Technology investments may look important to CIOs, but the CEO or CFO may not have the same point of view. Their perspectives may differ as they think about its impact on business, costing, profitability, and the consequences of not investing. This difference in outlook between the top management and the CIO is one of the biggest challenges that technology leaders face today.
No doubt CIOs are increasingly becoming part of the business decision-making process, but their ability to influence those decisions still depends on how IT investments are connected with business priorities. As a result, gaining the trust of business executives, comprehending organizational priorities, and positioning technology as a strategic contributor rather than just a cost center are now more important than getting tech projects approved.
A panel discussion at the recently held ObserveNow CIO Retreat 2026 in Gurugram explored how technology leaders can speak the language of business. Panellists examined the importance of understanding organisational dynamics, demonstrating financial accountability, aligning stakeholders and building credibility through execution.
The Business Case Comes Before the Budget
Enterprise technology decision makers need to change their communication approach to build a strong business case. Their technology investment pitch must clearly address the business priorities, financial outcomes, and organizational challenges.
Speaking at the panel, Ashok Nayak, CIO at Ipca Labs, asked tech leaders to communicate in business language, as tech jargon is not necessarily understandable to the board. He said, “The focus should be on the value technology is bringing in terms of productivity, quality, compliance, and business growth.”
Chander Khanduja, GCIDO at Baxy Group, insisted that understanding an enterprises’ culture and appetite for technology is very important. “IT leaders must identify and align with the organization’s key power centers to build consensus with stakeholders, making it easier to secure desirable board decisions,” he suggested.
Aligning with Business Owners is the Key to Success
For CIOs, it is crucial to understand informal power structures, maintain credibility, stay alert to the enterprise’s financial and strategic context, and make disciplined decisions across projects to accelerate, pause, or stop.
Dilraj Singh, CDO at TAFE, highlighted three broader factors: “First is the CIO’s own credibility through delivered projects and ROI achievements. Second is the credibility of the sponsoring function; poor past returns can weaken future proposals, and last is the organization’s current awareness, such as financial condition, strategic vision, IPO plans, or possible sale, all of which affect budget allocation and how a proposal should be positioned.”
Dr. Shakti Goel, Chief Architect and Data Scientist at Yatra Online, suggested CIOs to reduce costs by measuring right sizing servers, postponing hiring, or using interns, while assuring that cutting projects entirely could cause bigger future loss.
Reframing Technology as a Strategic Enabler
A boardroom seat is not granted by title; it is earned by becoming indispensable to the organization’s strategy and outcomes.
Describing the CIO as a ‘Tech Portfolio Manager’, Tarun Anand, Group CIO at Jackson Group, said, “IT leaders are those who help the organization decide where to invest for better returns. The ultimate goal should be to make it difficult for the organization to exclude the technology leader from strategic discussions.”
Concluding the session, Nayak said that to attain the permanent seat, CIOs must know both sides of the coin, i.e., business priorities and technology possibilities, and build credibility and trust across the organization.
