Bentley Methods CIO Talks Management Technique and AI Adoption

Ruth Sleeter, CIO of engineering software program firm Bentley Methods, started her profession in software program product improvement. She managed product groups at NetApp earlier than getting into extra senior roles that leveraged her digital technique abilities, notably at Lenovo. 

She then made the leap to the C-suite, serving as CIO at Deutsche Financial institution. She returned to Lenovo as CIO earlier than transferring to roles at Sonos and Axon. In March 2025, she landed in her present place as CIO at Bentley. Right here, she shares her ideas on the significance of techniques considering and the fragile technique of integrating AI into the workforce. 

How did your early curiosity in expertise develop?

My dad was additionally a software program engineer. I grew up within the Bay Space simply as Silicon Valley was beginning. I suppose I used to be surrounded by it and didn’t comprehend it on the time. 

I began my undergrad promising myself I’d not be a music or a pc science main, as a result of that’s what I did a ton of rising up. Regardless, I used to be actually good at engineering and techniques considering. I took a category in discrete math within the pc science division and fell in love. I ended up getting an undergraduate diploma in pc science. I used to be tremendous fortunate rising up, particularly as a woman. I had all of those nice individuals who inspired me to do math and science. It was only a very pure match to be a software program engineer. That’s how I began my profession as a software program engineer for semiconductor software program automation. 

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Did you acquire any formative insights throughout your training?

In pc science, you begin with knowledge construction, which is simply techniques considering — let’s break a giant downside down into small elements and take into consideration reusable elements. That anchor — considering and powerful techniques design — was very intuitive to me. Folks ask me how I get by my daily, with the breadth of the data that I’ve to soak up. The CIO function is fairly attention-grabbing. We get to spend so much of time on technique however on the identical time, we have now to ensure we’re constructing the fitting inside merchandise. That very same techniques considering that was inculcated in incomes my diploma, that kind of considering that sparked my curiosity, is strictly the kind of considering that I like doing now.  

How did your early roles assist you to develop the abilities you’ve got deployed as a CIO?

I believe it was my need to attempt new issues. I began out as a software program engineer. I acquired into administration form of by chance through the dot com increase. I used to be organized and articulate. So, I spent a while studying the right way to handle software program product groups, which is extremely vital in what I do in the present day.  

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Then I acquired the chance to be customer-facing. If I had recommendation for anyone who needs to be in a majority of these management roles, it could be to spend time customer-facing. I have a look at my function as a customer-facing function — studying about buyer empathy and the right way to talk technique and strategy and perceive clients’ ache and the way you’re going to resolve it was essential in my profession. 

How has the function of the CIO within the C-suite developed since your first CIO place?

The factor that’s actually vital for a CIO to be interested by is that we’re a microcosm for a way all the enterprise features try to execute the techniques in opposition to the technique. 

What we are able to do throughout the portfolio is characterize the technique in actual phrases again to the enterprise. We will say: These are all the totally different locations the place we’re interested by investing. Does that match with the technique we thought we have been setting for ourselves? And the place is there a delta and a distinction? 

Let me provide you with some perception into that after which assist with the discussions round strategic enablement throughout our highest priorities. That will get you into a method dialog. I see myself as a strategic chief — having the ability to bubble up the place there could also be both assist or inconsistencies in how we’re executing in opposition to our technique and investing. 

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The brand new problem — and it’s a actual problem — is shepherding organizations by AI adoption. Creating a really versatile strategy to this downside is admittedly vital. That’s the new a part of the remit that’s significantly energizing — a change of this magnitude in how folks work each day has not occurred in fairly a while. 

How did you go about studying enterprise technique once you first entered the C-suite?

After I acquired my first CIO function, there was all of this dialog about enterprise course of. That was the half that I needed to study and work out the right way to map into these broader, strategic conversations. I had my first inside IT function at Deutsche Financial institution, the place we actually talked about product mannequin rather a lot — interested by our inside IT deliverables as merchandise.  

After I moved to Lenovo, we had very wealthy enterprise course of and transformation conversations as a result of we have been taking the entire enterprise by such a foundational change. I used to be capable of put these two issues collectively. 

It was a wedding of a number of issues: working a product group; marrying that to the basic IT mind-set about enterprise course of; after which figuring out how that turns into consultant to the enterprise technique.  

Has the expertise of being a lady in a male-dominated discipline modified?

It’s modified tremendously. Early in my profession, I used to be very fortunate. I didn’t even need to be seen as a lady in expertise, as a result of I didn’t perceive why it could matter, which was a splendidly naive place to come back from on the time. I hope that’s how ladies really feel now. I assumed that we should always simply be measured by our outcomes and our nice engineering prowess. After I turned a bit of bit extra senior, I had this second the place I spotted that extra junior ladies have been asking me questions that they wouldn’t essentially ask any person else. They have been seeking to me to be a mentor and an instance. 

We went by this part the place we acquired to start out speaking about this concern very brazenly. I believe that that’s helped us an incredible quantity. I don’t assume we’re performed. I believe we’re capable of have these conversations. That could be very totally different than the place I began. 

What are among the issues you’re engaged on in AI adoption?

As we take into consideration AI adoption within the group, taking a really human-centric strategy is the primary key to success. That’s a problem for CIOs, as a result of we have a tendency to start out speaking in a short time about enterprise processes. I don’t assume that’s the right way to strategy AI. When persons are doing their work, they are not interested by the enterprise course of. They’re simply making an attempt to do the factor that they are doing each day.  

The very very first thing that we are able to do with AI is make each single individual higher at their jobs. All people needs to be higher at their jobs. That’s such a protected place to be and such a productive human-first place to be. It invitations folks to consider the right way to do their very own work in another way, as a substitute of anticipating any person to inform them the right way to use this new expertise. Folks can have a trainer subsequent to them. They’ll get recommendation. They’ll study.