6. David Levinson
Who you may ask? Think Independence Day. Think Jeff Goldblum. Think about an MIT-educated colleague capable of achieving the impossible. And then thank Angus MacDonald the Technical Director at Elcom, for bringing Levinson to our attention.
“Not only does he manage to save the President of the United States, decode the alien transmissions, identify the weak point in their network architecture, write a virus to bring down their shields and then personally deliver the virus -- along with a nuclear missile -- but he also reconciles with his wife and regains his faith in God, all in 72 hours!
“Now that’s exactly the sort of can-do attitude, raw brainpower, sheer dogged persistence and productivity we need in our developers.”
7. Ari Gold
The quintessential Type A personality from Entourage is the agent’s agent. Brash, time-conscious, and in your face, Gold has no time for niceties. He’s a doer, and this is why the former senior VP and department head of SMBC Leasing and Finance, Arun Manansingh -- whose responsibilities included IT -- wants Gold on his team.
“Why Ari? Because he gets things done and looks to the future,” Manansingh says. “He goes above and beyond the call of duty. He has boundaries that he will not cross, yet he tells you how it is and how it is going to be. You can trust him.”
8. Doctor Spock
The Reddog Technology CIO of few words Nathan Aherne doesn’t need time to think about his new recruit.
“Doctor Spock, because he is the King of the Nerds!”
9. Others
We brushed a nerve with this query and were swamped with suggestions, but not everyone wanted to go public with their idea.
“Miss Marple,” said one government CIO, “because she can solve any problem.”
“Edward Scissorhands,” said the CTO of a major vendor, “because we should all beware the anger of a patient man.”
“The current Miss Venezuela,” said a somewhat younger Technical Director at a financial services firm. “And for obvious reasons.”
“George Clooney,” said another. Presumably, also for obvious reasons.
But please spare some peer sympathy for the CIO of a healthcare company who is either a fan of fava beans and Chianti, or has simply had a year he’d rather forget.
“Hannibal Lecter.”
If you like this story, be sure to check out the other articles in CIO's "Numbers. . . " series, like
The 7 Quickest Ways for a CIO to Become Boardroom Roadkill
7 Favourite Pieces of Personal Technology for CIOs
6 Things That Should Be in the CFO's Budget -- Not Mine!
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