At the global software company SAP, for example, Americas CIO Chart 6 Michael Golz is clear on how digital has transformed the inner Attributes required to perform best in the CIO role workings of the business. “When I look at the sales and marketing organization, the amount of automation and data-driven information that they use in their daily business is magnitudes Designing and executing 83% bigger than just a couple of years ago,” he says. Via mobile apps business strategy 67% and analytics, IT provides real-time information about the health of Technological skills and 75% the business at any given moment. “If we were to take this away, I know-how on IT trends 65% would not know how we’d run this business. It takes out risk. It takes Deeper insight into the industry or key 70% out a lot of the variations. It gives us insight into new opportunities geographical markets for your business 52% to cross-sell or up-sell,” he says. 67% As this implies, the ability to deliver on this vision is just as Financial management skills important as the vision itself. “You shouldn’t talk about your vision 57% if you’re not able to execute on it,” says Nykredit’s Mathiesen. When Digital-ready CIO IT-intensive industry CIO asked what attributes are most needed to help them stand out in (Percentage of respondents who have chosen 8, 9 or 10 on a scale from 1 = not needed at all their roles, digital-ready CIOs place far more importance on the to 10 = absolutely needed) ability to design and execute business strategy. More than 8 out of 10 (83%) place a high focus on this, compared with just 67% of IT-intensive industry CIOs. Digital-ready CIOs are also far more likely to recognize the breadth of skills needed to succeed in the role: they place more importance on their close understanding of their market or industry (70% “ When I look at the sales and compared with 52% of IT-intensive industry CIOs), on their financial skills (67% versus 57%), and on their technological know-how (75% marketing organization, the versus 65%). “Just as importantly, this needs to be backed up with ruthless execution, which means CIOs need to really get their amount of automation and delivery organization in order,” says EY’s Tom Velema. data-driven information that they use in their daily business is magnitudes bigger than just a couple of years ago.” Michael Golz, CIO Americas, SAP Born to be digital | 21