The transformation of the role of CIO
The role of the CIO has evolved at the speed of light compared with those of its peers on the Executive Committee. It certainly needed to. The vast majority of roles within businesses today have at least some level of technology usage and most significant transformation programmes are underpinned by technology. The pace of evolution of the role of the CIO is, however, pedestrian in comparison to the revolution happening right now in companies’ customer and end-user communities.
Many CIOs are enjoying a new window of opportunity: the chance to talk about new technology and how it can create real business advantage with the (almost) undivided attention of the board. A high quality CIO can inspire and enthuse, as well as help an organisation maintain the tricky balancing act between data protection responsibilities and innovation; customer intimacy and customer intrusion; easy access to high quality information and maintaining IT security so that hackers cannot damage brands.
