Finding the right combination of skills, and a balance between IT and business, forms a key element of the forthcoming spring edition of CIO Connect magazine. The cover star is Catherine Doran, who is that rarest of breeds: a successful IT leader who has managed to leap beyond the confines of the CIO role and assume a business-focused position.
In an exclusive interview, the director of corporate development at Network Rail explains how CIOs can move beyond the confines of the IT leadership role. She has simple advice for executive peers wishing to make a similar move into a broader executive position: “If you’re already a CIO, and you’re only thinking now about how to get on the board, you’re too late – the desire to contribute to the business has to always be deep within you.”
The theme is continued later in the magazine, where three IT leaders explain how the CIO of tomorrow will have to take a broader view of internal demands and external trends. The pace of consumerisation has quickened considerably, meaning everyone has a view on IT capability and patience is a much more limited quality.
Technology is no longer just a key element of how a business runs, it is also an integral part of the products and services that an organisation offers to its customers. The CIO of tomorrow will have to behave more like a head of marketing than an introverted IT manager. And their leadership style will be challenged by the increasing globalisation of the world.
The magazine should be hitting desk in the next week. As ever, thanks to all interviewees and contributors. A full list of featured CIOs and business leaders is provided below:
- Catherine Doran, director of corporate development at Network Rail
- Colin Rees, IT director at Domino’s Pizza
- Karl de Bruijn, IT director at Specsavers
- Chris Farmer, group IT director at Halcrow Group
- Mike Bell, group IT director at Kingfisher
- Gerry Pennell, CIO at London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
- Patrick Adiba, chief executive for the Olympics and major events at Atos Origin
- Stuart Hill, vice president of central government at BT Global Services
- John Shaw, CIO of Mainstream Renewable Power
- Andrew Turner, group IT director at Hiscox
- Peter Breunig, general manager of technology management and architecture at Chevron IT
- Ailsa Beaton, CIO at the Metropolitan Police
- Clive Selley, CEO of BT Innovate and Design and group CIO at BT
- John Lawlor, head of management information systems at Trinity College Dublin
- Robert Thorogood, CTO at hurleyplamerflatt
- Poornima Kirloskar-Saini, head of IT at Women Like Us
- Karl Deacon, CTO of infrastructure services at Capgemini
- David Chan, director for the Centre for Information Leadership at City University London
- David Head, director at La Fosse Associates
- Keith Collins, CTO at SAS
- Kevin Streater, executive director for IT and telecoms at The Open University
- Stephen Hand, former group IT director at Lloyd’s Register
- Dominic Batchelor, partner at Ashurst LLP
- Inbali Iserles, professional development lawyer at Ashurst LLP
- Danièle Tyler, solicitor at Ashurst LLP