"It has to start at the top level but, even with the best support from the CEO, if I don’t have the rest of the business aligned with me and trusting me, I will fail."

Maureen Osborne Global CIO, Ernst & Young

Nearly 72% of CIOs rated the need to build relationships and trust with key internal stakeholders as highly important.

With whom should the CIO seek to develop stronger relationships?

• The CEO and CFO: CIOs hold the closest relationship with the CFO, but recognize the CEO as a key position for their overall career development.
• Beyond the C-suite: Leading CIOs pointed out the importance of developing links across a wide range of key internal stakeholders, beyond just the C-suite.
• The right-hand: A final internal relationship is the CIO’s key delegate or protégé, who is able to run the majority of the operational side of IT on their behalf. This is most typically the company’s IT director or IT manager.
• External relationships: This spans the regulatory community, analysts, the company’s clients and the media. Few CIOs today regard these as crucial relationships. Overall, the relationship gap is most apparent with the media.

Relevance of internal stakeholder relationships for CIO

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