Spotlight on Anand Kangala

Dr. Anand Kangala is Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Trex Company and a business transformation leader with nearly three decades of experience helping organizations evolve their business and operating models through technology, data, and AI. His career spans Trex, The Home Depot, Edward Jones, Carter's, Lowe's, and IBM, shaping his belief that meaningful transformation begins with people and the work they do, not the technology they use. Anand is passionate about bridging executive practice and academic research to make emerging management ideas practical, actionable, and scalable.

Fun Fact: I am an avid lifelong learner who enjoys turning complex ideas into simple, practical frameworks. My favorite conversations usually start with a whiteboard and end with a better question than the one we began with.

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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

I've always been drawn to opportunities where technology could fundamentally change how a business operates and competes. Over time, that shifted my focus from delivering systems to helping organizations evolve their strategy and ways of working. That journey ultimately led me to my current role as Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Trex.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

My guiding principle is simple: We cannot solve what we do not understand. Whether leading a business transformation or adopting AI, I believe the best outcomes come from first developing a shared understanding of the problem, then empowering people to build the right solution together. When leaders start with understanding, better decisions naturally follow.
 

What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today, and how are you addressing it?

The conversation around AI has shifted from curiosity to urgency almost overnight. Many organizations are racing to deploy capabilities, only to find themselves reacting to fragmented initiatives and unclear business outcomes. My focus is on helping the organization start with the work, align around the outcomes we want to achieve, and then apply AI where it creates meaningful value.
 

What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?

Be relentlessly curious about the business and the industry. Spend far more time understanding the customer, how the organization creates value, where it struggles, and what matters most to customers than evaluating technology. Technology changes constantly, but a deep understanding of the business will always guide you to the right decisions.
 

How do you measure success as a leader?

I measure success by what continues to improve when I'm no longer in the room. Business results matter, but the true measure of leadership is building organizational capabilities, developing future leaders, and creating a culture that continues to adapt and deliver meaningful change long after the leader or initiative has moved on.
 

What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?

For me, the greatest value of Gartner C-level Communities is the opportunity to learn from peers who are tackling many of the same leadership challenges, often from different perspectives and industries. Those conversations challenge assumptions, broaden thinking, and help transform individual experiences into shared knowledge. In a time of unprecedented change, having a trusted community to learn with, contribute to, and grow alongside is invaluable.

Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.