In less than five minutes, chief information officers with some of the most high-profile organizations in Canada recently explained to recruiting firm Hays how they got their current job, and more importantly, how they plan to make the most of it.
CIOs from Microsoft Canada, the City of Toronto and Kinross Gold Corp. are all part of “DNA of a CIO,” part of a series of clips produced by Hays Canada which also look at the role of CFOs and other senior management titles. Besides posting to YouTube, the company has been sharing the clip widely on social media to inspire similar individuals with the tag line, #WhatCouldYouBe?
According to David Cefai, CIO at Kinross Gold Corp., one of the biggest changes in IT leadership has come in part through the adoption of cloud computing. Given that many individuals aren’t necessarily looking after IT infrastructure themselves anymore, the level of business acumen for those working technology has to be signif higher.
“The soft skills become much more important,” he said, adding he enjoys positioning himself as a valuable resource to a wide range of people at Kinross. “I think what I like most is being the problem-solving guy, being the go-to guy when the business has a problem and they’re looking for a solution.”
Microsoft Canada CIO Steve Heck and City of Toronto CIO Rob Miekle, meanwhile, discuss the need to work with cross-functional teams, having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and much more. Watch the entire clip and tell us in the comments if these are the kind of comments that will help inspire the next generation of CIOs in Canada.
