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HotTopics.ht and Okta are delighted to announce the winners of the Global CIO 100, 2021.
The list celebrates and showcases excellence, resilience and innovation with the CIO community, globally, during a time of unprecedented change and worldwide upheaval brought about by the pandemic. It features technology leaders from all over the world, with equality in mind: there is an even split between male and female technologists—one of the first CIO list of its kind to do so.
The role and purpose of the CIO was already on a trajectory of exposure and growth, even before businesses the world over were forced to adapt to working from home. Technology—and its vast ecosystem of tools, solutions, services, capabilities and terms—is now the centerpiece of business. It’s custodian, the CIO, has had to rise to meet the demands of technology’s value; and so, from the back-office of the technology department to the boardroom and the face of transformation, has the CIO made its play. Assessing the top 100 CIOs in the world allows us also to understand the 100 businesses making best use of technology, people and business structure precisely because those three tenets now fall increasingly under the jurisdiction of the CIO.
It is also important to frame the continuing importance of the CIO in reference that go beyond traditional perceptions. The list recipients are from all around the world as the distribution of technology, innovation, sector-specific work and leadership is democratized. And of course female technology leaders make up 50 percent of the final list as it is vital we as an industry keep up the momentum of driving for a more diverse technology and innovation sector, with the aim of creating a more inclusive—and more innovative—environment.
Our Judges
To help HotTopics.ht and Okta define the top 100 from our communities’ nominations, we are grateful to count as our official Judges:
Fumbi Chima, CIO, BECU;
Joanna Drake, CIO, The Hut Group;
Caroline Sands, Partner and Head of CIO Technology Practice, Odgers Berndston;
and Mark Chillingworth, Editor, FT Live.
Defining the CIO 100
They spent time carefully considering the wealth of talent collected during the official nomination process by factoring in the following details:
- Currently a CIO or equivalent; leading a technology team with international and/or global remit.
- Shown transformational leadership throughout their term, combining business acumen with innovative strategies in creative or unique ways.
- Proved resilient during the ongoing disruption of 2020 onwards, showcasing the value of the technology team for the business in and out of times of crisis.
- Demonstrated empathetic leadership, and is proactively evolving their team’s experience in mental wellbeing and productivity.
- Working to further the purpose of their business and the world, for a healthier, greener, happier working and living environment.
May we offer our congratulations to the Top 100 for their placement and our thanks to our Judges who worked hard curating such a fantastic list of CIOs, and to our partner Okta.
