The New Mandate: Why India's CIOs Are Driving Business, Not Just Tech
When Krishna Guha Roy took the stage at the ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025 in Goa, she first drew attention to the precise, process-driven world she represented. As Director – IT, South Asia Region at Nestlé, Roy has spent the last few years working within a company known for its operational rigor and deeply embedded processes. 'Nestlé, is a well-known Swiss company where quality is premium, processes well embedded,' she said. 'Talking digital in an organization like this had two parts: Talent and transformation.'The Conclave, now a staple in India's enterprise technology calendar, brought together CIOs, digital transformation leaders, and business executives to discuss the evolving role of IT in business strategy. Roy's remarks set the tone for a conversation that was not only about technology but also about leadership, organizational change, and boardroom dynamics required to enable it.
From Back Office to Boardroom
'You cannot drive transformation without people,' Roy emphasized. Facing rising consumer expectations—'the consumer wanted the product in a few minutes'—her team restructured how technology was implemented. 'We brought in data engineers… innovation, design thinkers, UX specialists,' she said. The CIO's office, traditionally viewed as a support function, took on a more central, strategic role. 'It was also discipline,' Roy added, referencing structured programs around reskilling, design thinking, and even reverse mentoring to bridge generational digital gaps.
This expanding influence of the CIO was a recurring theme throughout the Conclave. Where once IT leaders were tasked with system maintenance and vendor management, today they are expected to contribute directly to innovation, AI strategy, and ESG priorities. 'A CIO who can't speak strategy is invisible,' Roy remarked.
That sentiment was echoed by Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra, who offered a pragmatic view on influencing decision-makers. 'Play on the primal instincts—fear,' he quipped, before turning serious. 'The board looks forward to protecting the future. Put your views in alignment. Every individual board member is a different persona—risk averse or innovation friendly. Get your prep done.'
Tech Investment as Strategic Leverage
For many organizations, technology investment is no longer a cost center but a lever for competitive advantage. 'With diverse businesses, the CIO role is the most critical,' said Sanjeev Rastogi, CEO of GCC at Adani Group. 'How effectively we spend on each of the assets… An important factor is how you also protect and connect and manage cost per unit.'
But influence alone doesn't drive change. Execution remains a core challenge. Neethan Chopra, CDIO, IndiGo, underscored the importance of filtering innovation through structured experimentation. 'The funnel approach really works. Top of the funnel innovation I say yes to not miss game-changing tech… Get it in the hands of customers and employees. Let that act as a filter before you take to the board for scale.'
Data, Mergers, and Intelligent Scale
Even in high-stakes environments like aviation, the CIO's role in transformation is increasingly visible. Dr. Satya Ramaswamy, CDTO at Air India, described the complexity of integrating the Air India and Vistara platforms: 'There were 140+ apps across the board in combined landscape, 300 aircraft, 30k+ employees brought together, 270,000 Vistara reservations brought seamlessly into Air India. In the global aviation industry, a smooth merger is being talked about.'
Across sectors, data remains both an asset and a vulnerability. 'The cost of hoarding data is greater than the risk of sharing it wisely,' said Vishal Gupta, Head of Business Transformation and Digital at Godrej Consumer Products. But data democratization, he warned, requires discipline: 'Democratization of bad data is worse than no democratization at all. First, have a well-governed, centralized platform—a single source of truth.'
For Pramod Mundhra, President & CIO at Havells, the opportunity lies in making technology less visible and more intuitive. 'The trick lies in removing friction. With GenAI, on-demand is more powerful. We are enabling our people to use more on-demand data.'
A Redefined Mandate
The takeaway from Goa was clear: The CIO's role is no longer confined to the back office. As expectations evolve and transformation accelerates, CIOs are rewriting the rules—not just for IT, but for the enterprise itself.
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