CIO opinion
CIO OPINION
“
THERE’S ONE
KEY DEPENDENCE THAT
BOTH PARTIES SHARE; THE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR RISK
AND COMPLIANCE IN THE
ORGANISATION.
//////////////////
Chris Pope, VP of Innovation at ServiceNow
How CIOs can build
stronger, more valuable
relationships with CFOs
The well-known saying,
‘there’s no I in team’,
springs to mind when
hearing about how the
strength of the relationship
between a CIO and CFO
can determine the success
of a business and its
Digital Transformation
journey. Chris Pope, VP of
Innovation at ServiceNow,
discusses the importance
of CIOs building and
maintaining effective
relationships with
their CFOs.
46
INTELLIGENTCIO
W
hen it comes to maximising
the business benefits of IT,
the most successful projects
always share key attributes such as careful
planning against clear objectives and an
appreciation for the importance of people
and process, not just technology. According to a report from Financial
Times Focus, the CIO is considered
the C-suite leader most able to drive
change – but to do so, they must be able
to communicate with the rest of the
business and stakeholders effectively,
including the CFO.
However, before this can happen, the
CIO needs to overcome the keen eye of
the CFO. The relationship between the
two needs to be closely aligned and this
means going beyond just agreeing on
budgets. They have to work together to
ensure the organisation meets the needs
of all parties involved – shareholders,
partners, employees and customers alike. So, here are some tips for CIOs on how to
communicate better and form efficient
relationships with their CFOs:
While it’s understandable for there to
be tension between the CIO and CFO,
pulling the rope in opposite directions
accomplishes very little.
Ensure you’re speaking the
same language
While CIOs are most often the ones
found leading Digital Transformation
projects, it’s still a vast process made
from many moving parts and requires
input from leaders across the company.
The CFO’s main contribution to IT is still
enforcing cost discipline as opposed to
www.intelligentcio.com