Young CIOs: They're Smart, Ambitious and They're Going to Take Your Job!

CIO — A new generation of IT professionals is coming of age in corporate America. They're young—in their late 20s and early- to mid-30s. They're astute. They're moving into executive management positions faster than did their hoary predecessors. Unlike many of their elders, this new generation is not content to make the CIO role the capstone of their careers. And CEOs are very interested in—and willing to take a chance on—this new generation of IT execs.

"The level of interest [among CEOs] in on-boarding people with fewer years of experience is greater today than it was a few years ago," says Paul Groce, who leads executive search firm Christian & Timbers' CIO practice. "Age as a barrier has broken down, to a degree. Companies are less hierarchical. Credibility comes from what a person can do, rather than the gray hairs on their head."

Groce says some companies are considering less experienced candidates because they're more interested in developing bench strength, doing talent contingency planning for the future, and finding individuals who will be team players for the next 10 to 15 years. "One of the lead criteria we see in searches is, 'Give me great talent that can be nurtured and grown to the next level,' " he says.

There's another reason why some CEOs seek out younger talent, observes Groce. The CEOs feel that someone with less tenure, who hasn't tasted success, is more driven and hungrier for it than is someone who's already experienced its heady rush. When CEOs are faced with a candidate who's already "struck it big," they wonder if that individual will still have the drive to work 15-hour days and if that more-experienced CIO will take a less inventive approach to business, the second time around, says Groce.

Eric Sigurdson, the leader of Russell Reynolds' information officers practice, also notes that some of his clients see new IT execs as less encumbered by history. The seasoned IT leaders contemplate what has and hasn't worked in IT in the past. According to Sigurdson, the younger CIOs are perceived as more adaptable to current trends in technology than are earlier generations, who are known for uttering expressions like, 'I remember when we had a mainframe environment.' This new generation of CIOs is part of the Internet generation—and they know it.

"I grew up with computers. I don't have the punch card story," says Timothy Campos, the 33-year-old CIO of KLA-Tencor, a $2 billion semiconductor manufacturer.

By virtue of the fact that this generation of CIOs has moved into the role so early in their careers, recruiters agree that the new CIOs will have more opportunities to move out of IT and into general business management roles than did their predecessors. "If you become CIO by 35, it's hard to believe you're going to be doing that for the next 25 years," says Sigurdson. "They have a longer runway in which to launch into another role, which would likely include [business] operations."

For all these young CIOs' perceived strengths and advantages, says Sigurdson, "You don't get something for nothing. There's no substitute for experience."

One of the skills that younger IT executives may be lacking is business management experience, says Rich Brennan, the leader of Spencer Stuart's information officers practice. He notes that IT professionals who become CIO at a young age probably came up the technical route, so they may not have the business and leadership experience that most companies seek in CIOs today. "The challenge is the business management experience and being treated as a peer by division presidents, the CFO, the general counsel," he says.

So who are these young CIOs? Over the next few pages, CIO.com introduces you to three of them. Each of them shot up the corporate ladder quickly because they had mentors and sponsors at current and previous employers who saw their potential, provided them with opportunities to grow and covered their flanks in challenging situations. They understand that being a successful CIO requires a combination of technical and business acumen. They're aware of their individual weaknesses and are driven to improve themselves.

Timothy Campos moved into the CIO position at KLA-Tencor when he was 32. He speaks with the polish and confidence of a seasoned Fortune 500 executive. Robert Walden, 36, is leading IT at TXP, a growing provider of original design manufacturing services to the electronics and telecom industries. He is committed to bridging the gap between IT and the business. At 25, Brad Friedlander, the CIO of Lightning Golf and Promotions, is the greenest of the bunch, but as such, he has the longest professional runway off of which to launch his already rapid-rise career. Read on for more detail on Campos's, Walden's and Friedlander's careers.

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