CIO salaries top £100k

CIOs are enjoying a bumper payday, with average salaries up £20,000 since last year.

Top tech execs are gaining increased responsibility and strategic influence - which is being reflected in rising salaries.

According to research by recruitment company Harvey Nash, the proportion of CIOs sitting on company boards has gone up from 43 per cent last year to 46 per cent this year.

And 76 per cent of the 500 CIOs who participated in the survey, agreed that their responsibilities had become more strategic.

Reflecting this expanding role, the average CIO salary has risen to £104,000 - a £20,000 increase over last year.

Simon La Fosse, director and head of CIO practice at Harvey Nash said CIOs "appear to be in rude health" and "are increasingly addressing business challenges as an integral part of the executive team".

The survey also suggested companies are better at integrating IT into their business: 59 per cent of respondents said they were well-integrated, up 18 per cent on last year.

The extent of outsourcing was also revealed with 85 per cent of CIOs saying that they outsource, with an average of 24 per cent of IT budget going towards outsourcing projects.

India remains the number one location for off-shoring operations, although Brazil, Romania and Vietnam also play a role.

But a gender gap remains - with only eight per cent of CIOs being women.