diginomica digital careers report – CTOs and CIOs still top AI leaders, but for how long?

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Two long-standing technology leadership titles are, at present, leading the implementation and budgeting of generative AI in the enterprise, according to the seventh Enterprise Cloud Index study. This is not to suggest the latest title in digital leadership – the Chief AI Officer – is a non-starter. 

The Enterprise Cloud Index, produced by cloud infrastructure technology provider Nutanix, always has a few interesting nuggets in it, and in 2025 the study found that of the 1500 digital leaders surveyed, in 61% of organizations, it is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) that has ultimate responsibility for generative AI implementation resources and budget. In just under half of organizations (48%), the CIO is leading the generative AI charge. The new role of Chief AI Officer (CAIO) is the foremost AI implementation leader in 27% of organizations, behind the Chief Data Officer (CDO) at 29%.

However, digital leadership recruiters continue to report high demand for the Chief AI role. Dominic Hilleard, Co-Founder of Talent Leaders, says demand for the role remains. Barnaby Parker, founder of Venquis, agrees and adds that data roles are also in demand as organizations carry out data transformations and need expertise in Databricks and Snowflake. 

The observations of Matt Cockbill, Partner, CIO & Technology Officers Practice at Odgers Berndtson tally with the Enterprise Cloud Index: 

The demand for Chief AI Officers is evolving rather than surging. While some organizations continue to appoint dedicated AI leaders, we’re increasingly seeing AI responsibilities being embedded within existing C-suite roles – including CDOs, CIOs, and CTOs – particularly where that role has commercial or operational stakeholder engagement. This approach ensures AI investments deliver clear, measurable value.

The role is, of course, very new and will be vital to some organizations and not others. The Enterprise Cloud Index, for example, finds that 34% of CEOs are leading the generative AI implementation – and the same is true for 19% of CFOs. Asked about the mixed picture, Cockbill says: 

AI product ownership is also maturing as a specialized function within the technology and AI leadership structure. As boards become more aware of AI’s strategic potential, the focus is shifting from early-stage experimentation to driving measurable commercial, operational, and customer revenue advantages.

Rather than just seeking efficiency gains, companies are prioritizing value-driven adoption and equipping teams with AI tools that directly contribute to business outcomes.

As with AI technology, it is most likely a case of the right role and title for the right workload and organization. Generative AI could be useful in many organizations and vertical markets, but it is also fraught with risks, and, therefore, could be a costly mistake if organizations get it wrong. 

This is, of course, why digital leadership is necessary, and perhaps indicates and validates the Nutanix study. In these early days of AI adoption, the trusted and experienced CTOs and CIOs of organizations are best placed to navigate the legal, moral, and technological challenges businesses face. 

February 2025 movers and shakers

Consumer Goods: Brewing giants Carlsberg has hired Fredrik Frimodig as CIO for Western Europe at its Copenhagen, Denmark headquarters. Frimodig is swapping oat milk for beer as the CIO leaves Stockholm-headquartered Oatly, where he has been Group CIO for four and a half years. He said of his new role:

I aim to contribute to the execution of the business strategy and digital transformation initiatives by leveraging my leadership and digital business experience from previous growth journeys. I am optimistic about achieving significant success in this digital transformation.

Financial services: Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Natasha Sayce-Zelem as Director of Digital and Business Platforms. Sayce-Zelem joined from e-commerce giant Amazon, where she was the head of Partner Engineering for Prime Video, for three years. She also has digital leadership experience at Sky and the BBC. In her new role, Sayce-Zelem says she will be working closely with the Homes division of Lloyds, serving mortgage account holders.  

Australia’s Great Southern Bank has appointed Bernadette Stone as CIO to lead the former credit union’s strategy, architecture, and technology implementations. Stone joins from a COO role at the Royal Automobile Club Queensland, where she also had responsibility for technology; she has also held digital leadership roles in the public sector with the Brisbane City Council, airline Virgin Australia, and mining firm Rio Tinto

Fintech: The fund distribution platform for private markets, AirFund, has appointed former UBS Global Head of Operations Trevor Hunt as CEO of its new AirFund UK operation. Hunt will be responsible for growing the business in the UK alongside Markus H Ruetimann, a former COO at Credit Suisse, Schroders, and also UBS. 

Industry: Quality assurance firm Intertek has appointed Craig Oven as Regional IT Director for the UK and North Europe. Ovens joined from the automotive business Zigup, he has also led technology at major architectural house Buro Happold and law firm Burges Salmon. 

Pharmaceuticals: Kindeva Drug Delivery, which specializes in sterile injectable, pulmonary, nasal, transdermal, and intradermal finished dose pharmaceuticals, has appointed Prakash Pandian as CIO to lead a continuing digital transformation at the US firm. Kindeva said in a statement that Pandian will be responsible for manufacturing automation, business efficiency, and revenue growth. Milton Boyer, CEO, said of the appointment: 

Prakash will create a global IT roadmap enabling us to capitalize on the best-in-class technologies and future-proof our processes.

Pandian has spent the bulk of his digital leadership career in pharma, having led technology at Curia, Biogen, and Merck, as well as some time at Oracle. Kindeva has manufacturing, research, and development facilities across the US and UK.

Public sector: Louisiana governor Jeff Landry announced that energy industry CIO Evelina Broussard has joined the state authority as CIO in its Office of Technology Services (OPTS) in Baton Rouge. Broussard joins from Atmos Energy, where she was Manager for Information Technology and implemented new end-user technology, telecoms, and change management. 

Across the Atlantic, Martin Carpenter has been appointed as Health CIO for the Government of Jersey. On the island, part of the UK, Carpenter will be creating a new digital plan for health in Jersey and fronting the implementation of electronic patient record (EPR) technology. Carpenter has experience in the NHS, housing associations, health tech, and management consulting. 

Technology: Enterprise cloud technology provider IFS has secured Helena Nimmo as Global CIO. Nimmo joins from Endava, a business intelligence software provider. Nimmo’s role at IFS will be to engage with IFS customer CIOs and work with them on their implementations and usage of the IFS systems, including AI. Nimmo has worked as a digital leader at tech leaders Nokia and Symbian, as well as Thomson Reuters, the news and data company. 

Travel: In the travel sector, Karen Janssen has moved to Wings Global Travel from fellow travel management company CTM (Corporate Travel Management), where she was Global CIO, having joined the firm in 2016 initially in business intelligence before heading up technology in EMEA and then globally. 

My take

The role changes of February 2025 tally with the findings of the Enterprise Cloud Index study; the majority of these hires are in CIO roles, and they are tasked with digitizing and automating their organizations. Elements of that digitization have the opportunity to use GenAI, but you also get a sense that there is still a great deal more for organizations to do in terms of digital modernization.