The experience of growing up in 10 countries throughout Africa, South and North America and Asia gave Craig Bernero a unique perspective and skill set. He learned to adapt to new environments, understand different cultures and speak multiple languages. But as senior vice president of customer experience engineering at Dell Technologies, he considers one of the most important forms of communication to be the language of the customer.
Bernero spent most of his childhood without access to a computer but was always fascinated with how things worked. After graduating from Boston University College of Engineering, he started his career in R&D at General Electric’s Aircraft Engine division. He began working for EMC (now Dell Technologies) in 1999. In Bernero’s 25 years at Dell, he’s contributed to innovative solutions that were engineered directly from the needs of the customer. He says that the ultimate form of innovation is combining the right idea with the ability to execute and deliver. He asserts that not every idea has to be new to be impactful. Bernero’s experience has taught him that solving problems in a way that’s never been thought of can be a game-changer for the customer.
In 2020, Bernero identified existing gaps in operational scale, process and technology innovation and developed a business plan that became the Customer Experience Engineering (CEE) organization, Dell’s single point of customer engagement within the infrastructure solutions group (ISG) Engineering team that he says he feels honored to lead. The organization is comprised of a global team of 1,500+ “customer advocates” accountable for corporate quality, backline engineering and pre- and post-sales engineering support. The team relentlessly listens, observes and remedies common customer concerns via innovation, and their influence on solutions and product development can be seen throughout the industry.
It begins with the customer
According to the Dell Innovation Index, six in 10 leaders worry that their organization won’t be relevant in three to five years (based on their innovation culture.) However, prioritizing the customer experience can lead to innovation that helps keep companies thriving. Global Innovators and Leaders are 1.2 times more likely to create new customer value through innovation. And In 2020, McKinsey found that customer experience leaders are more resilient during recessions and see three times higher returns than customer experience laggards. Craig and the ISG CEE team aim to meet the customer experience imperative. His goal is to empower end users to achieve and execute their innovations and operations efficiently.
Bernero has used his awareness of customer needs to innovate within Dell. In 2014 he and other ISG Storage leaders were ideating on how to improve and further differentiate storage in the market. The team observed the success of personal fitness health trackers (that were new at the time) and applied the idea of monitoring and measuring the health of storage. This led to the collaborative project that became CloudIQ, a cloud-based AIOps application that supports all ISG products to provide predictive and pre-emptive monitoring and troubleshooting of IT infrastructure.
CloudIQ is just one example of success in Bernero’s formula for innovation. Over the span of his career, he’s had a hand in multiple projects and client solutions for Dell, resulting in tool chain, process and product innovations ranging from the Emmy Award winning PowerScale to UnityXT to PowerVault launches under his leadership.
“It’s important to understand what the technology limitations and capabilities are and then map it to the right use cases. When use cases address the top customer challenges that haven’t been solved before, that’s game-changing innovation.” – Craig Bernero, SVP of infrastructure solutions group (ISG) , Dell Technologies
The formula for innovation
Throughout his career, Bernero has collaborated and led innovation projects by encouraging his team to follow a tried-and-true formula for optimal outcomes:
- Listen to the customer
Not only does his team listen to client needs, they observe and anticipate them. Bernero believes that engineering a better experience for the end-user is at the heart of a company’s innovation. “I’ve had backgrounds in post-sales, pre-sales, services, engineering operations, general management, and the common attribute is always customer interaction. They provide a wealth of knowledge and invaluable insights.”
- Partner and collaborate
Bernero credits the collaborative process within and across organizations as a key to executing innovation, particularly when thinking outside the box. For CloudIQ a working partnership with IT had been elemental to the technology ability to scale beyond one product. “IT engagement is critical for longevity and scale.” Bernero says often, “Teamwork makes innovation work!”
- Execute and deliver
What matters most to customers is business value and impact, says Bernero. Therefore, a holistic strategy that considers all available tools is crucial. This applies even to the latest in emerging technologies like GenAI where the team is pioneering new use cases. “It’s important to understand what the technology limitations and capabilities are and then map it to the right use cases. When use cases address the top customer challenges that haven’t been solved before, that’s game-changing innovation.”
Leading the way to the future
As impressive as Bernero’s career in leadership has been, it is even more resonant when considering his background, advocacy and the breakthroughs his career represents. As a Latino, Bernero has been active in the community he belongs to, mentoring younger aspiring professionals in tech and serving as the executive sponsor of the Latino Connection employee resource group within Dell. He’s also a four-time recipient of the HITEC 100 award, an honor given to prominent Hispanic global leaders in tech.
To say that Bernero’s status as a Latino executive in tech puts him in the minority would be an understatement. Although Latinos comprise about 20% of the U.S. population, only 4% of senior-level executives in U.S. companies are Hispanic. This makes Bernero not only an outlier but also an advocate for progress. According to Bernero, “Diversity + Inclusion + Psychologically Safe Environment = TRUE Innovation.”
As a father, leader and engineer of improved experiences, Bernero’s track record of innovation has been a combination of collaboration, adaptability, strategy, and a healthy amount of asking, “Why not?”
“I think mine is a pretty crazy story, when I reflect on going from complete computer illiteracy because of a lack of access to technology in the countries I grew up in, to becoming an SVP handling our most complex ISG products for the largest technology and computer company in the world… If that’s not a turnaround opportunity to show what is possible in a lifetime, I don’t know what is.”
Innovators at Work is a series on Perspectives profiling Dell team members who drive innovation by combining ideas and technology to create life-shaping impact. The series is inspired by Dell’s Innovation Index, which provides insight on what global decision makers are doing to create innovation resilience in turbulent times.