The rise of the CIO

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What challenges have businesses across different industries faced in this fast-paced transition to an increasingly digitised economy, and what does it mean for the future?

BySCMP Events

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(L-R) (Moderator) John Artman, Editor, Technology, South China Morning Post; Damien Wu, Director of Business Transformation and Innovation, Chinachem Group; Kennas Lam, Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Asia-Pacific, Johnson Controls; Susan Poon, Chief Information Officer, TK Elevator; and Dr. Ted Suen, MH, Chief Information Officer, MTR Corporation. Photo by: Alex Ma

Published: 1:36am, 2 Jul 2021

Borne out of necessity, IT capabilities and rapid digital transformations have become a focal point for many businesses, making the position of chief information officer (CIO) more relevant than ever.

South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Hong Kong addresses the rapid digital transitions in the world of business and to discuss the rise of the CIO. This panel is moderated by John Artman, Technology Editor at South China Morning Post.

Present from several different sectors to give insight into this topic are: Kennas Lam, Vice President & Chief Information Officer for Asia-Pacific at Johnson Controls; Susan Poon, Chief Information Officer of TK Elevator; Dr. Ted Suen, MH, Chief Information Officer of MTR Corporation; and Damien Wu, Director of Business Transformation and Innovation at Chinachem Group.

Susan Poon, Chief Information Officer of TK Elevator, begins by stating as a CIO, you “need to really understand how a business runs, and then you can actually connect how technology will enable potential growth and potential risk mitigation at the same time.” With this role description, it becomes evident why this position has been so important throughout the pandemic as technology rapidly became an absolute necessity for the functioning of all businesses.

There is no question the pandemic drives innovation, as the only other choice was getting left behind. Dr. Ted Suen, Chief Information Officer of MTR Corporation, mentions the three major challenges needed to be faced during this period of innovation and IT transformation—they needed to revamp infrastructure and change workflow processes, learn how to engage with customers differently, and expedite their digital transformation strategy.