The Wharton School and Gartner Launch CIO Academy to Prepare the Chief Information Officer to Partner with the CEO

PHILADELPHIA--(EON:Enhanced Online News)--As chief information officers are being called to play a more central leadership role in their organizations, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Gartner have partnered to launch a new executive education program to help them meet this challenge. CIO as Full Business Partner will be held at the Wharton School in Philadelphia from October 28 to November 2, 2007.

“CIOs are in the same position as their C-level peers to drive competitive advantage”

The role of the CIO is changing dramatically. A recent Gartner poll found that 50 percent of CIOs surveyed had duties outside of core technology - such as helping to craft corporate strategy - up from about 20 percent three years ago. Gartner found that more CIOs are reporting directly to the CEO, CFO or COO, up to 74 percent in 2006 from 69 percent in 2003. Even as they are asked to play a more strategic role, CIOs are expected to ensure high performance of the IT organization. How can they develop the skills and insight they need?

“CIOs are in the same position as their C-level peers to drive competitive advantage,” said Thomas P. Gerrity, Joseph J. Aresty Professor; Professor of Management at Wharton, and academic director of the new program. He was founder and former CEO of the Index Group (later part of CSC Consulting), one of the world's leading consulting firms in business reengineering and information technology strategy. “For years, CIOs have been told that they wouldn't have a job unless they transform from ‘chief technology mechanic' to business executives. But many focus on cost containment at the expense of making important contributions to the CEO's vision for achieving business advantage through product innovation or new growth platforms.”

The new program draws together the strategic insights from one of the leading business schools with the deep IT knowledge of Gartner, the industry's leading IT research and advisory firm. “CIOs can attain meaningful executive partnerships by supporting the ways their CxO peers are evaluated,” said Mark McDonald group vice president and head of research for Gartner executive programs. “The Wharton-Gartner collaboration offers something most executive programs lack: a strong multidiscipline approach that helps CIOs understand what makes their peers in finance, marketing, sales and operations successful. It's a gap we knew we could address by combining resources with Wharton to host this special session of CIO Academy.”

The focus of the new program is to give CIOs an understanding of the strategy and language of the CEO and other C-level peers. Faculty also develop core leadership skills such as thinking strategically, driving change (with a particular emphasis on leading technological change), developing people, influencing and leading. “The CIO's ability to frame projects in business and strategic terms is the key factor in securing a position as full partner with the rest of the senior management team,” Gerrity said.

During the program, CIOs will gain insights into how:

• CEOs set expectations with investors
• Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) add long-term business value and assess Return on Investment Capital (ROIC)
• Marketing and sales executives build unique qualities into customer value propositions that advance business advantage and increase share.

By the end of the session, participants will develop a 100-day action plan to deepen its impact. The program also offers opportunities for networking with an outstanding group of CIOs from diverse industries. “Executives get the added bonus of interacting with their CIO peers to discover what is successfully working for them,” Gerrity added.

For more information on the program or to enroll, visit: http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu/GartnerCIO/.

ABOUT THE WHARTON SCHOOL

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania - founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school - is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The school has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 8,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 81,000 graduates.

Each year, Wharton Executive Education works with more than 8,000 business leaders on its campus in Philadelphia, at Wharton West in San Francisco, and at sites around the world. The Wharton Learning Continuum is Wharton Executive Education's model for delivering Impact Through Education™ - supporting companies and individuals in a 9-to 12-month learning process that is designed collaboratively with clients, delivered by Wharton faculty, and monitored to produce specific outcomes.

ABOUT GARTNER

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for our clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, we are the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, we work with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 3,800 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 75 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

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