CIOs should become more like interior designers,' says local government CIO

CIOs should become more like interior designers, according to the CIO of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Rocco Labellarte.

Speaking at Computing's inaugural IT Leaders Summit, Labellarte compared a homeowner who opens up their house to an interior designer to a business reaching out to the CIO to ask for their advice on where the business should go.

"If a stranger knocks on your door, would you let them in? Why is it that when someone is spending a lot of money on a home, they call in an interior designer? He doesn't know your home, or what it looks like and he doesn't know you," he said.

Labellarte suggested that the CIO should be perceived in the same way as a homeowner sees an interior designer, as someone "having a vision, being an expert, a trusted guide".

In his presentation, Labellarte claimed that CIOs sometimes struggle to get through the glass ceiling' to get access to the business.

"I've pushed through multi-million pound deals simply by getting the right people to talk to one another," he said, before adding that on other occasions his plans have hit a brick wall.

ButLabellartebelieves that CIOs do have an opportunity to change the way things are.

"There is a way forward for CIOs, where if we want to be a part of the board we have to start talking to each other and start helping each other deliver," he said.

"We speak, but do we share? If we want to move into the board then we need to communicate with each other - our networking has to get better," he stated.

He believes that boards need to change their attitude towards the CIO and be more willing to ask IT where the business should be going.

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CIOs should become more like interior designers,' says local government CIO