Hello and a very warm welcome to our latest edition of smarterCIO – the magazine for Chief Information Officers and IT leaders across the region.
Regular readers will know that our mission is to share the latest technology and leadership insights to help create and educate a community of current CIOs and those aspiring to move into the role.
In this issue we’re focusing on a topic that has surely been on every business leader's mind over recent months (perhaps even years) – thriving through uncertainty. Or, to put it another way, how can companies not only survive the challenges facing them at every turn, but actually come out the other end in a stronger position relative to their competitors? We explore this and the role technology (and thus the CIO) play in this critical narrative.
In business we’ve learned in recent years that change is a constant, and businesses of all sizes must continually evolve to meet the new challenges that emerge at every turn. But while many organisations are now better placed to face, or even embrace change, it’s the uncertainty that most destabilises many businesses. Economic, political, societal, environmental and technological uncertainties create a jumble of issues that can leave business leaders feeling attacked from all sides, struggling to make sense of where and how to take their organisation forward. Crisis-on-crisis leaves many feeling that defence is the best position to take, to hunker down and wait for the storms to pass. Despite the vast array of macro challenges facing organisations, the fact remains that digitisation is still a major priority for business leaders.
The fact remains that digitisation is still a major priority for business leaders.
The journey from legacy ways of working to digital core systems must go on, even if the terrain remains rocky.
Leaders need to become resilient if companies are to weather these storms and business ‘resilience is the ability to not only recover quickly from a crisis but to bounce back better – and even thrive’. (McKinsey, ‘What is resilience?’, January 2023).
McKinsey refers to this as ‘ambidextrous leadership’, where CxOs take the necessary defensive measures such as conserving cash while going on the offensive through innovation, creating value despite volatility and setting up their organisations to thrive in a changing world.
Resilience is more than just the ability to recover from macro-changes.
In this issue of smarterCIO, you’ll hear first-hand from a range of experts tackling these uncertain times, bringing you the insight and interesting thoughts that can support your own journeys through the current environment and emerge in a stronger place at the other end.
Experienced Tech Journalist and Commentator Martin Veitch joins us to discuss how CIOs should be thinking and planning for an uncertain year. Next, we hear directly from those facing the storm head on, as tech leaders from Cushman & Wakefield, Designit and On Running share their thoughts. Stefan Bayer, Senior Vice President IT for Function Services at Siemens Healthineers, discusses how the 68,000-employee company is streamlining – and strengthening – its fragmented IT infrastructure.
We’ll also hear from Deloitte on how IT leaders should create the skills and road map for transitioning to the CIO role. While PwC executives discuss how technology investment during a downturn can actually drive efficiency and cost savings, even if the idea appears on the surface to be counterintuitive.
As always, our aim for smarterCIO is that it provides you with insights, opinions and discussion around the key leadership, business and technology topics that are relevant to you and your role in modern business.
We look forward to you joining the conversation. Please give us your feedback, suggest new ideas, offer your own expertise and insight. We can’t wait to hear from you.
Grant CurrieEditor-in-Chief
Contents
A CIO plan for an uncertain yearRead Now
Changemakers share five ways to champion changeRead Now
Unifying a fragmented global HR landscapeRead Now
Reevaluating ERP: Paving a way forwardRead Now
CIOs, CTOs and technology leadersRead Now
Charting your course: Transitioning to the CIO roleRead Now
Hilti’s HR transformation unlocks efficiencies
Read Now
Welcome to the conversation
If you’ve got ideas of your own, or you’re interested in sharing your expertise and insight, we’d love to hear from you.Get in Touch
