The Rise of the Technical CEO

By Milan Shetti, CEO Rocket Software

The role of the CEO is one that is constantly changing—a fact that I am intimately aware of as the second-ever CEO of Rocket Software. As the lines between technology and business become increasingly blurred, it’s critical that leaders have both the technical and business prowess to drive positive business outcomes that lead to long-term success.

In the past, most leaders had a specific set of skills that led to them being in charge. First, it was inventors—they created the technology, so it seemed obvious that they would be the ones to build the business around it. But having an inventor’s mind didn’t always translate to business growth – so when the inventors began to retire, their successors were largely people with management backgrounds who had the ability to scale businesses. From there, sales and services leaders were the next generation of CEOs—their predecessors had built the infrastructure, and now their job was to capture the attention of audiences.

Today’s environment is a unique one for leaders. Businesses cannot afford for leadership to be focused on just one part of the business—the world is too interconnected and moves too quickly. Which is why we’ve moved onto the era of technologists as CEOs.

Every company is a technology company in today’s digital-first world. Industries are constantly being disrupted by the next big thing, which means businesses need modern CEOs that are equally comfortable managing the business as they are with technology. As so many organizations look to navigate digital transformation journeys, having a leader at the helm who understands the importance not just of having technology, but having the right technology, is critical.

Technology is a strategic advantage for today’s organizations. Without a leader who can make those nuanced decisions, it’s impossible to create solutions that will be useful for customers. And customers must always be at the center of any CEO’s decisions.

Rocket’s solutions touch the lives of so many every day – from withdrawing money from an ATM to swiping your credit card at a convenience store, our technology is critical to ensuring the lives of millions run smoothly. As a technologist myself, I am excited to take on the challenges of today’s fast-paced, interconnected world and continue working closely with teams across our organization to continue Rocket’s legacy of delivering the solutions that allow our customers to innovate for the future.

To learn more about these solutions, visit our website.