At some point, quite inevitably, every business turns. Such as acquisitions, cost pressures and changes in consumer demand, have the potential to fundamentally reshape how enterprises do business. Given the cut throat competitive times like these, fragile enterprises suffer permanent structural damage. However, fit enterprises, however, emerge from these setbacks, stronger and more competitive.

What makes the difference? Fit enterprises have CIOs who help their organization align, anticipate and adapt.

CIOs may have different avatars; from Head IT to IT Director. However, there is something peculiar about a CIO. IT directors tend to be focused on day-to-day operations, while CIOs are outward-facing and more concerned with strategy and leadership. Some IT directors, in fact, report to CIOs, especially those working for large, multinational organizations at a country or regional level who sit beneath a global peer. Not all organizations will have a CIO: smaller businesses use the job title IT director for their head of technology. Indeed, when it comes to technology executives, the picture concerning job titles is often far from clear.

The CIO runs IT and the CIO changes IT. As much as they would like to spend less time in the IT department on day-to-day processes, many CIOs still keep an eye on the data centre to ensure systems and services are up and running as well as understanding technology trends. When something technical goes wrong at the weekend, it is likely to be the CIO who gets the call, even if someone else ultimately has the duty of fixing the problem. While the rest of the business talks about the importance of game-changing digital transformation, most CIOs recognize they will be judged first and foremost on their ability to do the basics right. A grand e-business strategy will fail if the CIO neglects to ensure that cybersecurity or business continuity is taken seriously, for example.

The idea is: CIOs are synonymous to IT and its problems.

As for us, it was long overdue that we come up with an edition that truly speaks of our spirit and interests in CIOs. Therefore, here we are throwing light on few extraordinary rainmakers of IT.

Do let us know what you think.