Divya Menon is Director of Technology Operations at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she leads critical technology services and helps shape the institution’s digital direction. With more than 25 years’ experience across Higher Education, Further Education and the private sector, she believes technology works best when it makes life simpler for the people using it. Divya is known for building adaptable, high-performing teams grounded in collaboration, curiosity and trust. With a practical and people-centred approach, she helps organisations navigate change while keeping sight of the human impact behind every decision. In 2026, Divya was named one of the HotTopics Future CIO 100 winners.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CIO Magazine, Divya shared insights from a 25+ year journey across Higher Education, Further Education and the private sector, now leading as Director of Technology Operations at LSE. She spoke to a future where technology delivery becomes far more personalized, with central IT shifting from control to “controlled enablement”, providing secure toolboxes so people can choose what works for their roles. Her advice to the next generation is simple: technologies will come and go, so build teams that keep learning and can adapt. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Divya. Every leader starts with a belief that guides them. You say technology works best when it simplifies life — what early experience first taught you that lesson?
An early example which I distinctly remember is the difference between life before and after mobile phones. Suddenly you had a freedom and sense of control in your everyday life which you never had before, and the world just opened up. Technology began becoming more and more integrated into our lives around then, and the internet started changing how we communicated, found information and managed routine tasks. It is all so normal now, but at the time it was really transformative.
It was also around the time when I finished my University and entered the IT industry. These rapid changes all around me in those foundational years shaped this belief that has stayed with me, that the real purpose of technology is to make life simpler.
When you compare all the life admin we had to do 20 years ago with how we manage them today, it is clear that technology has quietly taken away a huge amount of effort. In fact, the best examples are probably the ones we no longer even notice.
The same principle is true to how IT operates within an organisation. Good technology should reduce friction, make it easier for people to do their jobs and free them to focus on the things that require human judgement and creativity. People have enough other problems as it is, technology should not become another one.
What do you love the most about your current role?
First and foremost, the people around me. I spend more time with my colleagues than with my family most days, so healthy working relationships really matter. I am fortunate to work in a leadership team where we speak openly, support one another and challenge each other constructively. I don’t have to think twice before I say something, it is a safe space, and that brings out the best in me.
The second thing is the environment. The LSE campus is always buzzing with a vibrant energy. Students come from all over the world, and you are surrounded by some of the greatest minds, young as well as experienced, who all want to make a genuine difference to the world. Everyone you meet changes your thinking a little; and you come away feeling inspired from conversations. It keeps me curious and reminds me never to assume that I know better than the next person. I love that aspect; it reminds you that you are a student of life forever.
The only constant is change. What do you see as the single biggest shift in how organizations will use technology over the next 5 years?
My take is that the way we deliver technology within organisations will become much more personalised. For decades, IT teams have (and quite rightly so) focused on standardisation, consistency and control. But people increasingly expect technology to work naturally around their roles, needs and preferences.
The challenge is to provide that choice without creating chaos. Rather than central IT trying to control everything, or treating every form of local innovation as shadow IT, I think we will move towards controlled enablement. Business areas will have greater freedom to solve their own problems, but within clear architectural, security and data guardrails.
The best technology functions will not be the ones that hold all the keys. They will be the ones that make it safe and easy for others to succeed and experiment and innovate. Our role is to provide a modern, well-managed toolbox, then give people the freedom to choose the right tools for their jobs and preferences.
It is an incredibly exciting time to work in technology. I think we are at the start of the next major wave of how technology will change our lives, and everything is moving incredibly fast. Solving today’s problems while also thinking about the art of the possible is what makes it so exciting.
Data is abundant but insight is scarce. What needs to change for leaders to turn information into confident action?
We probably don’t need more dashboards for data insights! What we need is greater clarity about the questions we are trying to answer and the decisions we need to make. That means focusing on the decisions that really matter, making sure we can trust the baseline data available to us, and taking measures to genuinely help inform those decisions. But data alone will never be enough to make every decision. Leaders still need context and their own judgement, as well as the confidence to act without waiting for perfect information. Insight becomes valuable only when it changes what we do next.
We also need to close the loop by going back and comparing the actual outcome of the decisions with what we expected, understanding what worked and what didn’t, and using that learning to improve both the data and future decisions.
