Several weeks ago, while working on MIS Magazine, I was sidetracked by an incident?–?a major business event, actually. Our publisher Fairfax Business Media acquired the licence to publish our competitor in the IT management magazine space –?and merged the two publications. It would have been tempting?–?and an easy route?–?for the magazine to just slap the CIO masthead on the cover, and inside, simply retain what MIS is known for?–?real life experiences of local IS leaders, buttressed with honest insights from peers, other business executives and analysts from New Zealand and overseas.
But it is rare to be given a chance to reshape the magazine, so we took advantage of this to make some real changes to the publication which I’m sure you’ll be as enthusiastic about as we are.
Coincidentally, while working on this edition, we were also in the midst of the annual CIO Conference where a keynote speaker, Gartner’s Mike Kennedy, had stressed one can’t be a leader by being the same as anyone else, and simply sticking to “best practices”. A bit of “creative destruction” is called for, and that is what we aimed for in the magazine.
But of course, some things will remain?–?our focus on the unique management and leadership needs of the IT executive community, and providing the best information and resources on becoming a business leader through savvy IS strategy and management.
Editorial advisory board continues
The editorial advisory board will continue to be an intrinsic part of the magazine, providing valuable insights and feedback which of course, we always welcome from all our readers.
It is, indeed, an exciting time to be writing about the IT executive sphere. I have been covering the sector for the past six years and have witnessed how IT executives have emerged as the ones to watch out for when it comes to leadership posts; how their roles have progressively become more and more critical to the organisation.
It is also an interesting reflection of the way in which the role of senior IT executives has changed from technologist to business leader, and an endorsement of your ability to work effectively across many areas of the business.
This dynamism across the sector is what this inaugural issue aims to capture.
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