Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Brixmor Property
Search every verified Helane Stein interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Helane Stein, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Brixmor Property Group, was recognized as an HMG Midcap CIO of the Year in September 2024. In an interview about the award, Stein discussed her approach to leadership and technology strategy. She stated that a visionary leader must understand the business and align technology with organizational goals, and that she reports quarterly to the audit committee on the company's cyber roadmap. Stein described Brixmor's approach to generative AI as using small cross-functional teams to develop proofs of concept, iterating on them, and moving quickly to larger rollouts or abandoning initiatives that fail. Stein emphasized the importance of partner relationships, noting that the SEC's cyber regulations have increased scrutiny on vendor management. She said Brixmor uses a robust vetting process to ensure contractual alignment and incident notification, and views partners as an extension of the team. On talent, Stein said she focuses on building a team culture with diversity in background and thought, which she stated fosters innovation and drives business success. She described leading with empathy as a sign of strength that creates a safe environment of trust, and said incorporating diverse voices into decision-making has led to increased creativity, better problem solving, and enhanced employee engagement.
“Being a Visionary leader you need to understand the business and what levers increase revenue or reduce expenses, an ability to articulate the vision at all levels of the organization, and be an evangelist of change. You also need to be able to align technology with organizational goals, be involved with the planning p...”
“We have data, data, data—not all of it's good data. We're in a cycle of high interest rates and there are growing cyber risks, so we still need to innovate in this environment with limited budgets and resources.”
“We have a theory of crawl, walk, run—we do proof of concepts and pilots. For example, in generative AI, we create a small cross-functional team to develop a proof of concept, iterate on it, and if we think it's something good, we go for a larger rollout. If we need to fail, we fail fast and move on to the next initiati...”
“Partners are so critical. The SEC has put a spotlight on your partner relationships with their new cyber regulations. A failure of your partner could be a failure of yours, so we have a very robust vetting process to ensure contractual alignment, synchronized roadmaps, audit rights, and incident notifications.”
“We view our partners as an extension of our team when it's a good partnership. We want to share in understanding their strategy to ensure our go-forward strategy is in sync with theirs, participate on their user panels, and have input into their roadmaps.”
“I report quarterly to the audit committee on our cyber roadmap for the year as well as any incidents that might be of interest to them.”
“I think you need to be an empathetic leader. In today's world, conditions are changing rapidly. By leading with empathy, I ensure my team feels valued and supported, which in turn drives their commitment and performance.”
“Being an empathetic leader is a sign of strength. It creates a safe environment of trust which allows me to truly understand my team members' perspectives, challenges, and motivations. They know I have their back.”
“It's all about the culture of the team. I've been fortunate to recruit and retain top talent because we have diversity in background and thought, which is essential for fostering innovation and driving business success.”
“Incorporating diverse voices into the decision-making process has led to tangible business results including increased creativity, better problem solving, and enhanced employee engagement. By valuing and acting upon diverse perspectives, we drive better business outcomes and create a more inclusive and dynamic workplac...”
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