Technology Vendors Lead The Way In Appointing New Cadre Of CIO And They Happen To Be Women

Adobe, Cloud Software Group, Netskope, Nutanix, Salesforce, Schneider Electric, and SUSE are among the biggest names in enterprise technology and seven vendors, all of whom have female CIOs. In my 14 years as CTO and CTO, I can't remember a time when the vertical market had so many leading women in technology.

So what has changed? And what does this mean for both the enterprise technology sector and diversity in the CIO role? Diginomica spoke to three of these executives about their roles, as well as industry experts, and asked if any fundamental changes are underway.

Despite the importance of gender, the main reason behind this trend is the evolution of the role and responsibilities of the IOC. As Wendy Pfeiffer, CIO of cloud technology provider Nutanix said:

My job is to combine practical knowledge with technology, so it's a diverse role and in that sense it's typical of female leaders. They are not, although they are distinctly feminine features.

Originally from California, Yalda Mirzai was CIO EMEA at CA Technologies from 2017-2020 and is now the global vice president of technology and innovation at B-Corp, consumer goods company Danone, agrees with Pfeiffer. Mersay says:

It's dangerous to generalize because leadership qualities aren't rigidly defined, but being a leader requires a very high level of emotional intelligence (EQ), and women tend to bring that to the table.

She says the number of female CEOs at enterprise provider companies reflects a broader shift in society:

This correction on a macro level was inevitable given the growing awareness in the tech community of equal opportunity.

Along with societal changes, a shift is happening within retailers that prompted Ilona Simpson to join cybersecurity technology provider Netskope earlier this year after a career in manufacturing, supply chain, and retail businesses. Of her role as CIO EMEA, she says:

Investments in technology are increasing because of its importance to products, business models, and processes. Being at the forefront of shaping technology as an industry that will in turn empower many companies and influence the future of an essential area for organizations and society (cyber security in my case) means having an impact on a whole other level. It is intense, challenging and very rewarding.

She believes the CTO role is becoming increasingly important and working for a technology provider gives her the skills to become one.

gender roles

As the skills required of the modern CIO change, female CIOs at the helm of big tech companies see their gender as less important. As Simpson says:

I was not hired for the beauty of being a woman. They were looking for specific skills and experience.

Nutanix's Pfeiffer adds:

I've spent most of my career not really thinking about my type, but about what interests me.

She says the tokenism is there and DSIs can use it to their advantage. Pfeiffer adds:

I would not be a member of the councils on which I sit if it were not one of my characteristics that I am a woman. But that's not why I took the job. So I considered. And I carried the role through my performance.

Coach John Madden talks about everyone who gets an unfair advantage in life. In tech companies, I've had the opportunity and advantage to look into it. We must take advantage of any unfair advantage we have.

Former CIO of CA Technologies Mirzai talked about raising awareness in the community and leveling the playing field that needs to happen and there is no doubt that it is happening in business. Pfeiffer agrees, adding:

Because of the way the world and situations are changing, there is a greater desire for diverse boards. Millennials and Gen Zs value the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) of the companies they buy from. People buy in principle, and this is important.

Board members set themselves goals for greater diversity in management teams and in the entire workforce. The dynamics of the tech business have changed, risk sharing and collaboration are essential, and this in turn has led to changes in leadership styles that have benefited the right kind of leaders. Mersay says:

Big tech companies have grown exponentially by relying on “customer success” and harnessing it takes a lot of ingenuity. This leadership sensitivity to getting into the hearts and minds of organizations and their customers is common. This is CIO today.

Barnaby Parker, CEO of global technology recruiting firm Venquis, says diversity goals are good for both the company looking for a new CTO and the recruiter:

Quotas are a differentiator and will result in more female CIOs. There is a lot that can be said for providing a broader perspective on the recruitment process.

Mirzai adds that the tech industry isn't afraid to tackle the diversity agenda:

When you see one, two, or three great leaders, opportunities accelerate for other companies to follow suit and that momentum builds. We all know the stats, and diversity is good business in the boardroom and maybe even in the break room.

impact on employment

This cultural shift has an inevitable effect on recruiters and the hiring process. As Diginomica recently reported, Nash Squared's annual Digital Leadership Report found a slight improvement in diversity, with 14% of co-leaders and 23% of technology teams now being women. Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared says:

“Gender diversity is improving and that's great. But it will take until 2060 to find a balance. So we need to focus more on that.

According to Venquis' Parker, the job specification has changed to reflect a greater awareness of the importance of diversity, but also new skills that companies are looking for:

The CIO role is more of a real leadership role than managing technology to expand the audience you can address.

This led to some early improvements in the pipeline. Despite these important improvements, attracting candidates is only part of the job.

The long-term

The C-Suite sets the long-term trend for diversity, but as Nutanix's Pfeiffer puts it:

Engaging in and accessing a diverse workforce is challenging. Every year we hold ourselves to certain standards, but we have to learn along the way. We've been tracking percentages across the company, which is important, but we didn't understand the role of equity and engagement to begin with. Now I focus on that, and we have an interracial group of women and a senior leadership pipeline.

Mirzai adds that as a leader, your organization expects you to do something to promote diversity, regardless of your gender. Says:

I have a KPI to make sure I have gender, cultural and disability diversity on my leadership team and we try to measure ourselves against multiple levels of diversity.

One aspect of diversity that is of interest, she says, has the potential to be a tide that raises all diversity boats: Mirzai says:

Gender tracing has favored all forms of diversity. What matters is that it is done, it is conscious and thoughtful.

My opinion

Over the past couple of years, I've spent a lot of time in the data society, where diversity—at all levels—is healthier than technology. As mentioned above, the CIO role has evolved into a true leadership role consisting of an excellent team builder and consultant who can understand all areas of the organization and then orchestrate technology for the benefit of the business.

This seems to have been happening since 2010 and has been in favor of female IT managers; Enterprise technology leaders should be commended for recognizing the new generation of leaders they are looking for and not being afraid to be more diverse. The challenge now is that another market vertical can match and then outperform the technology providers.

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