Nick Woods, CIO at MAG, a UK airport group that owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted, and East Midlands Airports, is another digital leader who thinks CIOs can reach the highest ranks of the C-suite. Woods, who sits on MAG’s executive board, uses AI to deliver what he calls the world’s most intelligent airports.
“The benefits you’ve got as CIO, particularly with how we’re running our transformation program, is you get to see all the parts of the business,” he says. “I’m a peer with every person around that boardroom table, whereas many other leadership roles don’t necessarily get that view. So I think CIO to CEO is a route forward now because we have a more holistic view.”
That sentiment resonates strongly with Helen Fleming, executive director of search and specialisms at recruiter Harvey Nash. “There’s no doubt the path is opening for CIOs to make it to CEOs,” she says. “Traditionally, the CFO was regarded as the most likely CEO-in-waiting. Now that’s changing. It’s becoming a more open field, and the CIO is in the mix.”
