A
chief technical officer or
chief technology officer (abbreviated as
CTO) is an executive position whose holder is focused on scientific and technical issues within an organization. Essentially, a CTO is responsible for the transformation of capital - be it monetary, intellectual, or political - into technology in furtherance of the company's objectives.
The title is most typically found in organizations which significantly develop or exploit
information technologyInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
.
There is currently no commonly-shared definition of a CTO's responsibilities, apart from that of acting as the senior-most
technologistA technologist is a specialist who is trained to perform work in a field of technology. In some countries there is a clear distinction defined in law and only individuals who have graduated from an accredited curriculum in technology, and have a significant amount of work experience in their field...
in an organization.
A
chief technical officer or
chief technology officer (abbreviated as
CTO) is an executive position whose holder is focused on scientific and technical issues within an organization. Essentially, a CTO is responsible for the transformation of capital - be it monetary, intellectual, or political - into technology in furtherance of the company's objectives.
The title is most typically found in organizations which significantly develop or exploit
information technologyInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
.
Typical responsibilities
There is currently no commonly-shared definition of a CTO's responsibilities, apart from that of acting as the senior-most
technologistA technologist is a specialist who is trained to perform work in a field of technology. In some countries there is a clear distinction defined in law and only individuals who have graduated from an accredited curriculum in technology, and have a significant amount of work experience in their field...
in an organization. Depending on the nature and genesis of the organization, responsibilities may resemble in part those of
chief science officerChief science officer is a position at the head of research and development and new technology developments at companies with a technology or research focus.In some organizations, this designation is synonymous with chief technical officer...
,
chief strategy officerA Chief Strategy Officer , or chief strategist, is an executive who is responsible for assisting the chief executive officer with creating, communicating, executing, and sustaining strategic initiatives within a company or agency....
or
chief information officerThe chief information officer is a job title for the board-level head of information technology within an organization. The CIO typically reports to the chief operations officer or the chief executive officer...
.
In practice, the CTO will oversee technical staff at a company, particularly those engaged in the development of new technologies, especially
software developmentSoftware development is the set of activities that results in software products. Software development may include research, new development, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products...
. The scope of these efforts varies: whereas the CTO of an early-formation start-up may have very hands-on technical responsibilities, the CTO of an international conglomerate may deal with the representatives of foreign governments and industry organizations regarding trade policy, industry standards and joint ventures.
In general, the CTO is concerned with the architecture, design & development, security, operational integrity, system support and maintenance across the IT organization. The CTO is responsible for delivering IT solutions with a focus on technical problem solving. In contrast, the CIO is focused on the IT strategy formulation, planning and strategic alignment of IT with the corporate objectives. The CIO ensures that return on IT investments are realized as planned.
Contrast with Chief Information Officer
The focus of a CTO may be contrasted with that of a
CIOThe chief information officer is a job title for the board-level head of information technology within an organization. The CIO typically reports to the chief operations officer or the chief executive officer...
in that, whereas a CIO is predisposed to solve problems by acquiring and adapting ready-made technologies, a CTO is predisposed to solve problems by developing new technologies. In practice, each will typically blend both approaches.
In an enterprise whose primary technology concerns are addressable by ready-made technologies, a CIO might be the primary representative of technology issues at the executive level. In an enterprise whose primary technology concerns are addressed by developing (and perhaps productising) new technologies, or the general strategic exploitation of intellectual property held by the company, a CTO might be the primary representative of these concerns at the executive level.
A CTO is focused on technology needed for products and technology sold to clients where a CIO is an internal facing job focused on technology to run the company and maintaining the platform to run services to sell to clients.
Genesis of the CTO role
Though the position may be said to have emerged in the 1980s from that of Director of
Research and DevelopmentThe phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
, it came into significant use during the dot-com era of the 1990s. In such smaller, emerging companies, internally-focused, traditional CIO concerns such as
office automationOffice automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks and goals. Raw data storage, electronic transfer, and the management of electronic business information...
, regulatory compliance, data storage, security, enterprise networking, and workstation provisioning would fall initially within the aegis of the CTO. When the company- and its internal technology concerns- became larger and more complex, a CIO position might be created, reporting to either the
Chief financial officerThe chief financial officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management. In some sectors the CFO is also...
or
Chief executive officerA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
.
In older industries (whose existence may pre-date IT automation) such as manufacturing, shipping or banking, the CIO role would arise out of the process of automating existing enterprises, and any CTO-like role would emerge as internal development efforts grew to significant complexity to be of executive-level concern, perhaps through intrapreneuring, often in imitation of dot-com-style innovations.
CTO of the United States
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
appointed
Aneesh ChopraAneesh Chopra is the first Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States . He previously served as Virginia’s fourth Secretary of Technology. Prior to his government service, Chopra was Managing Director for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals and heath...
the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' first
Chief Technology OfficerThe Chief Technology Officer of the United States , formally known as the Assistant to the President, Associate Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy is a position created within the Office of Science and Technology Policy by President Barack Obama...
in April 2009.