CIOs: 'Wise up and the empire could be yours'

When companies have selected a new CEO in past years it has often been the CFO or COO who has got the all important nod. But there is no reason why CIOs can't make the switch if they have the right business understanding and skills.

A survey conducted by silicon.com has found leadership qualities are most important by far for an ambitious CIO, cited by 43 per cent of respondents.

And the idea that CIOs can develop the necessary skills to secure the top job is shared by Ric Francis, former CIO at Safeway, who is now COO at the Post Office. He told silicon.com: "It is not about the role you are coming from but more about the individual. If you can earn the right to be in all conversations about the business based on your experience and gravitas in the boardroom then you have the opportunity to extend your scope of influence beyond technology."

Other useful skills include commercial awareness (cited by 15 per cent of respondents to the silicon.com survey), though few respondents think sales and marketing nous is most important (4.5 per cent).

Phil Young, head of IT at Amtrak, told silicon.com: "In my opinion the biggest challenges that a CIO has to overcome to become a candidate for CEO is perception. In many instances the board still perceives the CIO to be firstly a technologist and therefore lacking in skills such as sales and marketing and financial acumen."

However, he reckons most CIOs are now well-placed to gain and demonstrate this knowledge.

He added: "I am aware of many cases where CIOs understand decision-making data better than the CEOs."

And, although 28 per cent of respondents still put the emphasis on networking, contacts and what company somebody keeps at the golf club, the findings suggest the right CIO can certainly get all the way to the top irrespective of this.

Paul Broome, CTO at 192.com, said: "Leadership is different from being liked and buying your rounds - it's about respect and empowerment.

"In essence the CIO who wants to be CEO has to have understood and wielded significant profit and loss, and hired and fired many times. They must also understand that tech motivation is different from that, say, of sales departments. They will also need exposure to legal and contract issues."

The same survey was conducted 12 months ago and the year-on-year findings reveal a fall in the prioritisation for sales and marketing skills and a greater focus on innovation and creativity. Leadership also saw an increase in terms of the number of respondents marking it out as the key criterion for CIOs eyeing the top job.