The More Corporate It Leaders, The Greater The Need To Coexist
CIO, Friday, October 24th, 2025
CTO, CISO, CDO, CAIO - the number of senior roles aligned with the CIO is growing. CIOs in SMEs still consolidate responsibilities, but in larger businesses, the separation of roles is more defined, putting greater responsibility on CIOs to orchestrate collaboration so objectives and quality of services combine to fulfil business value.
On a global average, CIOs hold 1.8 different positions, according to Foundry's State of the CIO 2025 survey. So while some see themselves strictly as CIOs, others take on CTO, CISO, chief innovation officer, or COO duties. Responsibilities for data and AI management are increasing as well, so roles of CDO and CAIO are part of the CIO orbit, too.
In larger companies, these positions are more independent, where the CIO is supported by other tech positions, so collaborating effectively with colleagues and managing relationships without encroaching on territory are growing skills required by the modern CIO.