Breakthrough 2:
Transformative intent: with great opportunity comes great responsibility

Embracing expanding responsibilities

of respondents confirmed they are asked to take on more responsibility and an equal proportion said that they are subject to more scrutiny and pressure than ever.

The scope of the CIO’s role – and their ability to impact business transformation – is expanding, and this comes with an extended ecosystem to manage, both internally and externally.

Operational technologies (OT) are making their way into the IT space in Europe, and the CIO is asked to drive the integration and visibility of this business-critical tech so that costs can be optimized, risks managed, and key processes automated.

Europe’s IT leaders are embracing this expansion of their transformative potential, however. Only half shared concerns about their ability to deliver on the range and scale of IT initiatives at play.

Go-to AI experts

With emerging technology at the heart of every boardroom tech discussion, the CIO is called upon to distribute tech knowledge and advise on risks.

84% believe their role to be more specialized than others in the leadership team and 85% see themselves as the go-to for expertise when it comes to AI’s future role in their organization.

Prepared for the inevitable

It’s no surprise that in this report cyber-security comes out highest on the list of responsibilities; 75% feel that a cyber-attack is now a matter of “when” rather than “if”, while 83% acknowledge that the threat level of a cyber-attack has never been higher.

reported that they know their blind spots; another sign of the confidence and pragmatism we have come to expect.

A cyber-attack on our organization is a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’

True
False

The threat level of a cyber-attack has never been higher

True
False

It's difficult for our business units to see the whole picture…how the technology handles the information around the processes. There are only few people in our companies today that have the big picture that gives us an advantage.

José Antonio López, CIO, TOUS

Investing in cyber is now a ‘cost of doing business’.

Tony Mather, CIO, QinetiQ

I want to be a credible source of inspiration…our job is to be perceived as a credible partner…we speak the language of the business so that when people want to innovate, one of their first thoughts is of us.

Aaron Stafford, Director Security, Infrastructure & Application Services, ASICS

We are institutionalizing the concept of ‘fusion teams’ where business and technology collaborate seamlessly and visibly across the organization.

Bert Dillen, CIO, Mazda