Chief Information Officers increasingly important in Southeast Asia

Pacific Bridge, Inc. - Asian HR Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 10 (October 2, 2008)

Throughout the world, chief information officers (CIOs) are no longer limited to leading the information technology divisions of companies. They are becoming increasingly important as a result of globalization and the fact that companies now rely heavily on IT processes and systems to be competitive. With more companies spread out over multiple locations throughout the world, it is necessary for CIOs to be able to manage all the technological, organizational, and cultural aspects of a company with a global mindset. 

Recent surveys of CIOs from multinational companies in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam suggest that this trend is particularly evident in Asia. In fact, one study indicated that well over half of Asian CIOs described responsibilities beyond IT. International IT budgets were expected to increase by a little over three percent this year, while Asia prepared for an increase of over eight percent. With so many companies expanding into Asia, IT professionals need to combine their knowledge of technology and business to assist employees in different regions to produce positive results. 

While using their IT expertise to ensure reliability and improve business functions, CIOs in Asia can also advance their companies’ corporate social responsibility plans through the development and use of environmentally-conscious practices that can save energy and cut costs in the long run. While many Asian countries still have relatively lax laws protecting the environment, many multinational companies are going “green.” The new generation of CIOs will need to be more versatile so that they can merge their traditional cost-effective roles with the new business responsibilities of today’s companies.