Road Map to CIOs New Avatar

Change is always refreshing. Little wonder then that the current buzz in the industry is Be the Change. CIOs and the top management, be it the CEO, CFO and the like, have emerged from their cocoons and embraced change. Most CIOs who IT Next interacted with emphasized that future CIOs should change their status quo--this will drive them on the growth path they have carved for themselves.

The change one can perceive among most enterprises, whether small, medium or large, is that every boardroom discussion invariably has the CIO keenly observing the changes in the strategies of the top brass. Any change that is made is towards driving better profitability, better work environment, better returns on investments and a sincere need to be ahead of the competition. All these would be possible only if the operations were streamlined and efficient processes brought into being. The CIO is made accountable for all these; he or she is considered the guiding factor who ensures the business moves in the right direction.

A future to-do list for a CIO

From a CIO standpoint, Girish Rao, Head-IT, Marico Industries, rightly points out that the change that is observed now is to believe that the CIO is not a technocrat, but the idol behind engineering the change in an organisation using better business processes and practices.

T G Dhandapani, CIO, TVS Motors, admits that the CIO should think of moving business metrics favourably using solutions, and think like a businessman. I would recommend a sabbatical of one to two years of working in functional areas like logistics, operation, finance, in every four-year experience in IT, says Dhandapani.

From a CEOs standpoint, K Vaitheeswaran, CEO, India Plaza, argues that the role of a CIO is completely business-dependent as certain sectors have a strong play around technology; this makes the job of the CIO much more critical, as he or she is the business enabler.

Finance heads receive many more demands from the CIO and team as they get much closer to the business than before. As the finance head, Rostow Ravanan, CFO, MindTree, defines the road map for the future CIO: to become a functional expert whom business heads approach to seek innovations, thus drawing a business and technology intersection.

From a finance perspective, Narayan Iyer, VP-Finance, Privi Organics Ltd., finds the role of a CIO evolving. I have witnessed scenarios where the CIO has become the CEO in many enterprises, says Iyer and points out, The change which is positive is that CIO is now actively participating in the day-to-day governance of the company and contributing towards corporate governance, security and policy matters.

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