For many IT leaders, digital transformation isn't just a priority on their to-do list; it's a business imperative. Likewise, it’s also imperative for CIOs and IT leaders to stay informed on the latest news and technology trends that could impact the future of their organizations in this digital age.

It's a lot to keep up with, but we've got your back.

We’ve curated a list of Twitter accounts that regularly tweet about some aspect of digital transformation. And because there are different elements to digital transformation, we broke down our recommendations into four categories to help you hone in on the specific insights you need to augment your transformation efforts.

Where to Start

First, let’s start with table stakes. If you want a mix of relevant headlines, inspirational quotes, and occasional commentary on some aspect of digital transformation, definitely start by adding these folks to your Twitter stream.

Vala Afshar
Follow @ValaAfshar
Twitter bio: Chief Digital Evangelist, @Salesforce | Blog: @HuffingtonPost | Book: https://t.co/oSpLljigAi | Show:@DisrupTVShow

Why to follow: There’s a reason why Vala consistently tops Twitter must-follow lists for business and technologists. His Twitter feed is purely inspirational and informational gold for IT and business leaders. His feed is packed with stats, infographics and leadership advice. In the time it took us to write this blurb, he’s already posted two new tweets.

David Bray
Follow @fcc_cio
Twitter bio: Senior Executive. FCC CIO. @WEF 2016 @YGLvoices. Visiting Exec @Harvard. RT/Links/Follows Do Not Imply Endorsement. Leadership is Passion to Improve Our World.

Why to follow: To execute a successful digital transformation, you’ll likely need some change agents in your court. David is passionate about empowering change agents, and regularly tweets guidance on how to do just that. He's also an Enterpriser, and you can find an archive of his articles here.

Dion Hinchcliffe
Follow @dhinchcliffe
Twitter bio: Chief Strategy Officer, business strategist, enterprise architect, keynote speaker, book author, blogger, futurist on #socbiz, #cx, #cio. @7SummitsInc & @ZDNet.

Why to follow: It’s one thing to retweet interesting content, it’s another thing to take the time to provide context or commentary. Dion is a master at sharing news in an engaging and useful way. He’s an excellent writer and can pack a lot of food for thought into 140 characters.

Why to follow: Tim has mastered the art of Twitter. He has @replies, hashtags, retweets, and commentary down pat. In fact, it’s his commentary that we enjoy most in his Twitter feed. Take, for instance, this recent under-140-character gem applicable to any CIO at an organization undergoing a digital transformation: “IMHO: Today’s #CIO needs to have the ability to learn from other industries and apply it to their own.”

Michael Krigsman
Follow @mkrigsman
Twitter bio: Host @cxotalk ZDNet column: https://t.co/FuUWJiEe1T Analyst / keynote speaker; WSJ contributor Referenced in the media 1000+ times and in 50 books

Why to follow: Each week, Michael interviews CIOs from the world’s largest organization on his show CXO Talk. With a focus on leadership, innovation, and disruption, follow his Twitter feed if for no other reason than to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

Why to follow: As an independent digital business transformation advisor, Rob shares a wealth of resources on the topic. He’s also a content-producing machine, creating blog posts, videos, and podcasts on the subject. A testament to the quality of Rob's writing, an article he wrote for The Enterprisers Project a year ago, "20 ways to create a sense of urgency," is still consistently among our most-read reader favorites.

Culture and Technology

You can’t talk about digital transformation without talking about culture and technology. This next batch of tweeters will add a good mix of both topics to your Twitter stream.

Rick Ross
Follow @rickross10
Twitter bio: CEO people-centric business, Digital transformation for forward thinking organizations, Innovation | IT | Leadership

Why to follow: Rick’s tweets on technology strike a great balance between showcasing emerging trends – and also making the connection to what technology disruption means for businesses. He also shares interesting studies relevant to IT leaders – from the latest numbers on cloud adoption to scientific evidence that pizza is a great motivator for teams.

Terry Bennett
Follow @DifferentiatorZ
Twitter bio: Strategic differentiator who improves business results through people, processes & technology. Fortium Partners. Fellow, Institute for Digital Transformation.

Why to follow: CIOs could pull up Terry’s Twitter feed with their morning coffee to catch up on daily news and thoughtful articles on leadership tailored especially for them. Rather than just sharing a link, Terry often includes a key takeaway for IT leaders for each article or study he shares. His bio reflects a career built around digital transformation, and his tweets back it up.

Anh Philips
Follow @anhphilips
Twitter bio: Management-consultant-turned-researcher. Research focus on digital business thru #digitalevolution. Kitchen dabbler. Mother of 2. Views are my own.

Why to follow: Anh works for the Deloitte Center for Integrated Research and not only publishes tweets about Deloitte’s latest research on digital trends, she also has written a blog on LinkedIn about reasons why digital transformation is more about people than technology.

Timo Elliott
Follow @timoelliott
Twitter bio: Passionate about digital transformation, innovation, big data, and analytics. Employed by SAP, but all my own thoughts here.

Why to follow: Based in France, Timo shares a good mix of links and thoughts about the latest news in digital media. He has a blog called, “Business Analytics and Digital Business,” that is worth bookmarking. He has a section in which he has created cartoons for analytics, innovation, social and marketing – and they are really good.

