Lutz Beck, CIO of Daimler Truck North America, discusses shifting IT to a strategic driver through culture, AI agents, and a fifteen-year vision.
Julie Colwell
Principal Strategist
Workday
For Lutz Beck, CIO of Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), technology isn’t just about systems and software—it’s about people, cultures, and the connections between them. A native of Germany with an MBA from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, his career began not in automotive, but in consulting at KPMG, giving him a sharp eye for systems and processes. This foundation proved invaluable when he joined Daimler in 2003, taking on IT roles in his home country.
His journey took him to Japan, where he served as CIO for Daimler Truck Asia, leading digital transformation across Mitsubishi Fuso and BharatBenz. Today, from his base in Portland, Oregon, Beck brings that global lens to DTNA, where he oversees the company’s technology and digital strategy.
Beck’s experience with IT leadership across the globe helped him develop multicultural fluency that still serves him well today. "It’s a mix of cultures, industries, and ideas that allows us to build technology that supports those who keep the world moving,” he says.
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This global perspective also fuels Beck’s natural instinct to challenge convention. "I was never a follower," Beck says, "I always look for what can be done differently. How can we evolve? Where do we want to be?” It’s a trait that was recognized and encouraged early in his career by a former CEO who pulled him aside and said, “I see you as the change agent,” and suggested he take on more leadership roles.
"I always look for what can be done differently. How can we evolve? Where do we want to be?”
Now, as DTNA's CIO, Beck channels his change agent mindset into reimagining processes that promote digital transformation. Under his leadership, the IT organization recently pivoted to an end-to-end (E2E) model, where a single leader owns and leads each core business process from start to finish. By creating structured workflows that span all stages of a project, teams can break down silos, and promote cross-functional collaboration and innovation.
When Beck joined DTNA as CIO in 2018, his goal was clear: shift IT from a support function to a driver of business performance. His goal is to make sure every investment adds measurable value for customers, dealers, and the business. “It’s never just about power or technology,” he says. “It’s about understanding what data and digital tools can do to make us better.”
“It’s never just about power or technology. It’s about understanding what data and digital tools can do to make us better.”
Under Beck’s leadership, DTNA has expanded its connected vehicle capabilities, turning trucks into data-generating platforms that improve uptime, enable predictive maintenance, and support more efficient fleet management. He’s also spearheaded the development of initiatives like the Excelerator e-commerce platform, which surpassed $1 billion in online parts sales, demonstrating how digital tools can open new revenue streams and improve the customer experience.
The trucking industry is undergoing significant change—electrification, automation, connectivity, and sustainability are reshaping nearly every part of the business. Beck’s IT strategy is designed to support this transition.
However, this process model cannot function effectively without data. “Before you can build intelligence into a company, you need a solid data foundation,” he says. That includes modernizing legacy systems, improving data governance, and establishing ethical frameworks for how data is used.
For Beck, the goal is not only to adopt technologies like AI, but to do so responsibly. “Data is one of our most valuable assets,” he notes, “and it needs to be treated with care and purpose.” When innovation aligns with business priorities and social responsibility, navigating rapid technological change can be more streamlined and complete.
“Every person has more growth potential than they realize.”
Beck encourages his teams to experiment, learn, and think creatively, qualities that matter as much in manufacturing as they do in software development. He often says that technology only succeeds when it’s built for and around the people who use it. “Every person has more growth potential than they realize,” he says.
To keep innovation fresh, Beck also looks beyond the walls of DTNA. He is a founding member of the Executive Council Network (ECN), a global community of startup founders, investors, and corporate leaders. The goal, he says, is to learn from others who are moving fast and applying new ideas in real time. “You can’t innovate in isolation,” he adds. “You need perspective from outside your own industry.”
Under Beck’s leadership, IT at DTNA has evolved from a back-office function into partnering with other teams across the organization. His teams are now deploying AI to solve complex problems like optimizing claims processing and pricing.
This extends directly to the HR side, where IT is trying out agents. The specific goal is not a vague efficiency gain, but a human-centric one: to give workers an easy way to ask for information without having to search for anything.
This collaborative approach is changing the product itself. Beck’s strategy involves moving IT from a cost center to a core component of the product and customer experience.
“It doesn’t feel like work. It’s exciting to be part of an industry that’s reinventing itself in real time.”
While many leaders plan in three-to-five-year cycles, Beck is looking far beyond the next product launch. “DTNA is planning far into the future. Our teams are working with a 15-year horizon to ensure we remain competitive in 2040 and continue to lead the industry.”
Moving forward, Beck's long-term goal is to prepare the company for when AI natives will be the new workforce. In the near term, he is working to expand successful AI pilots into enterprise-wide capabilities.
He predicts the AI HR agents currently in testing are just the beginning. "My prediction is that traditional employees will manage between three to five agents in the next two to three years.”
For Beck, the rapid pace of change isn’t a burden, it’s what keeps him inspired. “I love what I’m doing,” he says. He acknowledges the balancing act of running day-to-day operations while driving innovation, but that mix fuels him. “It doesn’t feel like work,” he says. “It’s exciting to be part of an industry that’s reinventing itself in real time.”
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