Modern CIOs need the same strategic skills as CEOs, say IT leaders

A group of CIOs from Computing's IT Leaders 100 list for 2017 discuss the opportunity for technology leaders to move into the CEO and COO roles

With businesses increasingly reliant on technology, it is now simpler than ever for CIOs to transition to COO or even CEO roles.

That's the consensus of a group of prominent CIOs Computing spoke to recently, to discuss the opportunity for technology leaders to transition to other C-suite positions.

The CIOs we spoke to were taken from Computing's most recent IT Leaders 100 list, and also revealed the secrets behind their own success.

Mark Ridley, Group Technology Officer at Blenheim Chalcot Accelerate

It will become completely natural for IT leaders to move into CEO and COO roles.

The CIO role is sometimes trivialised as the ‘Chief Innovation Officer', and the CEO as the ‘Chief Strategy Officer'. A good, modern CIO has to develop all of the same strategic skills as a CEO, albeit blended with other aspects of the role.

There is no reason why a competent CIO couldn't move to the big chair with a willingness to develop the necessary skills.

A move to COO is perhaps even more obvious. In digital businesses, there's no such thing as an ‘IT department' any more. There are business systems, which are a blend of technology and process. CIOs who run CRMs, finance systems and HR systems understand
the business. They understand efficiency, and process improvement; they understand Operations, often better than anyone else in the business.

The biggest barrier to CIOs becoming CEOs isn't skill or ability, it's simply mindset and motivation. If a CIO wants to become a CEO, they should set their mind to it. As I've taken to asking myself recently, "Do you want to lead technology in a business, or lead a technology business?

John Linwood, former CIO of Wood MacKenzie and former CTO of the BBC

Undoubtedly more and more CEOs who are IT literate will be appointed by enlightened Boards. That said, there is still a huge hurdle for most CIOs as they have not run a sales organisation or managed a true P&L [Profit and Loss] and so they are not seen as natural successors to the CEO role by many Board Chairs. Personally I believe that companies that appoint CIOs to the CEO or COO role will be better placed for success in a technology led world.

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Modern CIOs need the same strategic skills as CEOs, say IT leaders

A group of CIOs from Computing's IT Leaders 100 list for 2017 discuss the opportunity for technology leaders to move into the CEO and COO roles

Tom Clark, CIO, Leeds Building Society

The skills necessary for a successful CIO translate well into that of the COO and I think we will see more of these transitions, where a technology understanding will supplement the core skills, as technology becomes more fundamental to organisations.

The transition to a CEO role is not impossible but I think we will see less of these. The skills required for a successful CEO include a number that are not normally cultivated in a CIO role and whilst they can be acquired, I think the CIO to CEO transition will still be unusual.

Charles Ewen, director of technology and CIO, the Met Office

I'm not at all sure on this one. The obvious answer would be ‘yes', as more companies are tech companies and more technology leaders become more skilled and accustomed to looking through the ‘value' lens but that said, I talk to many peers who despite looking like strong candidates for the top job, can't quite shake the stereotypical perceptions that come along with the senior technical roles…. I am far too professional to suggest what those might be!

Julian Bond, head of ICT, Hillarys

With businesses increasingly reliant on technology, an IT Leader doesn't necessarily suffer from the same ‘glass ceiling' that was prevalent a decade ago. Whether a higher proportion of them now transition to COO or CEO really depends on how successfully we're recognised as delivering the promised benefits of digital transformation programmes.

The CIOs also discussed what it takes to be a technology leader today.

Computing's IT Leaders Forum 2017 is coming on 24 May 2017.

The theme this year is "Going Digital: Why your most difficult customer is your best friend".

Attendence is free, but strictly limited to IT Leaders. To find out more and to apply for your place, check out the IT Leaders Forum website.