CIOs often tell us that one of the best ways to stay up to speed on the ever-changing world of IT is learning directly from their peers. When face-to-face isn't a possibility, Twitter offers an excellent place to learn from some of the most influential IT leaders.
Below, we've hand-picked 20 CIOs on Twitter whose insights, commentary, and shares are sure to enrich your knowledge. Our 20 CIOs (listed in no particular order) span a wide range of industries and geographies. Many of their organizations are household names, but not all – and that's intentional. We'd encourage you to think outside the box: Are you following CIOs in other industries to see what you can learn from them? There's no time like the present.
[ Want practical wisdom from your fellow CIOs on leading DevOps? See our comprehensive resource, DevOps: The IT Leader's Guide. ]
Also, many of these CIOs share plenty of IT career and leadership advice on Twitter for up-and-coming IT leaders. So dig in:
Jim Fowler aka @jimrfowler
Bio: I am a husband and dad. Also, CIO for GE. Responsible for developing and delivering the global information technology strategy.
Why to follow: Fowler is on the front lines of GE’s digital transformation, and, as a revenue-generating CIO, his key priority is to grow the GE business by creating new revenue streams from digital initiatives. Other CIOs looking to elevate their efforts and have a deeper impact on their company’s bottom line would be wise to follow Fowler, who tweets regularly about the digital future and how to successfully transform.
Kim Stevenson aka @Kimsstevenson
Bio: Passionate Tech leader driving digital transformation leading outstanding business results.
Why to follow: Stevenson is one of the most admired CIOs in the tech industry, having won a multitude of awards like Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Best CIO and the CIO 100 award four years in a row. Her Twitter feed is an excellent resource for other CIOs and IT leaders hoping to sharpen their skills and get ahead. An advocate for women in business, Stevenson also tweets about gender diversity, especially within the technology field.
Jonathan Reichental aka @Reichental
Bio: Chief Information Officer @CityofPaloAlto | Professor @usfsvi & @UCBerkeley. Technophile focused on urban innovation & improving how our cities function.
Why to follow: If you are fascinated by how the evolution of the Internet of Things and technology will shape the smart cities of tomorrow, Reichental is a must-follow. Beyond that, he’s a thought leader on a variety of emerging trends, and he was named one of the top 20 most influential CIOs in the United States. Take his online course on blockchain, or tune into his podcast “Drinking Wine Talking Tech.” The latest episode discusses the future of drones.
Mike D. Kail aka @mdkail
Bio: CTO @Cybric #CTO #CIO #DevOps #DevSecOps #CyberSecurity #Cloud #SaaS #Dad
Why to follow: As CTO of Cybric, a Security-as-a-Service company, Kail keeps his followers up on date on security news as well as the DevSecOps trend. His feed also features a balanced mix of IT leadership commentary, emerging technology, humor, politics, and sports. Going beyond a simple retweet, Kail adds his two cents to links, and he often jumps into tweetchats - such as those from CTO Straight Talk - to share his thoughts.
Linda Jojo aka @ljojo
Bio: At the crossroads between my love of travel and technology, I spend my days as CDO of United Airlines. Of course the tweets on these topics and others are my own
Why to follow: When we spoke with Jojo earlier this year, she gave us an inside look at the mobile transformation happening within United Airlines. Her Twitter followers get more sneak peeks and behind the scenes as her team rolls out things like dynamic text messaging to improve the boarding experience and an InFlight Service App. Jojo also often uses her Twitter feed to thank, congratulate, or otherwise show support to her team and peers in IT, lending a personal touch to her tweets.
Vince Kellen, Ph.D. aka @vkellen
Bio: Chief Information Officer (CIO) @ UC San Diego. Interested in how IT mediates social and individual cognition
Why to follow: Kellen is interested in a wide range of technology topics, and his tweets reflect these interests. From EdTech to AI to blockchain, Kellen’s followers will gain insight into how technology is shaping the future. Kellen also peppers in links to other topics, such as the impacts of global warming, the search for life on other planets, and origins of life on Earth. It’s such a great mix that you may find yourself with a long “to-read” list after scrolling this feed.
Cynthia Stoddard aka @StoddardCA
Bio: CIO at @Adobe, passionate about technology, gardening, and cooking. Tweets are my own.
Why to follow: Adobe’s mission is to change the world through digital experiences. As the company’s global IT leader, Stoddard regularly shares (often adding commentary) articles on emerging technology, leadership, and the latest news from Adobe. She’s also a pro at engagement – tagging the people she’s tweeting about, a seeming lost art as Twitter becomes less personal. Stoddard is also a longtime contributor to The Enterprisers Project, sharing everything from her experiences optimizing the Adobe employee experience to leadership advice for women looking to shatter career stereotypes.
Jason James: aka @itlinchpin
Bio: CIO at Optima Healthcare Solutions. Expertise in global infrastructure, SaaS, cloud, big data, M&A, and IT Operations. Views and opinions are my own.
Why to follow: It’s important to keep your skills sharp – not just the skills you need to do your job, but the skills you need to evolve in your career, communicate well, and be productive. There’s no shortage of articles that will tell you how to be the best version of yourself. Follow James for a regular dose of links to articles that will help you advance your career. Recent headlines he’s shared include: “How to ask your boss for time to learn new things” and “The emotionally intelligent manager’s guide to leading remote teams.”
Lee Congdon aka @lcongdon
Bio: Ellucian CIO, hiker, cooking and wine enthusiast, photographer, skier, golfer. Tweeting about trends in technology and the impacts of those trends.
