’t reach.

It’s always a combination: listening, understanding, suggesting, asking more and more questions, boots on ground, and then coming back with a roadmap.

Once you’ve defined the strategy and set the roadmap, what comes next? Is it harder or easier to move from strategy to execution? And in your current role, what makes that transition unique or challenging?

Eventually, when you talk about strategy, it’s also about understanding what’s best in class. You need to benchmark yourself against what’s happening in the relevant market. So once you lay out the company’s future technology vision, something that stems from the overall business roadmap. You start translating that into action across three main angles.

First is the budget you have. The second, is identifying what’s best in class. And the third, is recognizing the gaps you want to prioritize.

Taking our example at Delek, we began with what was easiest to implement. That meant focusing on back-office transformations — rolling out SAP S/4HANA, Coupa, and other tools that helped streamline operations. It was a more controlled environment, even though the biggest challenge was still driving change management and adoption across operations.

Data played a huge role in that. Building a data culture and becoming a data-driven organization was critical for us. It allowed us to truly engage the business, speaking the same language, aligning on the same numbers, and taking shared ownership. The goal was to move from a static, daily report mindset to a real-time digital environment.

This extended all the way into digitizing and centralizing operations, which, for the downstream sector, was quite unique. But again, it all goes back to enabling what the business needs first and then shaping the enablement strategy around that.

CDO Magazine appreciates Ido Biger for sharing his insights with our global community.