C-suite technology executives are increasingly becoming public faces for their organizations, tasked with thought leadership in IT and dictating the direction for spending. As salaries, duties and responsibilities increase, CIOs and CTOs are tasked with keeping corporate technology stacks afloat, while remaining competitive in a high-tech, digital age.
Some of the following IT executives are well-established in the technology sector, and others may be new faces, but all offer a unique insight on modern tech, its challenges and its business applications.
So, in no particular order, here are 10 CIOs and CTOs to follow on Twitter:
1. Raechelle Clemmons: @rclemmons
Position: CIO at Davidson College
Followers: 3,840
Description: "CIO @DavidsonCollege, Frye fellow, proud geeky girl & occasional #geekrockstar, passionate about gender equity & the transformative power of technology."
Why follow? Clemmons offers a look into technology in the higher education sphere, where she sees her office as a key driver in digital transformation in a sector that has often lagged behind. Her social media platform also gives significant attention to gender, racial and other diversity problems in society.
GREAT list of podcasts by black #entrepreneurs. #innovation #diversitymatters https://t.co/iZd8xMnV7R
— Raechelle Clemmons (@rclemmons) November 6, 2017
2. Jonathan Reichental: @Reichental
Position: CIO of the City of Palo Alto
Followers: 8,641
Description: "Chief Information Officer @CityofPaloAlto| Professor @usfsvi & @UCBerkeley. Technophile focused on urban innovation & improving how our cities function."
Why follow? Reichental is an expert in tech and close to the heart of many major tech companies in Palo Alto, such as Facebook, VMware, HP, Google and Tesla. In between motivational quotes, Reichental offers a glimpse into technology in a city where technology, sustainability and progress are at the forefront.
Want to understand the basics of #blockchain in just 1-hour explained in plain English? Take my popular course: https://t.co/YKuFADW9U8
— Jonathan Reichental (@Reichental) November 1, 2017
3. Neil Pearce: @neiljpearce
Position: Group CIO at Travis Perkins
Followers: 5,918
Description: "Group CIO - Travis Perkins - Business Technology Leadership all about The Customer"
Why follow? Pearce keeps up to date on AI and tech issues relevant to CIOs, from leadership responsibility to tech education to new technologies. He curates content for his publications, The Artificial Intelligence Daily and The CIO's Daily, and spreads enterprise news through his Twitter.
The latest The Artificial Intelligence Daily! https://t.co/ouORsIimUj Thanks to @JTattersfield @TalentTechLabs @SECWBfunds #ai
— Neil Pearce (@neiljpearce) November 4, 2017
4. Paul Daugherty: @pauldaugh
Position: Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Accenture
Followers: 11K
Description: "Chief Technology & Innovation Officer @ Accenture. Views and opinions are my own."
Why follow? Daugherty has been at Accenture for three decades, and most recently took on the role of Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Accenture. He is a board member of Girls Who Code and covers many tech conferences through his Twitter.
Our primary tech trend for 2017? People. Read why: #techvision2017 https://t.co/Qek5GmQ9Vf
— Paul Daugherty (@pauldaugh) January 26, 2017
5. Mark Russinovich: @markrussinovich
Position: CTO of Microsoft Azure
Followers: 71.8K
Description: "CTO of Microsoft Azure, author of novels Rogue Code, Zero Day and Trojan Horse, Windows Internals, Sysinternals utilities."
Why follow? Besides offering frequent updates of what's new on Microsoft's cloud platform, Russinovich lends his expertise to blockchain demos and projects, containers and cybersecurity on Azure.
Excited about bringing Azure Blockchain to our government cloud: https://t.co/fZhd88cqhf
— Mark Russinovich (@markrussinovich) October 17, 2017
6. Miguel A. Gamiño Jr.: @MiguelGamino
Position: CTO of New York City
Followers: 7,995
Description: "CTO @NYCgov @NYCForward #NYCx • Civic Tech'ist • Champ for #Diversity#NetNeutrality • Former CIO of SF • 2x Tech Founder • Co-Founder #GlobalCityCIOs"
Why follow? NYC is a cultural and technological hub and Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gamiño are trying to foster the city's local tech businesses and entrepreneurs. Gamiño offers frequent updates on tech initiatives in the city and examples of how metropolitan areas can cull tech innovation.
Announcing world's first city tech program to make breakthrough technologies in & for all NYC! #NYCx https://t.co/n180abYr0W @NYCMayor
— Miguel A. Gamiño Jr. (@MiguelGamino) October 19, 2017
7. Jim Fowler: @jimrfowler
Position: CIO at General Electric
Followers: 4,069
Description: "I am a husband and dad. Also, CIO for GE. Responsible for developing and delivering the global information technology strategy."
Why follow? Fowler has been at GE for 17 years, working across aviation, infrastructure, corporate, power and water and capital business segments. His wealth of knowledge across industry verticals, and in one of the most prominent international tech companies, makes him a key executive to follow.
Congratulations to @GE's own Nasrin Rezai -named Executive Women's Forum Corporate Practitioner of the year! https://t.co/I4E8EkRigq @ewfusa
— Jim Fowler (@jimrfowler) October 31, 2017
8. Michelle McKenna-Doyle: @nflcio
Position: CIO at National Football League
Followers: 3,302
Description: "NFL Executive, Author, Speaker.. Opinions strictly my own. Live, Love, Laugh."
Why follow? McKenna-Doyle heads IT in one of the most profitable organizations in the country, and her access offers an up-close and sideline view of American football. As a female IT executive in both a predominantly male organization and field, she offers unique insight on diversity and equality in the workforce.
Tackling Tech: The NFL's Role in Driving Sports Analytics https://t.co/swnE28qe0y via @patriots
— MichelleMcKennaDoyle (@nflcio) November 2, 2017
9. Clay Johnson: @ClayMJohnson
Position: Enterprise CIO at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Followers: 1,271
Description: "CIO for Walmart. Previously worked at GE, Boeing, Dell, FedEx, US Coast Guard. Family and cycling. All views are my own."
Why follow? Wal-Mart is in the midst of upping its digital portfolio to better compete with online retailers, especially Amazon. Johnson will be a key player in keeping the retail giant up to date on modern tech.
To keep up with AI, we’ll need high-tech brains https://t.co/S2aeCh7EBg via @WSJ @Allen_Institute
— Clay Johnson (@ClayMJohnson) October 29, 2017
10. Siim Sikkut: @sikkut
Position: CIO of Estonia
Followers: 2,198
Description: "News on #eEstonia + ideas for future of digital societies. Opinions are my own!"
Why follow? Estonia is one of the first truly digital countries, with everything from digital ID cards to digital currency to blockchain-based online health systems. Sikkut offers insight into Estonia's digital initiatives and efforts so other countries and companies can see these digital systems in action.
Update on #eEstonia ID-card potential vulnerability: to be better safe than sorry, govt decided to block the impacted certificates (1/2) https://t.co/AcsK3aikSw
— Siim Sikkut (@sikkut) November 3, 2017
