Cait O’Riordan, chief product and information officer (CPIO) at the Financial Times, ranked 9th among the UK’s 100 most influential CIOs in 2017. The CIO 100 recognises the value senior business technology executives provide to their organisations.
O’Riordan was appointed to CPIO at the FT in February of 2016, where she is now responsible for product and technology across the FT Group, leading platform and product strategy, development and operations. O’Riordan has piloted the successful launch of the new FT.com, now the fastest major news website in the world. The redesign focused heavily on reader engagement and satisfaction while also increasing ad viewability and directly impacting revenue.
Cait O’Riordan said: “I am honoured to feature in this year’s CIO 100. It is inspiring and motivating to have the work of my great team at the Financial Times recognised by the industry, particularly because of our commitment to approaching technology from a product perspective.”
Edward Qualtrough, editor of CIO UK said: “As a CIO with product ownership responsibilities, who has worked in startups and has experience outside ‘IT’, Cait is the epitome of what many believe the CIO role should be: a board-level operator and strategic customer-focused business executive with a dose of technology leadership.”
Ian Cohen, CIO 100 judge and former CTO at FT.com, said: “It’s rare to see a CIO place so well in their first year in a role, but Cait has hit the ground running at time of immense change and challenge in the media sector. In my view Cait beautifully summarises where I believe technology leadership needs to be: extending beyond its traditional boundaries embracing product and customer engagement alongside technical excellence. Indeed, it sets the standard for where the CIO should be focused as part of the current digital narrative.”
O’Riordan is a former broadcast journalist with a deep understanding of the news media. Prior to joining the Financial Times, she worked in a number of senior product roles, including overseeing the BBC’s cross-platform digital product for the London 2012 Olympics. She was most recently vice president of product at digital music company Shazam.