Boyden Seeking Chief Technology Officer for the City of Vancouver
February 6, 2020 – Boyden has been retained by Vancouver, British Columbia to lead its search for a new chief technology officer. The city wants a business leader who has been responsible for technology strategy and direction in a complex, dynamic organization with multiple business lines and stakeholders. Boyden’s managing partner Lisa Kershaw is leading the search team.
Technology services are foundational to the city achieving its mission through IT leadership, service excellence and innovation, Boyden said. Vancouver is a Smart City leader, is regarded internationally as progressive, and has secured multi-year funding for its IT strategic plan.
Reporting to the deputy city manager, the CTO is accountable for advancing Vancouver’s mission and operations through leadership of its technology planning and service delivery functions, including digital and contact center service channels. The CTO develops and executes strategies and technical roadmaps for the evolution of technology and related business processes at the city. This includes overall leadership and accountability for IT policy, standards, major technology projects, technology innovation and ongoing delivery of IT, digital and contact center services.
Boyden said the ideal candidate will be a highly successful business leader who has been responsible for technology strategy and direction in a complex, dynamic organization with multiple business lines and stakeholders. “An outstanding people leader, you have led large teams and budgets and are able to translate and communicate technology into business terms,” said the firm. “This role will appeal to technology leaders motived to play an impactful role in one of Canada’s Smart Cities.”
Located on the Pacific Ocean beside the coast mountains, Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia and one of the largest in Canada. It is recognized as one of Canada’s top 100 employers, one of British Columbia’s top employers and one of Canada’s best diversity employers. The city has a population of almost 700,000, with an annual operating budget of $1.5 billion and has 10,000 staff.
Global Search Firm
Boyden is a global provider of executive search services, with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries. Founded in 1946, the firm specializes in high-level executive search, interim management and human capital consulting across a broad spectrum of industries.
The Bank of Canada recently selected Boyden to assist in its search for a new governor following the resignation of Stephen S. Poloz. The bank announced that Mr. Poloz had said he will not seek a second term when his seven-year term expires on June 2.
Ms. Kershaw serves a broad client base, particularly focused on healthcare, financial services/pensions, not-for-profit and retail/manufacturing. Her strategic expertise brings value to international, mid-market and growth companies across virtually all functions including finance, marketing, HR, operations and general management. She also serves as the North Americas regional leader of financial services practice group. Her focus includes healthcare, financial services, pensions, public sector, not-for-profit, manufacturing, retail, and distribution sectors.
Chief Technology Officers
Demand for top technology executives continues to gain momentum. Chief technology officer hiring, in fact, is expected to grow 18 percent by 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. It’s a trend that is keeping executive search firms well occupied.
In addition, the booming technology sector, vibrant even when the economy was softer, shows little sign of retreat, according to a host of recruiters who service the talent needs of companies across the field. It continues to produce capabilities and services that few imagined just a decade ago.
Yet a recently conducted survey of global executives by Odgers Berndtson and Forrester Research revealed that 84 percent of companies lack the necessary talent base to execute a digital transformation.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
