Landing a CIO job has never been easy for consultants. Companies, especially big ones, tend to shy away from candidates with consulting backgrounds, worrying that they lack the tact, political savvy, and ability to operate with an existing IT staff and within a limited budget necessary to be successful, says Steve Kendrick, an executive recruiter with Spencer Stuart’s global information officers practice. So if you’re a consultant, your best bet is to market yourself to small and midsize companies. Smaller companies with growth goals often seek to leverage your experience working in different industries or with other companies in the same industry. A number of consultants have recently bucked the trend and landed CIO jobs: Brian O’Connell proved his mettle to The Hartford Financial Services Group after working on a project for the company while employed by Accenture. He was hired as CIO of Hartford Life in October. Jeremy Gill had been advising $651 million engineering firm Michael Baker on its information security practices when it hired him as its vice president of IT, also in October. Roger Johnsen provided executive IT consulting services to iTerra Communications and Google before being hired as $10.8 million Intraware’s vice president of IT in September. Steve Dewsnap had been working for Mace Security International as an independent consultant for five years before the $49 million defense products company hired him in September. Tim Kutz worked in Accenture’s global forest products practice before joining privately held paper and packaging distributor Unisource Worldwide in August. So, consultants, don’t despair. There’s prejudice out there, but you can beat it. Related content news Concerns remain even as the EU reaches a landmark deal to govern AI Experts believe the new regulation would add a significant compliance burden on businesses as some argue it could even stifle the growth of the rapidly developing technology. By Gagandeep Kaur Dec 11, 2023 7 mins Regulation Regulation Government feature CIOs grapple with the ethics of implementing AI With ethical considerations around AI use increasingly top of mind, IT leaders are developing governance frameworks, establishing review boards, and coming to terms with the difficult discussions and decisions ahead. By Esther Shein Dec 11, 2023 13 mins Generative AI Data Governance IT Governance feature Reed Smith turns to AI for lawyer staffing solution The legal firm’s Smart Resourcing tool helps balance workloads and ensure partners find associates with the right skills and experience, while empowering employees to make connections across the firm’s global footprint. By Sarah K. White Dec 11, 2023 8 mins CIO 100 Legal Digital Transformation news Emirates NBD drives sustainability goals with Microsoft partnership By Andrea Benito Dec 10, 2023 2 mins CIO Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe