An analysis of CEOs of companies in the FTSE 350 suggests that the career progression from CIO to the very top is not common, despite the crucial role that technology plays in many companies.
Out of the 350 CEOs, only one - Philip Clarke at Tesco - was previously a CIO. Chief financial officers (CFOs) and managing directors (18.8 percent) are more likely to fill the top role.
Furthermore, only three CEOs hold computer science degrees, namely Simon Segars of ARM, Chris Aspinwall of Fidessa Group and Tim Howkins of IG Group.
Unsurprisingly, men dominate the list, with only 14 women (4.3 percent) leading companies in the FTSE 350. Only one company, out of 27, in the telecoms and technology sector has a woman at its head - Dido Harding, CEO of TalkTalk.
Meanwhile, the top four universities to produce CEOs are the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester and Harvard. However, 10 percent of CEOs didn’t attend university at all.
The analysis has been carried out using publicly available data collated in August 2013, via a QlikTech app based on QlikView Business Discovery. The app can be accessed here.