PodChats for FutureCIO: CTO as strategist and operations leader

Gartner defines the chief technology officer as having overall responsibility for managing the physical and personnel technology infrastructure including technology deployment, network and system management, integration testing, and developing technical operations personnel. CTOs also manage client relations to ensure that service objective expectations are developed and managed in the operations areas.Samantha Searle, senior principal analyst at Gartner says a CTO has four personas: a digital business leader, a business enabler, an IT innovator, and the chief operating officer (COO) of IT.“Regardless of their persona, the most important take-away is that CTOs and their organizations agree on what the role means in its unique context. Through this shared understanding, the CTO can work closely with business leaders to drive digital transformation efforts and meet business goals,” she added.In this PodChats for FutureCIO, we are pleased to have with us is Biswa Prakash Misra, Group Chief Technology Officer, AIA. 1.       You are both a strategist and an operations leader. What does it take to get to the position you are in today?2.       Describe the insurance business in 2022? How has it changed particularly during the pandemic?3.       What are the top challenges of insurance firms in 2022?4.       How important is technology in meeting (and perhaps overcoming) these challenges?5.       Transformation is said to be a journey. What for you is transformation?6.       Describe AIA’s transformation journey? What are the metrics upon which AIA’s transformation journey is being measured against? 7.       What is the role of the CTO in this transformation journey?8.       Some argue that technology, while it is important as an enabler, should be second to people and process. In your view, what are the essential conditions by which people-process-technology come together to achieve AIA’s aspirations as a business? 9.       What is your take on the following technology issues: cloud, open source, open systems, security, staff skills/reskilling.