CIO Forum: 'It's OK to work in tech,' say CIOs

Heads of IT are more aware than ever of the need to change and bring themselves in line with the business, however the business must also learn to meet them halfway according to a number of leading CIOs who said it's time to stop apologising for being technical.

Delegates at this year's silicon.com CIO Forum in central London heard from a number of high-profile CIOs how they balance the need to communicate with the business while managing technological challenges.

Darin Brumby, CIO of First Group, told delegates businesses are often to blame for their CIOs' apparent lack of ambition - suggesting the board's focus on the CIO "keeping a steady state within the maintenance area of IT" in "the engine room" limits the potential to work with other areas of the business.

Yet often it is the CIO who ends up apologising for being focused on IT.

Ian Cohen, CIO of Associated Newspapers, said: "As a profession we are great apologists.

"The marketing guy doesn't apologise for talking marketing and the CFO doesn't apologise for using CFO speak and the CIO does not have to apologise for being an expert in technology.

"We need to take this albatross from around our necks and say it's OK to work in technology."

While Neil Cameron, global CIO of Unilever, conceded the CIO must be introspective and question his or her own ability to communicate with other areas of the business, he said the board must meet their CIO halfway.

In return for dropping confusing acronyms and tech speak, Cameron said the board must also humanise its CIO.

He said: "I am the IT guy. But there is a need to wean the board off that way of looking at it. To the board I will always be the IT guy."

First Group's Brumby agreed the board must understand the benefits that IT specifically can deliver and should embrace it.

Margaret Smith former CIO of Legal & General, agreed self-analysis and work on methods of communication will be essential.

She said: "We often criticise vendors for the way they talk to us but we should probably have a good look at ourselves because that's probably the way we talk to the business."