CIOs are an ambitious lot. Not the type to be satisfied with the status quo, they have set big goals for themselves in the upcoming year, according to countless surveys of IT execs.
They want to expand their use of artificial intelligence, deliver more value from those AI investments, further boost employee productivity, drive more efficiencies, improve resiliency, expand their transformation efforts, and more.
Of course, every CIO has a unique to-do list with key objectives to accomplish. So, in keeping with the New Year’s spirit, we asked multiple CIOs about their professional resolutions for 2025. Here’s what they resolve to do in the upcoming 12 months.
1. Innovate
Shane McDaniel, CIO for the City of Seguin, Texas, says his city has grown by about 35% since the 2020 census.
To ensure his team can meet the challenges that such growth brings, he has doubled his IT staff and invested in upskilling his team. He’s leveraging his vendor relationships to keep pace with emerging as well as tried-and-true technologies and practices. And he’s maturing IT operations and building in more flexibility, seeing both as essential for his department’s ability to meet the city’s changing and expanding needs.
McDaniel says this work also creates a strong launchpad for more IT innovation in the upcoming year.
“We’re embracing innovation,” he explains. “As CIO for a top 25 fastest growing city in the USA, my focus is guiding my organization through rapid maturity, leveraging tech innovation, and seizing funding opportunities as best as possible.”
2. Double down on harnessing the power of AI
Not surprisingly, getting more out of AI is top of mind for many CIOs. One of them is Katherine Wetmur, CIO for cyber, data, risk, and resilience at Morgan Stanley.
“I am excited about the potential of generative AI, particularly in the security space,” she says.
Wetmur says Morgan Stanley “has been using modern data science, AI, and machine learning for years to analyze data and activity, pinpoint risks, and initiate mitigation,” noting that teams at the firm have earned patents in this space.
Still, she sees more work to be done and is partnering with the company’s infrastructure and innovation teams “to build on this momentum.”
“The opportunity to further leverage AI to enhance our security infrastructure, address threats, and enable fraud detection is immense,” she says.
3. And ensure effective and secure AI rollouts
“AI is everywhere, and while its benefits are extensive, implementing it effectively across a corporation presents challenges. Balancing the rollout with proper training, adoption, and careful measurement of costs and benefits is essential, particularly while securing company assets in tandem,” says Ted Kenney, CIO of tech company Access.
Kenney plans to partner with commercial off-the-shelf software providers “to facilitate a proof-of-concept of their out-of-the-box functionality. Our success will be measured by user adoption, a reduction in manual tasks, and an increase in sales and customer satisfaction.”
4. Focus on responsible AI
That’s top of mind for Denise Reilly-Hughes, secretary of the State of Vermont’s Agency of Digital Services and its CIO. She recognizes that the possibilities of AI grow by the day — but so do the risks.
“My resolution is to mature in our execution of responsible AI,” she says. “So often organizations can be caught up in the appeal of a shiny new thing, which can create unintended consequences. AI is the new gold and in order to truly maximize it’s potential, we must first have the proper guardrails in place. Taking a human-first approach to AI will help ensure our state can maintain ethics while taking advantage of the new AI innovations.”
She is optimistic in that approach, believing that “those of us embracing AI will be in a better place tomorrow as it continues to mature” alongside governance frameworks and organizational oversight.
5. Deliver value from generative AI
As organizations move from experimenting and testing generative AI use cases, they’re looking for gen AI to deliver real business value.
Ronda Cilsick, CIO of software company Deltek, is aiming to do just that.
“As we go into 2025, we’ll continue to see the evolution of gen AI. But it’s no longer about just standing it up. It’s more about optimizing and maximizing the value we’re getting out of gen AI,” she says. “We’re looking at how we’re enabling our employees to use the technology and think about the art of the possible to deliver business value.”
6. Empower global talent
Although harnessing AI is a top objective for Morgan Stanley’s Wetmur, she says she’s equally committed to harnessing the power of people.
