October 16, 2000

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IT Executives Bring Technology Knowledge To CEO Posts

ost CEOs realize the ability of technology to meet key business goals, and they're taking a hands-on role with IT. But a growing number of CEOs have a keen interest in technology because they're former IT executives.

CIOs, chief technology officers, and other IT executives are moving into the CEO office. The highest-profile examples are at companies that sell technology: Eric Schmidt, Sun Microsystems' former CTO, became CEO and chairman at Novell; Michael Capellas was promoted from CIO to CEO at Compaq; and Jim Barksdale, former Federal Express CIO, became CEO at Netscape.

There are more opportunities for IT execs looking to move into CEO positions than they realize, says Tom Lewis, former CEO of Ameritrade Inc., who's now on hiatus. "If you talk to any major recruiting firm," says Lewis, "they'll tell you the toughest spots to fill are senior executives who have a keen understanding of technology."

Lewis, who served as CIO at Marriott, CS First Boston, and at the White House, says IT managers need skills in many areas if they aspire to the CEO office. They also need to admit their weaknesses. "I'm not good at operations; I don't enjoy managing what's happening day to day," he says. "If you're not good at things, you have to hire brilliant people who are."

Lewis says it's critical for IT executives to be "excited to their very core" about a company's vision. "You've got to believe in it with all your heart and get other people to believe it, too," he says. Lewis is weighing several offers, and will more than likely end up in a CEO role again. But don't expect to see him at the helm of a dot-com startup. "Dot-com plays don't hold my interest right now," he says. "I'm

looking for something more in the traditional culture of American business, with multiple disciplines and multiple products."

Return to main story, " Who's in charge of IT?."

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