<p>The line between Business and Technology is increasingly becoming blurred. Digital Innovation and adoption have left no other choice. In this evolving landscape, the roles of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) and a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) have exceedingly changed. Let’s take a closer look at how this new environment has given more power to these two highly sought-after profiles. <b>CTOs have a bigger role to play than ever before</b> If the proposition that ‘Technology is King’ is true for an organization, then it is safe to state that a CTO plays the role of ‘Kingmaker’. The fact that this position was a fringe, a decade ago, is a testament to the fact that business operations have taken a 360-degree turn today. The role of CTO has become such a key for organizations that even the White House appointed its very first CTO, Aneesh Chopra in 2009. In most companies, a CTO runs an engineering team while also keeping the customer, end product, and revenue growth in focus. They also play a crucial role as technical evangelists. Cutting-edge technologies are ruling businesses, the SaaS companies are changing the landscape of business; at this crucial time, a Chief Technology Officer in an organization has to make sure effective incorporation of advanced technology to compete. <b>CIOs are no longer in the backseat</b> The roles of the Chief Information Officer and Chief Innovation Officer have merged. Traditionally, the role of a CIO would be to compile and interpret data on corporate technology. Once the gathered data becomes relevant information, the CIO would implement procedures on strategic planning, operational efficiency, and more. If we have to draw a strawman, a CIO would be a person who takes a backseat when it comes to running the business. However, the modern era has changed the rulebook. Catalyzed by the fact that businesses need to grow and adapt at a faster rate than ever before, a Chief Information Officer takes on the internal role of a Chief Innovation Officer. The CIOs have to upgrade their skills, pace up to the innovative ideas of the time and also make sure that the organization is coherently evolving. <b>The contrast between a CIO and CTO</b> One of the stark differences between these two profiles is that a CIO generally plays a more introspective role within the company whereas a CTO functions from an external standpoint. A Chief Information Officer monitors the day-to-day operations; while, the Chief Technology Officer has to view the bigger picture and structure the frameworks, by incorporating the latest technologies or modifications and update the existing applications. In larger organizations, it would be safe to say that the CIO manages IT infrastructure and the CTO manages the business’s technology architecture. However, when resources are unavailable, a CTO generally absorbs the responsibilities of a CIO. Coming to the skill requirements, the technical knowledge of the CTO should be off the charts in multiple domains. If you are building one of the world’s best tech companies, you should ideally have one of the world’s best CTOs. However, a CIO doesn’t need to be that tech-savvy. CIOs need to possess organizational skills, managerial skills. It is often the case that CIOs are chosen to be employees with experience within the company while it is common to hire a CTO externally. And thus, it becomes imperative to hire the most suitable CTOs and Tech Leaders with not just the right acumen but mapped by the right profiling, one who is in tune with the organization’s vision, strategy and goals. With years of industry experience and singular domain focus, Purple Quarter understands the ‘hit or miss’ criticality of the right Tech Leadership hire for businesses. <h3><strong>Authored by Pratheek. V</strong></h3></p>
Read More
<p>Almost two years back we were living in a world that seems completely different from the one that we live in today. The COVID-19 outbreak has forced us to change the lenses through which we look at companies and individuals. It is a story of one such company and one individual who had united by their altered perspectives. In May 2019, Purple Quarter was engaged with a SaaS giant for a Tech Leadership role. The firm was almost on the verge of becoming a Unicorn, a feat they still aspire to today. We introduced them to a tech leader that in our opinion was a perfect fit for the company. He had a couple of decades of experience in product-based SaaS companies and was then working for a company valued less than 5 times the one he was applying for. Even though the tech leader had job offers in multi-billion dollar companies overseas, staying in India was his top priority. There is no denying that the SaaS giant’s leadership position he was gunning for has one of the best tech infrastructures in the country thus, in India, was one of the biggest targets for people with similar profiles. However, the company was on an upward trajectory and wanted people with experience in larger firms. Another reason for the mismatch of the profile was that the tech leader wanted a remote work option to stay close to his family when necessary. Hence, the tech leader stayed in the same company and the mandate for the role also died down. Fast forward to May 2020. While most companies were struggling to find a revenue stream, this particular firm, like many other SaaS companies, saw an opportunity to expand and grow. They needed urgent leaders to run their expanding business. However, this time, they were looking at candidates with more agility, flexibility, people with hands-on experience with scale, people who are not afraid to come out of their comfort zone to try new things. Remote working was another area where the perspective of the SaaS firm changed along with the entire world. Company functions that were never imagined previously became possible, pivot to remote roles being one such stark shift. Unlike many on-premise systems, SaaS infrastructure has profited from the work-from-home trend. SaaS solutions, which help keep connections tight, have suddenly found themselves in a unique position to benefit remote workers. We received a mandate to close the leadership position as soon as possible. Typically, a role of such stature takes around 60 days to close. But Purple Quarter knew exactly where to go. In just 30 days of the revised mandate, we were working on onboarding the Tech Leader in the SaaS giant. It is truly commendable how quickly the SaaS major adapted to the ‘New Normal’ and got the same Tech Leader onboard in under a month. The swiftness is truly a testament to their leadership team, their TA leader, and the Tech Leader’s adaptability to the new scenario. This is just one case study of a company changing its outlook to accommodate a post-COVID-19 worldview. Now, we have numerous such examples to attest to this post-COVID tech hiring landscape.<h3><strong>Authored by Pratheek. V</strong></h3></p>
Read MoreReceive exclusive updates and insights directly in your inbox.
