Enabling tech executives to lead the integration race

CIO (Chief Information Officer) and CDO (Chief Data Officer) skillsets should be in higher demand in the boardroom today. However, the reality is that senior technology executives in most companies still lack a permanent presence at board level.

Digital transformation has opened boardroom doors to both CIOs and CDOs, boosting their importance at senior executive level. Although only a small fraction have reached board positions, their number is steadily increasing. CEOs are becoming more interested in the changes brought on by digital transformation, as they now understand that this transformation will only be successful if effectively led from the top. This change in mindset is also cascading down through the organisation to second and third levels of management.

Digital natives: friend or foe?

Digital natives present a radical change in the study of innovation. Their emergence has brought down costs and prices, empowered users and revolutionized ways of working in companies and the market in general. Younger generations have internalized the language of online, whether it is via computer, mobile or the Internet. This has led to a different type of communication and companies should adapt to this change of culture. For traditional business or companies this change is more complex and can subsequently be a problem for them attracting such talent. Natives want flexibility, project work and remote working - so it is really important to involve the role of HR when mastering how to best integrate this demographic. The CDO or CTO Director must lead by example with HR to start changing culture at the company. The CEO should have a top down view and support initiatives to make positive changes. Effort is required by organizations and digital natives. The inclusion of digital natives within companies enables everyone to jointly learn new or different ways of doing things, which when managed effectively can have a huge impact. These cultural changes need to be more than just technology driven and refer to a change of mindset of all employees to create a real shift.

Technology leadership has changed a great deal

Today, technology has become integrated in all aspects of business. Therefore, leaders in all areas need to be technology aware. For example, no marketing strategy is complete today without taking into account how a company will approach social media, which has radically changed the communication channels between customers and businesses. Additionally, all business areas need to be data conscious nowadays, by identifying sources of data which can be used to refine their strategy, whether it´s in product development, customer support or sales. And finally, data privacy is another area where all board level executives have to manage on an ongoing basis.

How technology is impacting executive search

Just ten years ago headhunting was carried out very differently. Virtually every single contact with candidates was done via email, phone and existing consolidated relationships. All of this lengthened recruitment processes considerably. Our sector has also been transformed by new technology and communication channels. Thanks to professional social networks, process lead times have been significantly reduced and access to candidates has been made easier. Headhunters need to adapt management styles accordingly too. Good IT directives and IT profiles are in demand. A headhunter must have strong knowledge about the market, the candidates and the technologies required – at the same time the change is taking place in society. Companies should therefore work with a specialised headhunter, as opposed to a generalist, to attract the best talent possible for any given market.