EY-CIOs-Born-to-be-digital

Section 4Routes to the top:the career paths ofdigital-ready CIOsThe digital-ready CIOs that are most engaged in the businessshow high levels of satisfaction in their status, careerprospects and ability to influence the corporate strategy.These CIOs also show several key differences in theirapproach to their personal development and career choices,most importantly around ensuring a multidisciplinaryapproach to their education and work experience.It is clear that digital CIOs take a different approach to tackling theirroles. But this research also reveals how they actively plan andshape their career paths — and how much they enjoy their jobs.High job satisfactionThe first thing to point out is that digital-ready CIOs appreciate theopportunity they hold: 64% are either content to stay in theircurrent position, or are simply seeking out a bigger CIO role. This isa similar proportion to other IT-intensive industry CIOs, but diggingdeeper reveals a much stronger core satisfaction with theirpositions and prospects. Across all elements of their jobs, theyexpress greater satisfaction with their work than their IT-intensiveindustry peers do. This is especially striking in three areas:• Their ability to influence corporate strategy, which is vital givenhow much this is a core part of their job: 60% find this stronglysatisfying, compared with 45% of IT-intensive industry CIOs.• The potential for future career development: 54% are stronglysatisfied, compared with 43% of IT-intensive industry CIOs.• Their status: 59% are strongly satisfied with how others in thebusiness perceive their role, versus 45% of IT-intensive industryCIOs. This is unsurprising, given that they are more often calledupon for advice by executives in the rest of the business.30 | Born to be digital