CIOs: The New Rising Rock Star IDG

Today, technology underpins almost every single strategic business decision, in some form or another. Understanding the upsides of technology, as well as potential risks, is table stakes for any savvy CIO or business leader. But just as important: both the technology and risk expertise must extend to the Board of directors (BoD).
The good news? Rockstar CIOs are in a unique position to help educate their BoDs on technology basics, benefits, and risks. In this second episode of our 5-episode podcast, CIOs: The New Rising Rock Star, we explore why it’s essential to cultivate a tech- and risk-savvy Board.
“As you talk about an obligation to the business, the Board of Directors have been never more in the forefront of making critical decisions about what happens with digital transformation inside of the organization,” says Greg Douglass, who leads Accenture’s Technology Strategy and Advisory business. “They're being asked to approve large expenditures related to technology. They're being asked to review critical new products and services going to market and the impact that technology is going to have on those. And in particular, they're really interested in cybersecurity.”
 Greg’s guest, Jeannie Diefenderfer, agrees that cybersecurity expertise is essential. “Effective boards who oversee both technology implementation, as well as looking through the lens of cybersecurity concerns, it's actually best practice in my mind,” says Jeanie, who is CEO of the Higher Ambition Leadership Alliance, a non-profit community formed by and designed for CEOs.
With her extensive BoD experience – serving on the Boards of Digital Bridge, Irth Solutions, and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), NJ Chapter – Jeannie brings a unique point of view to CIOs who seek Board positions themselves. “Boards need holistic, well-rounded business leaders,” she says. “With a CIO background, you bring that technical expertise to the fold with your leadership ability … who can strategically apply your skill set to everything that the business is facing.”

It’s clear that in the last two years, the global pandemic has created unique circumstances for CIOs. On the one hand, they are grappling with enabling remote workers and securing enterprise data, and on the other hand, CIOs must support accelerated digital transformation to both survive and thrive.
Success in this emerging era requires new leadership, new technology investments, and new innovative processes.
In this first episode of our 5-episode podcast, CIOs: The New Rising Rock Star, we start to explore why CIOs are in a unique position to own the new title of “Corporate Rock Star.” 
“We use this term the new corporate rock star to reflect the fact that in the past CIOs often had a supporting role,” says Greg Douglass, who leads Accenture’s Technology Strategy and Advisory business. “They were a supporting player in the band, standing and maybe outside of the limelight, just doing their job and doing it well. But the combination of the pandemic and massive advances in cloud computing and data capabilities have really given CIOs a new position in their in their corporate structure.”
In fact, Greg and his first guest, Kevin T. Hart, CEO at Segra and former executive vice president, chief product and technology officer for Cox Communications, believe CIOs are positioned to take charge and lead the way. The reason? Their unique tech expertise and holistic view across the business.
“I've always said that the CIO role is one of the best seats in the house from a corporate perspective,” says Kevin. “And the reason is, you see the entire enterprise every single day. You're really involved; from quote-to-cash, and supporting sales, operations, finance, and HR. From that perspective, having to understand the functional goals and challenges across the company really helps prepare you for a bigger role such as CEO.”
Listen in to learn all the details, including Greg and Kevin’s insights on how today’s CIOs can add add value and ensure success.

The CIOs: The New Rising Rock Star podcast features Greg Douglass, who leads Tech Strategy and Advisory at Accenture, offering insightful advice that every CIO can use for personal growth and enterprise success.