CSSL announces first-ever National CIO List

Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) President Damith Hettihewa (centre) flanked by CSSL CIO List Project Chair Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe (left) and CSSL Vice President Dr. Ajantha Atukorale at the media briefing on the pioneering initiative

The Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) has announced the launch of the country’s first-ever National CIO List, a pioneering initiative to identify the best of the best.

CSSL anticipates the CIO list will add a new dimension and  shape the ICT Professional landscape of Sri Lanka.

CSSL President Damith Hettihewa said: “In today›s context, digital transformation is a compulsion and regarded as an essential ingredient for success  and competitive advantage for any business. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is a strategic stakeholder in contemporary business practice.”

“Recognising the top performers and highest calibre Chief Information Officers is imperative in raising the professional standards amongst the ICT leadership in the country. CSSL as the apex professional body for ICT practitioners has developed and maintained professional standards as a key object of its mandate,” he added.

Hettihewa said CSSL recognises significant ICT contributions to the nation through CSSL National ICT Award and Student excellence in ICT through National Schools Software Competition (NSSC). CSSL CIO list is another initiative to recognise the top ICT Executives who are the key drivers of digital transformation in organisations.

CSSL National CIO List initiative was conceptualised by CSSL’s immediate past President Prabath Wickramratne and Project Implementation is spearheaded by CSSL Ex-Co Member Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe.

Applications for the CIO List will be called until 31 December 2022. The contributions of applicants will be evaluated by an independent  panel of judges invited by CSSL. Sri Lanka CIO List is expected to be published in early 2023.

CSSL has invited reputable business leaders to define the characteristics of a CIO for this worthy initiative. The eminent panel consisted of veteran banker Rajendra Thagarajah, SLCERT Chairman Rohan Muttiah, Deutsche Bank Head of Operations Prabath Wickramaratne, Lanka Bell Managing Director Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe, ESOFT Chairman Dr. Dayan Rajapaksha, University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) Director and CSSL Vice President Dr. Ajantha Athukorale, Nimbus Cloud Lanka Managing Director and CSSL President Damith Hettihewa of CSSL and CSSL CEO Aruna Dayananda.

This group of top intellectuals deliberated extensively  and came up with a list of 12 characteristics to evaluate the top CIOs in the country. 

CSSL CIO Model which comprises 12 elements namely Strategic IT Acumen, Transformation Management, Business Mindset, Digital Advocate, Operational Excellence, Performance Orientation, Financial Discipline, Risk Management, Talent Management, Leadership and Professional Excellence, Global Exposure, Legal Compliance will serve as the foundation framework for selecting the top CIOs in the country. 

This model will also be evaluated against industry practices and evolve further while tracking industry dynamics. As a result, this will be kept on the CSSL agenda.

Having been established in 1976, the CSSL is the apex body for ICT Professionals and the longest standing ICT association in the country. The CSSL is a member of the South-East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC), International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and provisional signatory to the Seoul Accord, an internationally acclaimed degree accreditation program through which CSSL brings international standards on ICT related degrees to Sri Lanka.