Interview: Nimisha Patel, CIO of the Year

“I always wanted to be a CIO, but there were times I thought I would never make it,” says CIO of the Year Nimisha Patel

The journey from permanent executive to interim or consultant is well-established in business, and especially popular amongst CIOs. The reverse, transitioning from consultancy to technical executive role, is less common, but Nimisha Patel - winner of CIO of the Year at Computing's Women in IT Awards 2019 - proves that it is possible.

Although now at the Cabinet Office, Nimisha was CIO at RSA when she won the award. She had an unusual route to this position, starting her career in IT through General Electric's fast-track to leadership initiative, the Corporate Audit Staff programme, focusing - naturally - on IT Audit. She spent several years in management consulting, specialising in technology risk, before returning to the industry as Director of Technology & Operations Risk Management at RSA.

Two years after joining, RSA asked Nimisha to take on the role of CIO - which came at a tough time for her. She says, "I became CIO two weeks after my husband was diagnosed with Stage Four cancer. I thought I'd either throw in the towel, take a career break or fail in my role. None of those things happened. In fact, I thrived in my role and made a real difference."

As the CIO of the Year, Nimisha is at the top of her game. Self-belief, she says, has been key to her success:

"[Being a successful CIO takes] a huge amount of self belief, perseverance and hard work. Equally important is the encouragement, support and belief of those around you. I always wanted to be a CIO. There were times I thought I would never make it. Along the way, It helped to talk about my aspirations so that the individuals and organisations I worked for could help me navigate that path and prepare for the role."

Her main advice to other women looking to get into or progress in IT draws from this:

"Take a moment to reflect on all of the things you've achieved, deserve to be recognised for and should celebrate - and then do it in the open, proudly!"

Nimisha says events like the Women in Tech Excellence Awards and Women in Tech Festival are important to recognise women's contributions to the industry and celebrate their achievements. However, she knows that it is down to organisations to make changes, too.

"I'm currently the Chief Digital and Information Officer for the Cabinet Office, where we are doing several things to bring more women into IT. We are a strong advocate for work placements and apprenticeships, which focus on giving opportunities to those who have not followed a traditional path to pursue a career in tech. We also encourage and support career moves into technology, where we've seen great results. For those already in a technology field we invest in ongoing training, coaching and leadership programmes to give women the tools and resources they need to take on more senior roles."

Follow Computing to get all the updates on our upcoming events dedicated to women in the technology space, including the Women in Tech Festival and Women in Tech Excellence Awards. Tickets for the Festival are available now and nominations for the Awards are open until the 1st May.