Why CIOs and CTOs Are Becoming Enterprise Leaders

In 2013, while interviewing Ted Turner at the Georgia Technology Summit during his induction into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame, I asked him what it was like to be a billionaire.

His response was immediate: “Well, you’re not a billionaire, so you wouldn’t know.”

Someone could say the same about my perspective on the evolving role of CIOs and CTOs: “Well, you’re not one, so you wouldn’t know.” Fair enough.

While I never aspired to become a technology executive, I’ve spent more than two decades working alongside technology leaders. Today, as President and Managing Partner of Retained, I recruit CIOs and CTOs for organizations navigating growth, transformation, and change. That experience has given me a unique perspective on what CEOs, boards, and investors now expect from technology leadership.

CIOs and CTOs are becoming enterprise leaders because technology now influences nearly every major business priority, from growth and customer experience to workforce productivity, risk, and enterprise value. 

 

The New Technology Leadership Mandate 

A decade ago, technology leaders were primarily measured by operational excellence. They maintained infrastructure, protected the organization, managed budgets, and delivered projects successfully. 

Today, those responsibilities are table stakes. 

Organizations now expect CIOs and CTOs to help drive growth, transformation, innovation, and competitive advantage. Technology has become a primary driver of enterprise value, which means technology leaders are increasingly expected to help shape business strategy. 

This shift is reflected in the priorities of business leaders. Gartner’s 2025 CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey found that CEOs continue to prioritize growth while increasingly viewing AI as a force reshaping competition, operating models, and workforce strategy. 

AI further illustrates the changing mandate. According to McKinsey’s 2025 State of AI report, 88% of organizations regularly use AI in at least one business function, yet only approximately one-third have begun scaling their AI initiatives across the enterprise. 

The primary challenge is not whether organizations can adopt new technology; it’s turning those investments into measurable business outcomes.

That requires a leader who understands both the technology and the enterprise it supports. 

 

The Human Side of Technology Leadership 

As technology becomes more important to business success, leadership capabilities are becoming just as important as technical expertise. 

Serena Sacks-Mandel, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Gwinnett County Public Schools, believes one of the biggest changes has been how organizations define performance and leadership: 

“Organizations increasingly measure success by outcomes and impact rather than hours worked or activity. Employees at all levels are expected to communicate clearly, build relationships across teams, and contribute to a positive customer or stakeholder experience. There is also a growing emphasis on adaptability, continuous learning, and the ability to navigate change. Leaders are expected to be visible, transparent, responsive, and skilled at listening and building trust.” 

Her observations reflect what we see in executive search. 

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that 39% of workers’ core skills will change by 2030. For CIOs and CTOs, adaptability, communication, and change management are no longer secondary capabilities. They are central to the role. 

Technology transformation ultimately requires people to change how they work. A platform can be implemented successfully from a technical perspective and still fail to create value if employees do not understand, trust, or adopt it. 

The strongest technology leaders know how to create alignment, earn trust, and lead people through that change. 

 

When Innovation Moves Beyond IT 

Another major shift involves who builds and applies technology within an organization. 

Historically, business teams identified challenges and turned to IT to develop solutions. AI is rapidly blurring that distinction. 

Employees across functions can now build prototypes, automate workflows, and experiment with AI-powered tools independently. This creates opportunities for innovation, but it also introduces challenges related to governance, security, data quality, and accountability. 

Christopher Huff, Chief Information Officer at National Air Cargo, sees this as one of the most important changes affecting technology leaders: 

“As AI becomes embedded in daily workflows, business teams are increasingly building prototypes, automating processes, and participating in solution design at a much deeper level. We need to acknowledge and plan for these new employees (AI agents), while establishing the governance, security, and operational guardrails necessary to enable responsible innovation.” 

CIOs and CTOs cannot own every technology decision, nor should they become obstacles to experimentation. Instead, they must create the standards and guardrails that allow the business to innovate responsibly. 

The role is evolving from technology operator to enterprise orchestrator. 

 

Trading Technology Management for Business Outcomes

One of the most consistent themes we hear from boards, investors, and CEOs is that they are no longer hiring technology leaders simply to manage technology. They are hiring them to produce business results. 

The strongest candidates can discuss architecture, cybersecurity, AI, and data strategy while clearly explaining how those capabilities affect growth, customer experience, operational performance, risk, and enterprise value.

Equally important is their ability to communicate with technical teams, fellow executives, board members, investors, and employees. They translate complexity into clear business decisions and build alignment across functions they may not directly control.

That combination remains rare and increasingly valuable. 

 

Looking Ahead 

As technology becomes more deeply embedded in every aspect of business, the evolution of the CIO and CTO roles will continue. 

Historically, CFOs and COOs were often viewed as the most likely CEO successors. Increasingly, technology leaders are developing the enterprise-wide perspective boards seek in future chief executives. 

They understand how strategy, operations, talent, technology, customer experience, and risk intersect. They are also gaining experience leading enterprise transformation, allocating resources, advising boards, and influencing decisions across the organization. 

Not every CIO or CTO will aspire to become a CEO. However, organizations will increasingly expect their technology executives to operate with that level of enterprise awareness. 

The leaders who thrive over the next decade will combine technical fluency with business judgment, adaptability, and the ability to lead people through change. 

The next generation of CIOs and CTOs will not simply guide technology but help guide enterprises.