The Heller Report: The Technology Talent Market: “High-Growth Private Equity PortCo CIO” Edition

For our series on attracting the best technology leaders, Morgan Breschi, Heller executive recruiter and talent expert, explains why CIOs who can grow a private-equity-backed business through integration and M&A are so valuable. These executives showcase an “ability to build fast in a chaotic environment,” and communicate efficiently. “When you interview a high-growth PE CIO, listen for how they tie technology initiatives to business value. Every answer should include specific data and results,” Breschi says.

For many enterprises, investments in AI and automation have not produced expected results, writes Sriram Upadhyayula, chief information and technology officer at Propelis and president at 5Flow. To get better outcomes requires leadership. Specifically, CIOs should focus on orchestrating how work flows across the organization—aligning people, processes, and systems so decisions can happen faster and closer to where the work gets done.

What book should every tech leader have on their shelf? What books have sharpened your thinking as a leader? Share your picks from your reading and listening that helped you as a business technology leader. We will publish a “recommended reading” list based on your responses in an upcoming issue.

In a speech marking the 1946 debut of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), Naomi Most explained how her grandparents – co-inventor John W. Mauchly and programmer Kathleen “Kay” McNulty – met during the project and used their skills to calculate ballistic trajectories for the U.S. Army in World War II. “Both were interested in more than just crunching numbers: My grandfather wanted to predict the weather. My grandmother wanted to be a good storyteller,” Most said, in remarks published by IEEE Spectrum. Both succeeded. Weather forecasters later used ENIAC. And, through her grandmother’s efforts, women who programmed the computer won greater recognition.