Building Board-Level Influence

As technology and digital business drive organizational strategy, CIOs are no longer simply reporting progress to their boards. Today, boards have higher expectations, and CIOs need a new approach to engage as strategic partners, influence critical decisions and guide conversations at the highest levels. To maximize their impact, CIOs are stepping beyond traditional updates to help navigate board-level strategy and decision-making. 

At the recent San Francisco CIO Executive Summit, Prakash Kota, CIO of UKG, an AI-led Workforce Operation Platform that unifies HR, payroll, and workforce management, and Jamil Farshchi, EVP and CTO of Equifax and UKG Board Member, led a keynote session on “Building Board-Level Influence.” Prakash, who is also a Governing Body Member of the San Francisco CIO Community, highlights top moments from the fireside chat, where they explored how CIOs can strengthen their board presence and credibility, foster ongoing dialogue and inform strategic decision making.

Here, Prakash shares 7 key takeaways from the session for CIOs across Gartner CIO Communities:

1. It’s about relationships – not presentations.

One of the themes Jamil and I kept coming back to is that board engagement isn't about perfect presentations. It's about building trusted relationships.

Technology has become central to business strategy, which means CIOs have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to help boards navigate both opportunity and risk. The best board conversations are open, candid, and grounded in business outcomes.

When trust exists before the meeting starts, the conversation in the boardroom becomes much more productive.
 

1. Develop relationships outside of quarterly meetings.

The most effective board relationships aren't built during quarterly meetings – they're built in the conversations between them.

I've been fortunate to have a board member with deep technology expertise, who serves as both a sounding board and a thought partner. We meet regularly, not to rehearse presentations, but to discuss what's happening in the business, what's changing in technology, and what questions are likely to be on the board's mind.

Those conversations help me understand how the board is thinking, while also giving me an opportunity to explain emerging technologies and business implications before they become agenda items. It creates continuity instead of surprises.

My advice is to treat board relationships the same way you would any important business partnership. Invest time outside of formal meetings, listen as much as you talk, and build trust over time. When you walk into the boardroom, the conversation should feel like a continuation – not the beginning.
 

It creates continuity instead of surprises.
 

1. Identify and partner with board champions.

A board champion helps bridge two perspectives: management's view of the business and the board's responsibility for oversight and long-term strategy.

They can tell you which parts of your message will resonate, where the board is likely to have concerns, and whether you're answering the questions they actually care about – not just the ones you want to present.

That relationship also creates continuity. When a trusted board member understands your strategy and why you're making certain investments, they can help reinforce that narrative in the room. It's not about advocating for management; it's about ensuring the discussion stays focused on the strategic outcomes the company is trying to achieve.

Ultimately, it leads to better conversations, better decisions, and stronger alignment between technology strategy and business strategy.
 

1. Advise on the business implications – not the technical details.

One of the biggest mistakes technology leaders make is assuming the board wants a technology presentation. They don't – they want to understand business implications.

Every technology discussion should begin with the business problem you're trying to solve. What risk are we reducing? What opportunity are we creating? How does this help us serve customers better, operate more efficiently, or position the company for the future?

I also think consistency matters. Each board conversation should build on the previous one. If every meeting introduces an entirely new narrative, it's difficult for directors to see progress or understand how the pieces fit together. A clear storyline over time helps build confidence and keeps the focus on the long-term strategy rather than technical details.
 

1. Reframe cybersecurity as a business risk.

Cybersecurity is fundamentally a business risk conversation, not a technology conversation.

The board doesn't need every technical detail about threats or controls. They want to understand our overall risk posture, how we're reducing risk over time, where we're making investments, and whether we're prepared to respond if something happens.

I also try to avoid speaking in absolutes. No organization can eliminate cyber risk entirely. Our responsibility is to continuously strengthen our resilience, improve our ability to detect and respond, and make thoughtful risk-based decisions.

When you frame security in terms of business resilience, customer trust, and operational continuity, the conversation becomes much more meaningful for the board.
 

Try to avoid speaking in absolutes.
 

1. Position AI as a business transformation opportunity.

We've intentionally shifted the conversation away from AI as a technology topic and toward AI as a business transformation opportunity.

The board isn't asking which models we're using or how many prompts employees generate. They're asking whether AI is helping us operate differently, make better decisions, improve customer outcomes, and create long-term competitive advantage.

That's the right conversation.

At UKG, we've also learned that AI doesn't create value simply because you deploy a new tool. The real return comes when you redesign workflows, rethink how work gets done, and help employees adopt new ways of working. Technology is only one part of that equation.

The board wants confidence that you're investing responsibly, governing appropriately, and creating measurable business value – not chasing the latest technology trend.
 

1. Establish credibility over time.

Credibility is built over time through consistency.

Do what you say you're going to do. Follow up on commitments. Be transparent about challenges as well as successes. And don't wait until there's a problem to engage the board.

I've also found it's important to have a point of view. Boards value CIOs who can connect technology trends to business strategy and help leadership think differently about the future. That means understanding the business as deeply as you understand the technology.

When you're consistently bringing insights – not just updates – you become a strategic advisor rather than someone delivering a quarterly report.
 

To participate in sessions on communicating with the board, the role of a CIO and other critical topics for IT leaders, join your local Gartner CIO Community. If you are already a community member, sign in to the app to explore opportunities to get together and exchange perspectives and best practices with your CIO peers.