Why to follow: Chances are you already have a good system for scouring the daily tech headlines. But you may not have a good way of finding those human-interest stories that you’d want to read if only you knew they were out there. Let Congdon’s tweets be your news feed for those compelling articles that you didn’t know you didn’t want to miss. He has a knack for going beyond the daily news, and sharing articles that will give you more insights on the actual impact technology is having on the world around us. Recent article shares include these headlines: “Blind triplets ‘see’ through others’ eyes with the help of a smartphone” and “The uncertain future of handwriting.”
Clay Johnson aka @claymjohnson
Bio: CIO for Walmart. Previously worked at GE, Boeing, Dell, FedEx, US Coast Guard. Family and cycling. All views are my own.
Why to follow: It’s almost been a year since Johnson took on the CIO role for the world’s largest company, but he’s been an influencer in the CIO sphere for many years before. Follow Johnson to see what technology news he finds worthy of retweeting (many recent retweets focus on AI – something all CIOs should be hungry to learn more about).
Michelle McKenna Doyle aka @nflcio
Bio: NFL Executive, Author, Speaker.. Opinions strictly my own. Live, Love, Laugh.
Why to follow: Michelle McKenna Doyle is on the front lines of the NFL’s use of machine learning. Last month, she spoke at the AWS re:Invent conference on how the NFL plans to use machine learning to analyze its data and provide new game analysis for fans. She is a must-follow for football fans – especially Auburn fans (she’s a proud alumna) – for her behind-the-scenes coverage and retweeting of NFL news. She also tweets glimpses of her life, with photos of family, friends, and colleagues, something we wish more executives would do.
Peter Weis aka @PeterFWeis
Bio: Global #CIO, advisor, speaker, teacher, golfer, father, #CAL & #Wharton guy. Tweeting about #IT transformation, leadership, music & finding meaning in business.
Why to follow: Weis is leading an impressive digital transformation effort at Matson, a publicly-traded global transportation and logistics company. He’s an inspiring leader who strongly believes that creating meaning and purpose for employees can lead to long-term sustainable innovation. His tweets offer a mix of personal commentary on leadership and links to articles that will inspire leaders at any stage of their career.
Melissa Woo aka @mzyw
Bio: Social higher ed CIO at Stony Brook University, mentor, 'over-communicates' about food & music on G+
Why to follow: Woo is a higher-ed IT leader who is clearly passionate about her role and very interactive with her social followers. You can find her frequently chiming in on the latest #CIOchat or live-tweeting conferences she's attending, like the recent #edu17, from which she shared excellent behind-the-scenes insights, session quotes, and more.
Adriana Karaboutis aka @AndiKaraboutis
Bio: Group Chief Info & Digital Officer, National Grid plc; Passion: #GreatTeams#GreatTech #Innovation Antipathy: Complacency, Hubris, Status Quo
Why to follow: Andi Karaboutis stands out as a CIO who has crossed industries – including auto, technology (Dell), biotech (Biogen), and now energy, at National Grid. Look to her tweets for insights on IT leadership, a pragmatic view of IT teams, and encouragement for the next generation of STEM leaders. This is a CIO who knows how to get things done and build relationships.
Jonathan Feldman aka @_jfeldman
Bio: Digital business, no human sacrifice. CIO. Civics. Dad. Trail runner. Keynotes. Helper. Foe of sociopath tech, sacred cows, & bullies. How can I help you?
Why to follow: Jonathan Feldman, CIO of Ashevile, N.C., knows cloud and the agile way of working. He also knows the human side of IT teams – what motivates and aggravates them. With a combination of IQ, EQ and a sense of humor, he frequently speaks and writes on IT leadership. If you don’t think government IT teams can be innovative, you’re not following him.
Sheila Jordan aka @SheilaJordan90
Bio: Symantec CIO responsible for driving global IT strategy & world class information infrastructure. Passion for collaboration: video, mobile, social. My views!
Why to follow: As CIO of Symantec, Sheila Jordan follows security and privacy issues, and often speaks to them on conference panels. But she’s also a student of IT leadership and culture (with previous stints at Cisco and Disney). She’s a CIO conversant in prioritizing revenue: Check out CIO.com’s profile of her group’s work helping Symantec launch new subscription offerings.
Ben Haines aka @bhaines0
Bio: SVP, CIO @ Oath #AUS Bikes http://www.oath.com
Why to follow: Haines serves as CIO for media company Oath (which oversees the HuffPost, Engadget, AOL, and Yahoo media brands, among others.) He knows plenty about the CIO role and IT leadership, as well as cloud technologies, which is one reason you may have seen him on a conference panel. He does not suffer product hype gladly. He frequently shares inspiration from IT leaders and from the likes of @therealbanksy.
Onyeka Nchege aka @onyekanchege
Bio: Dedicated to #TeamNCHEGE & serving to positively IMPACT lives | #CIO Serving @Interstatebatts | Leadership on the GO: http://onyekanchege.com | Tweets are mine.
Why to follow: This CIO of Interstate Batteries (and former CIO of Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated) frequently writes about leadership. He shows off what his team in the auto industry is up to ( a fair amount of fun, it seems) and shares motivation for fellow IT leaders. By the way, he’s often ready for some football.
Robert Urwiler aka @RobertUrwiler
Bio: Vail Resorts CIO, Community First Foundation BoD
Why to follow: Want to follow a CIO in an industry different than your own? How about a ski resort CIO? Check out Robert Urwiler's tweets for a look at an IT leader focused on his customer’s experience. You’ll see some beautiful pictures of snow and mountains, too.
Steve Betts aka @SteveBetts100
Bio: Chief Information Officer @HCSC. Builds high performing teams delivering technology for business value. Supports/Mentors STEM students with opportunities.
Why to follow: Steve Betts’ tweets from the most recent Gartner CIO Symposium caught our eye. (See our related article, Gartner Symposium: 10 thought-provoking tweets). He spoke to leading transformation at the conference - and has a no-nonsense attitude on the subject. He also tweets frequently on STEM education.