“At Morgan Stanley, our talent is truly the secret sauce to our success,” she says, adding that she remains “inspired by the exceptional knowledge and contributions from our world-class technologists.”
Her goal is to continue empowering them.
“My responsibility for our global technology footprint means that motivating and empowering our diverse workforce remains one of my top priorities,” Wetmur says. “I visit as many teams as possible in person, whether that’s in India, Singapore, Europe, or closer to home in North America. I believe in the power of face-to-face meetings to understand different team experiences and challenges directly. This approach not only demonstrates that we value our people wherever they are but allows me to engage effectively with my managers to develop strategies that foster a productive and inclusive culture where different strengths and skill sets can thrive.”
She adds: “This is especially crucial in times when technologies, markets, and customer expectations are rapidly evolving.”
7. Create a wholistic learning culture
Wetmur has another talent-related objective: to create a learning culture — not just in her own department but across all divisions.
“I firmly believe continuous learning and experimentation are essential for progress. Our industry is evolving so quickly, and success today hinges on true investment in continuous professional development and a willingness to experiment with new technologies,” she says. “We have fantastic innovation labs, hackathons, and a strong support for grassroots innovation. But innovation is not just the responsibility of the technology division; it is something that the entire business is involved in. By educating not just our business partners but our entire employee base about the power of emerging technologies such as generative AI, we can ensure that everyone is aligned with us as we chart our future.”
8. Deliver better digital experiences
Deltek’s Cilsick has her sights set on improving her company’s digital employee experience, believing that a better DEX will yield benefits in multiple ways.
Cilsick says she first wants to bring in new technologies and automation to “make things as easy as possible,” mirroring the digital experiences most workers have when using consumer technologies. For example, Deltek is examining what technologies it should deploy to make collaboration and communications as smooth as possible for teams whose workers are switching between office and remote locations as part of the company’s hybrid workplace environment, she says.
But Cilsick is aiming go beyond improving employees’ digital experience to focusing on their “digital productivity,” too.
“It’s really about leveraging tech to make sure [employees] are more efficient and productive,” she explains.
MongoDB CIO Mindy Lieberman cites the same objective.
“In 2025 my primary focus as CIO will be on transforming operational efficiency, maximizing business productivity, and enhancing employee experiences,” she says. “We will be hyperfocused on leveraging AI to reimagine the process, looking strategically at the SaaS sprawl to close the door to new sprawl while cleaning up past sins, as well as addressing the accumulation of and updating UI and performance to provide an integrated toolset.”
9. Position the company for long-term success
Lieberman wants to look beyond 2025, saying another resolution for the year is “to develop a longer-term view of our technology roadmap so that we can strategically decide where to invest our resources.”
This comes at a time when the technology roadmaps of many IT leaders have had to shrink, given the pace of change and the unknowns ahead.
“My resolutions for 2025 reflect the evolving needs of our organization, the opportunities presented by AI and emerging technologies, and the necessity to balance innovation with operational efficiency,” she explains. “The overarching goal is to position technology as a catalyst for business growth, employee satisfaction, and competitive differentiation.”
To do that, Lieberman aims to develop AI capabilities to automate routine tasks.
“Bots will handle common inquiries ranging from sales account summaries to HR benefits, reducing response times and freeing up resources for strategic initiatives,” she says.
Another key focus for Lieberman will be capitalizing on the emergence of agentic AI.
“By incorporating AI’s evolving reasoning capabilities, we’ll enhance decision-making and streamline operations, with measurable improvements tracked against baselines to demonstrate real business impact,” she says.
For many IT leaders, that last part can make or break AI projects.
Asked how she plans to measure that impact, Lieberman says, “Success will be evident in a more productive workforce, streamlined operations, and empowered employees who feel supported by intuitive tools and processes. We’ll see measurable gains in productivity, reduced operational costs, and a stronger alignment between technology and business goals.”
Read More from This Article: 9 IT resolutions for 2025
Source: News