CIO salaries soar

Chief information officers are enjoying a bumper payday, with average salaries up £20,000 since last year.

Top tech execs are gaining increased responsibility and strategic influence — which is being reflected in rising salaries.

According to research by recruitment company Harvey Nash, the proportion of chief information officers sitting on company boards has increased from 43 percent last year to 46 percent this year. And 76 percent of the 500 chief information officers who participated in the survey, agreed that their responsibilities had become more strategic.

Reflecting this expanding role, the average chief information officer salary has risen to £104,000 — a £20,000 increase over last year.

Simon La Fosse, director and head of CIO practice at Harvey Nash, said chief information officers "appear to be in rude health" and "are increasingly addressing business challenges as an integral part of the executive team".

The survey also suggested companies are better at integrating IT into their business: 59 percent of respondents said they were well-integrated, up 18 percent on last year.

The extent of outsourcing was also revealed, with 85 percent of chief information officers saying that they outsource, with an average of 24 percent of IT budget going towards outsourcing projects.

India remains the number one location for off-shoring operations, although Brazil, Romania and Vietnam also play a role.

But a gender gap remains — with only 8 percent of chief information officers being women.