What You Need To Be A CTO • Simon Raik-Allen • YOW! 2018

Discover the essential qualities and skills required to excel as a successful Chief Technology Officer, and learn how to effectively lead and communicate with both technical and non-technical teams.

Key takeaways
  • To be a successful CTO, you need to have a deep understanding of both technology and business.
  • A CTO should be able to communicate effectively with both the technical and non-technical teams.
  • Technical leaders need to have a holistic understanding of the business and be able to guide it towards the medium-term view.
  • It’s crucial to have a good CTO who can educate the company and create a culture of innovation.
  • The role of a CTO is not just technical, but also involves marketing, sales, and influencing the business.
  • It’s essential to have a CTO who can balance the needs of the company, the customers, and the stakeholders.
  • A CTO should be able to create a technology strategy that aligns with the company’s business goals.
  • The CTO is accountable for all the delivery, and needs to have a deep understanding of the business context.
  • A CTO should be able to communicate effectively with the board and answer their questions about the company’s progress.
  • It’s crucial to have a CTO who can create a culture of innovation and be able to inspire the team.
  • The CTO needs to be a good communicator and be able to articulate the technology strategy to the non-technical stakeholders.