What happens after the deal closes?
For Mike Muldner, CIO and CTO at Calian Group — a global technology and solutions company — the real work begins with integration. It’s about aligning systems, teams, and expectations without slowing the business down.
Muldner has spent his career in technology, working across startups and large enterprises, including a formative chapter at Nortel after relocating to Ottawa in the late 90s. That mix of environments has shaped his approach to leadership, which blends technical depth with business fluency.
Calian is headquartered in Ottawa and serves industries such as space, defence, and healthcare. As CIO and CTO, Muldner leads both IT and cybersecurity while also driving technology strategy across the company. He says understanding the business as a whole and being able to link technology to those business outcomes are “equally important.”
“It’s not about technology first,” says Muldner. “It’s really about first understanding what the business challenges are.”
His experience reflects a broader shift in how organizations view the CIO role. It’s no longer limited to infrastructure and uptime. Increasingly, it’s about aligning tech decisions with financial and strategic goals.
AI, integration, and measured experimentation
Artificial intelligence is a frequent topic in boardrooms and IT teams alike. But Muldner believes some organizations are moving too quickly.
“People are sometimes putting the cart before the horse with AI, and they’re looking at it as, we need to deploy AI,” he says. “I believe we have to first look at what problems we are trying to solve.”
Muldner has built a team at Calian to evaluate emerging technologies, including AI, using a structured and risk-aware approach.
“I think whatever technology you’re adopting,” he says. “You have to go through a proper risk analysis and a proper technology introduction.”
That includes determining whether the business even needs AI or whether something simpler, like process automation, would be more effective.
One concern he raises is that without good data, AI may produce “really bad answers. It’s like having a race car and not knowing how to drive it.”
“You really have to start at that foundational layer of, what is it you’re trying to solve? Do you have the right data?” he asks. “If you have disparate systems, you may have to integrate your data together and normalize it before you can actually leverage AI.”
Calian has implemented internal training to help teams understand what’s available and what’s safe.
“We’ve been very intentional with our plan around AI both internally and externally,” Muldner says. “Looking first at identifying top business challenges, finding the best ways to solve them and educating people about safe, responsible and ethical use of AI.”
Cyber culture, acquisitions, and communicating with the board
As Calian grows through acquisition, integration becomes a complex but necessary priority. Muldner emphasizes that it needs to be driven by business value, not just consolidation for its own sake.
“People generally wouldn’t react well to being told to integrate just for the sake of integration, it’s critical to explain the why.”
He believes integration should be both fast and purpose-driven.
“The faster you can integrate [after an acquisition], the better,” he says. “The longer you don’t, the more people get settled in the way they’ve been working.”
His team uses a flexible playbook, balancing repeatable practices with customization based on the needs of each acquired company.
“There is a standard playbook in terms of best practices,” he says. “But every company is a little bit unique in terms of their requirements.”
Cybersecurity is another area where Muldner takes a proactive approach. He describes building a “cyber culture” where every employee understands their role.
“It can’t be that one group is responsible for protecting the company from a cyber perspective,” he says. “It needs to be a team sport to be effective.”
He also sees growing awareness among board members when it comes to cybersecurity and tech governance.
“I think most boards now have some level of technology or cyber,” he says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s mandated by companies that their boards soon have that level of expertise… much like financial acumen.”
When engaging with non-technical board members, Muldner focuses on translating technical risk into financial terms.
“Here’s the financial risk if I don’t deploy it and here’s the financial cost if I do deploy it,” he says. “Then it just really becomes a risk–reward conversation with the board.”Mike Muldner will speak at the 2025 CIOCAN Peer Forum in Ottawa, May 28-29.
Digital Journal is the official media partner of the CIO Association of Canada.
This article was created with the assistance of AI. Learn more about our AI ethics policy here.
