CIO OPINION
Digital disruption and emerging technologies were already providing CIOs with more opportunities to innovate internally .
Arthur Hu , SVP and Global CIO at Lenovo
Mission control : The evolution of the CIO role
CIOs often find themselves at the center of crucial decision-making . Arthur Hu , SVP and Global CIO at Lenovo , explores the difficulties faced by CIOs , how they may evolve and best-practices to respond to new challenges .
The role of the CIO has changed dramatically over the last few years . Today ’ s CIOs are often key decision-makers in the C-suite and central to driving strategy within their organization . It is a role that has become increasingly complex and significant .
As a result , CIOs are being pulled in multiple directions . CEOs want them to generate new revenue streams with technology . Customer-servicing teams depend on them to come up with the next groundbreaking AI chatbot . Procurement teams want to know how fast they can shift data from legacy infrastructure to new cloud systems . All while cybercrime is growing more sophisticated as hackers learn to circumvent network security .
Becoming mission control
Lenovo ’ s recent global CIO study confirmed this ; nine in 10 CIOs report that their roles and responsibilities have expanded greatly beyond managing technology . Their influence today extends to areas such as ESG , diversity , equity and inclusion , HR and talent acquisition and even sales and marketing .
Today , many CIOs find themselves in the ‘ mission control ’ seat of their organizations . The majority ( 88 %) believe their role is the most critical component of their company ’ s continued operation and 77 % believe their performance is more important to the success of their organization than the work of other C-suite roles .
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