The Logicalis research, Global CIO Report 2023: The Meteoric rise of the CIO, shows CIOs are playing a leading role in delivering a digital-first future, and that we are seeing a move to a more strategic CIO role. Organisations are now better able to reimagine customer and employee experiences with such a CIO behind them.

Yet, this drive and growing field of influence at the board level is not something that the traditional company executives - accountants, lawyers, marketers - readily embraced. The research finds that CIOs have continued to see digital as a strategic priority over the years, but faced with organisations lagging behind due to a lack of digital awareness in the wider business it was the CIOs themselves who pushed through. Faced with an urgent need to innovate, CIOs stepped into the role of digital evangelists and strategic advisors.

There are clear lessons here for the boards who relegate their technology leaders to sit under, say, the CFO, as opposed to those who embrace IT as part of their company strategy and direction.

The Logicalis research demonstrates a monumental shift in the role of the CIO from tech implementor to business leader. In fact, 41% have some level of responsibility for business strategy while 81% say they are spending more time on innovation. These CIOs are using their technical expertise to deliver innovative solutions which both drive value and competitive advantage. 77% of CIOs are now spending more time selling ideas to the board. Further, 80% of CIOs say that business strategy will become a bigger part of their role over the next two years.

“CIOs are playing a leading role in orchestrating transformation and are stepping up in response to the changing industry dynamics,” says Logicalis CEO Bob Bailkoksi. “Yet, CIOs are faced with challenges to navigate including a potential recession and talent shortages. In addition to this, they are experiencing increased pressure to deliver digital-based outcomes for their organisations, giving them more exposure to their Boards and requiring a different way of operating.”

It's clear CIOs are, for a large part, forging transformation on the journey towards a digital-first future. The report identified four critical focus areas for CIOs:

• innovation - 50% of CIOs are expected to deliver continuous innovation that elevates and differentiates customer and employee interactions
• strategy - 80% of CIOs say that business strategy will become a larger part of their role over the next two years
• digital transformation - 57% of CIOs say building and operating new digital platforms is still a core part of their job
• reimagining service partnerships - 74% of CIOs expect to increase spending on IT outsourcing in 2023

“Modern CIOs have the right leadership skills and technical expertise to ensure their organisation is well equipped for the digital world”, says Logicalis CTO Toby Alcock. "Rather than just supporting business needs through technology, the CIO is now using technology to help create new business models and tap into more revenue streams.”

You can find the report here, and also view a summary video with some of the key findings here.

Logicalis surveyed a thousand IT leaders around the globe.