Special: What kind of CIO are you?

Executive CIO

The least technical of the four different types of CIO, the executive is the general manager brought in by the CEO and the board to get the IT operation back on track.

Platts says: "They are brought in to ride shotgun. The executive CIO can come in when there is a lack of trust and the executive team is deeply cynical about IT. They are brought in when good management is needed."

They are often already on the executive committee and well-established at board level before becoming CIO. The executive CIO has on average worked at the same company for 17 years and has rarely worked in the IT function before coming into the role.

Platts says: "The executive CIOs are the rarest and it is always a characteristic that they won't have a strong IT background."

Without the experience of working with the big technology vendors and big IT projects they are heavily dependant on the support of a good CTO but even with this they often become influenced by what their suppliers and IT executive team tell them.

This can lead to the board feeling that the executive CIO has "gone native" after being got at by the technology boffins, which can lead to isolation and, ultimately, immobility within the executive committee and so there is pressure to maintain a conservative stance on the impact of technology on the business.

It is not surprising that the executive CIO is usually only in the post for an average of two years.

Consultant CIO profile
Paratrooper CIO profile
Professional CIO profile