C-Suite Perspectives / News

CIOs and CMOs should know enough about each other’s field of expertise to be interchangeable if they’re going to meet the modern needs of a customer-centric organisation, SAS’s global marketing chief claims.

One of the most significant relationships at a corporate executive level is that between a company’s CIO and the chief operating officer (COO). While each has a distinct rationale and focus, the two roles are more similar than you’d think and both face increasing pressures to drive innovation and business growth.

Forrester founder and CEO George Colony touted the shift from IT to business technology and urged CIOs to get closer to their marketing colleagues in the age of the customer.

There’s a new synergy happening in the boardroom, and while some CIOs are left floundering by fast-shifting demands for them to become more agile, customer-responsive and creative, most are finding that they have more in common with their new best mate, the chief marketing officer, than they ever suspected.

Sales and marketing departments are pushing the technology agenda in many organisations and CIOs that don’t work more closely with CMOs potentially risk diluting their value.

Does the board respect the CIO’s viewpoint? Are CIOs seen as ‘big picture’ people? Does the board see the CIO’s role as purely a technical one? Could a CIO ever be CEO? According to a recent survey, 54 per cent of CIOs have aspirations to use their role as a gateway to general business management positions, and many consider themselves as a contender for future chief executive.

Having the entire management team on side is vital to ensuring that agile business intelligence (BI) standards are met.

Have you friended your chief marketing officer yet? If you're like most CIOs, I'll bet not. Being Best Friends Forever with the CMO is still a ways off your radar screen.