Micah Alpern
Follow @Micahmyer
Twitter bio: Culture evolution expert with a passion for helping organizations evolve their culture to enable change and grow their capabilities.

Why to follow: If you are interested in how digital transformation affects culture within businesses, Micah is your guy. He shares links that would not only be of interest to leadership but also to employees going through the transformation. It is clear he is very thoughtful about which articles he retweets.

Customer Experience

To transform your customer experience, you have to understand what makes for good customer experiences – generally and digitally. There’s no shortage of CX experts to follow on Twitter, here are some who consistently tweet valuable content.

Jeanne Bliss
Follow @JeanneBliss
Twitter bio: Pioneered the Chief Customer Officer role | Cofounder Customer Experience Professionals Assoc. | I guide companies to earn customer-driven growth #CCO#CXPA #CX

Why to follow: Jeanne pioneered the role of the Chief Customer Officer, holding the first-ever CCO role at Lands’ End, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker and Allstate Corporations. In addition to publishing several books, Jeanne also runs the blog Customer Bliss and hosts a podcast where she interviews customer experience experts from around the world. Her Twitter stream is packed with tweets linking to the myriad of content she publishes about customer experience.

Shep Hyken
Follow @Hyken
Twitter bio: Shep Hyken, customer service and experience expert, keynote speaker and NYT bestselling author, helps companies deliver AMAZING customer service experiences!

Why to follow: Shep’s Twitter feed looks exactly like what you might expect from a best-selling author on customer service and hall of fame speaker – only better. He shares a consistent stream of thought-provoking links, amusing comics, and inspiring learnings about customer service and experience. And he practices what he preaches, actively replying to tweets he receives – no doubt a great customer experience.

Forrester
Follow @forrester
Twitter bio: Forrester works with business and technology leaders to develop customer-obsessed strategies that drive growth.

Why to follow: The Twitter account for this global research and advisory firm is a must-follow for any IT leaders who want a better sense of the role customer experience plays in technology. Forrester’s tweets often include thoughtful quotes on CX (ripe for retweeting), and links to its research on the topic (as you would expect). If your organization is striving to be customer obsessed, you’ll pick up some real inspiration from Forrester’s Twitter account.

Michael Hinshaw
Follow @MichaelHinshaw
Twitter bio: CEO of @McorpCX. Industry Influencer in Customer Experience. Digital Innovation Thought Leader. Author of@SmartorStupid. Family Man. Adventure Seeker. #CX

Why to follow: “To the digitally empowered customer, products and pricing matter less. Experiences matter more.” If that quote from a recent Forbes article catches your attention, then you’ll want to join the 13,000 plus people who follow Michael. He recently shared that quote and regularly tweets about the importance of customer experience in your digital strategy.

Publications

Naturally, there’s no shortage of technology and management publications to follow. We’ve highlighted a few we love (yes, we included ourselves) that can help round out your Twitter stream.

Harvard Business Review
Follow @HarvardBiz
Twitter bio: The leading destination for smart management thinking. Click here to subscribe: https://t.co/7mnPc2GE4Q

Why to follow: We’ve talked about the role culture, customer experience, and technology play in digital transformation – another essential element is leadership. The Harvard Business Review Twitter feed features plenty of links to quality leadership content, as well as more links than you might expect to important technology content too – including these recent headlines: “The biggest cybersecurity threats are inside your company” and “Hiring data scientists from outside the U.S.: A primer on visas.” What IT leader wouldn’t want to be briefed on those topics?

CIO.com
Follow @CIOonline
Twitter bio: https://t.co/QF0TfbhsqX (an IDG brand) delivers the latest news, analysis, video, blogs, tips and research for techies and IT professionals.

Why to follow: While you’ll find a variety of content shared that’s not directly related to digital transformation, you won’t want to miss the daily technology headlines tweeted here. If you’re an IT leader, chances are you’re already reading CIO.com – following this Twitter feed will ensure you don’t miss any critical headlines, many of which could inspire new thinking on your digital journey.

Enterprisers Project
Follow @4enterprisers
Twitter bio: Follow us for daily insights, news, and commentary on how CIOs and IT leaders are driving business value in an increasingly digital world. #CIO #IT #Leadership

Why to follow: We included ourselves on this list because we often feature articles by CIOs and IT leaders who are embarking on their own digital transformations. They share first-hand accounts, experiences, lessons learned, and actionable advice for other IT leaders. Follow us to keep up with these stories, as well as other relevant technology and leadership headlines.

MIT Sloan Management Review
Follow @mitsmr
Twitter bio: The official account of MIT Sloan Management Review.

Why to follow: With an initiative focused on bringing readers in-depth content on “digital leadership,” the MIT Sloan Management Review Twitter account is a must-add. With articles on how technology is changing the future of management to research on how “soft skills trump technology knowledge in digital transformation,” this Twitter feed is sure to keep you informed.

Future Tense
Follow @FutureTenseNow
Twitter bio: Future Tense—a project of Slate, New America, and Arizona State—covers emerging technologies and their implications for society and policy.

Why to follow: Interested in nanotech? Want to stay informed on the latest breakthroughs in wearable technology? Future Tense is a great addition to your Twitter stream for a daily dose of tech innovation – a major driver of digital transformation. You’ll also enjoy their often humorous take on the headlines. For example: “Massive butt-shaped airship makes slowest-ever crash ranking.”

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