Mike
Benz

Mike is a Partner in Fortium Partners’ Midwest Region, where he serves a range of industries including construction, real estate, financial services, consumer products, and high-growth electronics companies.  He focuses on quality assurance, testing and governance to ensure positive results. Mike has been responsible for strategic planning, digital transformation, investment analysis, and cybersecurity.  He has recruited, trained and coached teams recognized for their delivery of technical excellence.  He understands how to navigate through a complex implementation, a short timeline and a diverse group of stakeholders.  His project management experience covers software selection, ERP implementation, and software development.  His work has encompassed budgeting, risk management, resource management, offshore development, and infrastructure architecture.

While managing large-scale implementations, Mike artfully leads the client through requirements gathering, business process re-design system demonstrations, vendor evaluations and financial analysis. He is known as an effective listener, motivator and organizer who bridges the gap between IT, vendors and senior business leaders.  Mike is recognized as a skilled communicator, calm negotiator, and collaborative team member.  A committed supporter of next generation professionals, Mike serves as a student mentor with the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota.

As a Fortium Partner, Mike proved his ability to step in as CIO to ensure a seamless transition during an unexpected management turnover.  He assessed the company’s IT framework and staffing model, proposed a roadmap aligned with strategic growth, strengthened cybersecurity, migrated computing systems to the cloud, and led key initiatives to strengthen the IT infrastructure and better support its products and client service.  His adept leadership of the technology team resulted in stronger IT governance, cybersecurity, and business continuity which led to improved enterprise performance.

Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Binghamton University. Later, he was credentialed as a Project Management Professional (PMP).  Mike is a lifelong learner who earned both a Master of Science in Security Technologies in 2017 and then a Master of Science in the Management of Technology in 2021 from the University of Minnesota. He is fluent in French, recently completing the Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française (DELF), level B2.

Fortium Engagements

• Chief Information Officer (Interim) – Financial Services Advisory Company

• Chief Information Officer (Interim) – Medical Device Design and Manufacturing Firm

• Chief Information Officer (Interim) – New Company Formed by Ten Industrial Manufacturing, Distribution, and Services Companies

• Chief Information Officer (Interim) – New Consortium of Independent Elevator Services Companies