CIO
What the role covers, how it changes with the company stage and the training that helps, then how interviews run and how to prepare for each step.
What a CIO actually does
The leader who runs the information systems of the company, from IT strategy and budgets to large programs, partners and risk at board level.
A chief information officer, or CIO, leads the information systems that the company runs on: business systems such as the ERP and the CRM, IT operations, workplace tools and the IT budget. They report to the CEO or the CFO.
The CIO sets the IT strategy and the roadmap of business systems, decides what to build, buy or outsource, and manages IT teams, partners and integrators. They lead large ERP and transformation programs.
They work with the CISO on security and risk, and more and more CIOs also own the governance of AI, including the rules of the EU AI Act in Europe.
- An executive meeting with the CEO or the CFO
- A steering committee on an ERP or transformation program
- A review of IT costs and contracts
- A meeting with a partner or an integrator
- A risk review with the CISO
The same title, very different scopes
Most CIO searches are defined first by the size and the sector of the company, then by the focus areas every CIO shares.
How the role changes with the company stage
The title stays the same, and the job changes a lot with the size and the stage of the company. Here is what changes from one stage to the next.
- Leads a small IT team and many partners
- Owns the ERP and the main business systems
- Works closely with the CEO or CFO
- Leads several IT teams and large programs
- Manages large budgets and contracts
- Sets the IT strategy with business leaders
- Leads IT across countries and business units
- Sets shared platforms and standards
- Balances group and local needs
- Answers to the board on IT risk and cost
- Works with audit, risk and regulators
- Shapes the IT strategy of the group
The paths into the role, and what really counts
For this role, companies look first at the programs you delivered and the budgets you managed. Education matters less than your track record, and some programs help at board level.
- Engineering school or master's in ITThe most common path in France, often followed by a business school program.
- Business school or MBAA common path for CIOs close to finance and operations.
- IT management firstMost CIOs were IT directors or heads of business systems before.
- Consulting or transformation firstLeaders from consulting and transformation programs also move into the role.
Our view: for this role, a program you delivered with business leaders and a budget you managed often say more than any certificate.
A conversation with a senior tech recruiter
Your first interview is with one of our senior tech recruiters, who knows the role, its scope and the company stages in this guide. The conversation covers your own leadership through real examples, and we handle these searches with particular discretion. Before the call, we send you the six themes we will cover so you can prepare your examples.
- What you owned yourselfThe IT organisations, programs or budgets you led, and your own part in the decisions.
- Your environment and its constraintsCompany size, sector, legacy systems, budget or regulation: what shaped your choices.
- The decisions you madeWhat to build, buy or outsource, and which programs first, the options you compared and the reasons for your choice.
- The impact of your workWhat changed thanks to your leadership, with numbers when you have them: costs, programs delivered, risks reduced or business results.
- How you work with other teamsYour work with the CEO, the CFO, business leaders, partners and your teams, and how you settle a disagreement.
- What you want nextThe kind of company, sector and scope you are looking for in your next role.
- Transformations delivered
- Vendor and budget management
- Partnership with business leaders
- Risk management
The same ground for every candidate. For a given role, every candidate answers the same final questions, built with the hiring manager around what the role really needs.
Ready for the next steps. After our call, we tell you how the company runs its interviews, who you will meet at each step and what each step is meant to assess.
What the company will assess, step by step
Each company runs its own process, and we walk you through its steps before you start. CIO processes often combine the steps below, and the depth expected at each step grows with the size of the role.
- Interviews with the CEO and the CFOSeveral conversations on your vision, your leadership and how you would work together.
- A strategic case or a 90-day planA real problem of the company, or your plan for your first 90 days, to present and discuss.
- Meetings with business leaders and the executive teamConversations with your future peers, and sometimes a board member or an investor.
- ReferencesCalls with people you worked with, often including informal references the company finds on its own.
- Large companyYou show how you lead large programs and manage big budgets and contracts.
- International groupYou show how you balance group and local needs across countries and business units.
- Listed companyYou show how you report to the board on IT risk and cost, and work with audit and regulators.
How to prepare as a CIO
Practical advice for each step of a CIO process, from the way you introduce yourself to the questions you ask at the end of each interview.
Start with the IT organisations and programs you led, their size and the results. Mention your context in one sentence, then close with what you want next.
For each one, prepare the context, the stakes, your decision, the options you set aside, the result and what you would change today.
Prepare your budget, your teams, your main programs and your IT costs, with how they changed during your time in the role.
Companies often ask for one, sometimes in writing. Keep it simple: what you would learn, what you would decide and what you would deliver first.
Leaders are often asked how AI changes their area. Prepare your view on AI governance and on the EU AI Act, with one decision you took.
Choose references who saw you lead, such as a former manager, a peer and someone from your team, and brief them before the calls.
- Walk us through a large program you delivered.
- How do you decide what to outsource?
- How do you reduce IT costs and keep the business moving fast?
- How do you report IT risk to the board?
- What does the CEO expect from the CIO in the first year?
- Which programs are running or planned?
- What is the IT budget, and how is it decided?
- How do IT and the business work together today?
- Who owns AI governance in the company?
- How are partners and integrators chosen?
Where CIOs come from, and where they go
The roles people most often hold before this one, and the ones they most often move to.
Many CIOs were IT directors before, and some go on to become chief digital officers or board members.