How do you maintain alignment with your CEO on IT strategy and investment priorities? What's been most effective in building credibility as a strategic partner?

At first we established a lateral communication between tech and the business down to C-2 and in some cases even below.

The teams are using agile methodology on all level except C-level. From the C- level we receive OKRs aligned on their level and we drill this down from program to story. The same way we are able to transparently show progress and needs upward.
We are even sprinting and quarterly aligning on infrastructure engineering level and our CIO is involved in clear showcases every quarter.

The rest of our executive committee is either directly involved in the planning procedure and showcases (mostly C-2) or is updated on regular base in steercos and stakeholder meetings depending on the program.

With this we have a clear and quarterly aligned roadmap and in case of higher investment request we have dedicated meeting with the respective ExCo member and the CEO plus CFO.

This worked for us until now quite good. 😊

I’ve found that establishing an executive steering committee for IT, which includes key business leaders, can shift the dynamics significantly. When decisions about priorities and budget allocation are made collectively, it’s no longer just IT’s responsibility, everyone has a stake. This approach also means that when there are competing demands, the executive team must resolve them together, which fosters alignment and strengthens IT’s position as a strategic partner.

When it comes to aligning multiple business units on overarching projects, I focus on bringing everyone together to see the bigger picture. For example, I’m driving a series of platform investments that span CRM, field service, and outage management, capabilities that have traditionally been siloed within individual business units. My approach is to present the overall strategy and the trade-offs involved, then facilitate a discussion among the business unit leaders so they can see how their decisions impact one another. It’s about providing the information and context, then stepping back and letting them align among themselves. This process, often under the leadership of the COO, helps harmonize priorities and ensures that IT investments support broader business goals.

I agree completely with Jared. The most effective way for me to be a partner to the C-suite is to focus on understanding their business problems, not just talking about technology. My role is to listen to their challenges, go away and determine how technology can address those issues, and then return with solutions. It’s also critical to maintain operational excellence, being tight on delivery, compliance, and audits so that nothing distracts from the strategic conversation. Ultimately, understanding the business and creatively thinking about how technology can influence outcomes is key to building credibility.

I am fortunate to report directly to the CEO, which gives me a seat at the table for strategy conversations. This integration into daily business discussions certainly makes it easier to align IT strategy with overall business priorities. For example, in my regular catch-ups with the CEO, we review our list of initiatives and make tough decisions about which projects to prioritize based on available budget. Sometimes that means killing initiatives, delaying others, or reallocating budget to what matters most.

Building credibility as a strategic partner comes from focusing on the business first. I rarely talk about technology in isolation; instead, I frame conversations around business needs and how technology can enable those objectives. Whether I’m working with the COO on issues like opening a free trade zone or other operational priorities, I make sure the discussion centers on business outcomes, timelines, and priorities. The technical details are handled behind the scenes: what matters to the executive team is how IT supports and advances the business.