Of all the relationships CIOs have with fellow members of the C-suite, perhaps the most important is the one with their Chief Executive Officer (CEO). IT plays such a central, vital role in the modern digital business that for CEOs not to closely collaborate with technology leaders is to miss out on potential new opportunities and competitive advantages.

“In today’s digital age, technology is not only an enabler of business functions but also a critical driver of competitive advantage in many organizations,” says Harsha Bellur, CIO at jewelry company James Avery.

“This means the CIO and CEO—and honestly the entire C-suite—need to work closely to embed technology into the business strategy and operating model,” Bellur says. “The CIO-CEO partnership is vital to align the vision and priorities and ultimately deliver business value.”

At weekly one-on-one meetings, Bellur and his CEO discuss business health, competitive landscape, new trends, and key capabilities that IT has delivered. “You find opportunities to show business leadership and build trust with your CEO,” he says.

For example, customer experience is a key tenet for the James Avery brand. “I collaborated with my CEO and shared ideas on how we can leverage technology to create a seamless experience across our retail, online and call center functions,” Bellur says. “Once he was on board with the idea, I worked with the respective functional leaders to further develop the plan and establish an execution strategy.”

If CIOs aren’t working closely with CEOs, “then they will lack access to business issues that are changing in real time,” says Arthur Hair, CIO at media company Spyglass Media. “Without a close relationship with the CEO, the CIO would be in a position of having responsibility for external technology issues without having all of the information necessary to be effective.”

Technology’s Impact on Business Results

More than ever, technology-enabled capabilities are material to business results, says Mark Raskino, distinguished vice president and analyst at research firm Gartner.

“Digital channels are vital to sales growth,” Raskino says. “The next generation talent that all companies are desperately competing for prefers to work for companies that have a modern, tech-savvy approach to work. These are factors CEOs care about directly because they impact annual financial results visibly.”

A CIO who can help drive these areas forward with the executive team will enjoy a closer and more productive CEO working relationship, Raskino says.

A modern CIO will proactively assist the CEO in identifying the best ways to leverage technology for business opportunities, Raskino says. “For example, in one company I was speaking with recently, the CIO and CEO collaborated to apply a new algorithmic approach to transport optimization that resulted in very large savings in CO2 emissions,” he says.

Just doing the same old things with IT might not be the right way to continue. “Strategic CIOs help their CEOs to envision substantial changes to the operating model or even the business model,” Raskino says. “They then assist the CEO in communicating that opportunity to all stakeholders. They go on to assist in the framing and execution of the needed transformation.”

Aligning IT with Business Objectives

When CIOs work closely with CEOs, they can stay on top of the business objectives of the organization and provide advice and technology solutions that fully align with those goals, says Lonnie Snyder, chief technology and information officer for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.

As part of the leadership team, Snyder is implementing a new governance structure for the organization. “I meet weekly with my CEO to provide updates on our top projects, and we ensure we are all working together on the right things,” he says. “The CEO provides the framework of what she wants to see, and then asks for a strategy to support and implement it.”

Understanding CEO Objectives

How can CIOs and CEOs maintain a healthy relationship in the midst of constantly shifting business and technology landscapes?

For one thing, CIOs should know the CEO’s most important objectives, “whatever those might be, as [the CEO] would state them,” Raskino says. “That’s not necessarily the same as the vague statements of purpose or strategy on the company web site, and it needs to be obtained directly from the CEO.”

CIOs should also be creative in framing technology-related business changes that would really “move the needle” in the pace and voracity with which the CEO can go after those goals, Raskino says. “The CIO should apply their smart analytical mind to help the CEO think, not only about technology but other key aspects of the problems to be solved,” he says.

Active Engagement with the C-suite

A successful relationship between the CIO and CEO goes beyond just these two executives. “If you aren’t aligned with the senior leadership team and help business leaders be successful, your efforts can and will suddenly stop when you need to implement change that affects other people,” Snyder says.

Indeed, the CIO who takes initiative to actively engage and collaborate with the rest of the C-suite executives “makes the CIO a more valued resource for the CEO,” Hair says. “This also gives the CIO a clearer view of the CEO’s chessboard and helps the CIO see the possible moves the CEO might make.”

Having to “play catch up” is not a position the CIO wants to be in, Hair says. “In a prior company where I was hired as CIO, the first thing I focused on was to actively engage with the COO and CHRO to determine where the company’s legacy IT systems were letting them down,” he says. “Before I sought out the trust of the CEO, I focused on earning the trust of the rest of the C-suite”. With the entire C-suite in unison and with a plan focused on achieving the CEO’s business objectives, “my engagement with the CEO became routine,” Hair says.

Effective Communication

As with any other relationship, effective communication is another key to a successful CIO-CEO collaboration.

“Make sure you adapt your communication style to best suit how your CEO favors receiving information,” Hair says. “Communication is a two-way street, not a monologue. Too often, people with a technical background wrongly assume that facts are all that is necessary to present. Sometimes, technical people need to go farther and tell the story [of] why those facts are important.”

The Wrap

CIO-CEO collaboration is vital for aligning strategic vision, identifying opportunities, and delivering tangible value to the organization. By understanding the CEO’s objectives, remaining agile in a dynamic landscape, and actively engaging with the entire C-suite, CIOs can ensure their position as a trusted advisor to the CEO and help steer the organization towards a tech-savvy and prosperous future. Effective communication and a relentless focus on the organization’s goals further strengthen this indispensable relationship, paving the way for innovation, growth, and continued success in the ever-evolving digital world.

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