Greg Babe, CEO, Bayer Corp said recently: “It has become critically important that the CIO be at the executive table, acting as a business influencer who can advise me and be trusted to help us come to the right conclusions in achieving our business goals.”

Ongoing research and analysis within the CIO Executive Council confirms that CIOs and their IT organisations need to evolve from traditional internally focused functional heads of IT to business strategists or the future of the profession is at risk. Progressive CEOs and business leaders understand the unique value these transformational CIOs bring to the enterprise. This is the future-state of the profession and how it will sustain itself as a valued executive position according to the Council community.

There’s a great article on this, called “What the CEO wants from the CIO“. It makes fascinating reading. More to the point – it makes sense!