Education and industry are merging faster than ever. How do you see the relationship between Higher Education, Further Education, and employers evolving?
The boundaries are already blurring in this space. Further Education is more closely connected to employers and local skills needs, while many students entering Higher Education also begin their studies with future employment in mind.
I expect to see more employer-informed courses, microcredentials, online provision and lifelong learning across both FE and HE. Employers will also increasingly contribute to curriculum design, or co-design or co-deliver particular programmes as a way of developing future talent, particularly in areas where skills are changing quickly or in short supply. Colleges and universities will also develop more provision around particular sectors and regional needs.
I also think learning will become much less linear. As industries and roles continue to change, people will increasingly move in and out of education throughout their working lives; building new skills, changing career direction or deepening their knowledge at different points in their careers. That will require more flexible routes between FE, HE and employment, with qualifications and learning that can build on one another over time.
There is also an opportunity for FE and HE to work more closely together, rather than competing to offer the same things. They each bring different strengths, and stronger partnerships could create clearer pathways for learners while better connecting technical education, advanced study, research and employment.
But the wider purpose of education goes far beyond creating a talent pipeline for employers. Higher Education has a vital role in research, critical thinking and creating knowledge that may not have an immediate commercial application. The strongest relationship between education and employers will balance preparing people for the world of work with giving them the knowledge and confidence to change that world in the future.
Congratulations on being named a 2026 Future CIO 100 winner. Our readers would love to know the secret mantra behind your success.
The thing I tell myself is that there are no shortcuts in life. Success stories often look effortless and neatly planned from the outside, but that’s because we don’t talk much about the long hours, mistakes, persistence and all the efforts that happens when nobody is watching.
I am delighted by the Future CIO 100 recognition; it feels lovely to have your work acknowledged. It is also just the visible tip of the iceberg; underneath it is more than 25 years of hard work, opportunities I had the courage to take, good days, bad days, good decisions, a few questionable ones, and great many people who have each taught me something.
So, if I have a mantra, it is “put in the work, accept that setbacks are normal, stay curious and try to have some fun along the way!”
Music, sport, or art often teaches us about teamwork. Which non-work passion has shaped your leadership style the most?
I have been practising Shotokan karate for more than 15 years and hold a 3rd Dan black belt. It has taught me that you never finish learning. However experienced you become, there is always room to improve, something you may need to unlearn and someone who can teach you more. You can try to read your opponent and anticipate their next move but sometimes they simply catch you out.
It has also shaped how I think about teamwork. We sometimes go to competitions as a team, and you earn points based on how the whole team performs. Individual speed or flair means very little if you are out of sync with everyone else; success depends entirely on how well you perform together.
Leadership is similar. You will not always have all the facts laid out in front of you, you need to read the situation, adapt and keep learning. You need to invest efforts in developing your own skills, but you also have a goal to make sure the whole team perform at its best.
Leaders need sources of energy outside work. What book has most influenced how you think about people, change, or leadership?
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
One of my key takeaways from this fabulous book is that understanding people matters more than winning an argument. The biggest opportunities and risks often sit in the things we do not know yet. It is crucial to develop your listening skills, ask the right questions and taking the time to understand what is really driving another person’s perspective. We will not have all the answers always; very often breakthrough happens when you uncover the information that changes how you see the situation.
In leadership, especially during periods of change, such ability to understand people before trying to influence them is incredibly valuable.
What is your biggest goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
Ah, this is always the difficult one. I will certainly be five years older and, hopefully, a little wiser. I will be a lot more chilled and worry a lot less about how everything will turn out.
Of course I want to progress in my career in that timeframe, but I have stopped treating success as the next destination. I want to enjoy the journey and be thoughtful about the opportunities I choose along the way.
In five years, I hope to be in a broader technology leadership role where I can shape organisational direction through technology; which is going back to my original principle of simplifying lives through technology.
More than aspiring for a title alone, the environment, the people I work with, and the values of the organisation matter a great deal to me too. I want to be somewhere that energises me, challenges my thinking, helps me grow and allows me to remain true to myself.
If you could leave one message for the next generation of technology leaders, what would it be?
Technologies will come and go; build a team that keeps learning and can adapt to whatever comes next.