Ever since the Y2K, the role of a CIO has been under constant evolution. With the intense spotlight of COVID-19 pandemic, it, however, is not an ideal environment to celebrate the twodecade milestone. Although the pandemic has presented a watershed moment from a CIO perspective. CIOs, especially newly appointed CIOs, need to comprehend the fact that the skill sets and traits you require have changed dramatically over the past year alone; not

to mention the constant change in harmony with the dynamic technology industry.

Something that was merely a facilitation infrastructure a few years ago, Information Technology has now emerged as the most important pillar enabling business continuity during the unfavorable business environment triggered by COVID-19. The mindset of organizations and people towards digital transformation has changed dramatically, thanks to the countless benefits on the table, ranging from business continuity to ease of working, and collaboration capabilities. While this presents an amazing opportunity for CIOs to play a pivotal role in the organization and contribute directly to its growth, it also poses enormous challenges – largely in terms of cyber threats.

Now that we are almost past the crisis mode, CIOs will continue to be the catalysts of organizational growth and drivers of business transformation, which implies that today’s CIO needs to know the business. This can be interpreted as having decisive acumen for operations and strategy, while cross-industry knowledge will become a bonus. Emotional intelligence and communication skills will guide them further forward in the roadmap of success. In this yearly special issue, CIO of the Year - 2021, we endeavor to elucidate the stories of some of the successful modern day CIOs.

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