In the past decade, the CIO role has evolved from a purely technical one into a remit that crosses a smorgasbord of disciplines that include everything from risk management to strategic transformation.
The leaders below are showing how it's done in a world being remade by artificial intelligence.
The pace of AI development has grown increasingly dizzying over the past few years, with companies struggling to embrace it for fear of being left behind. But the results haven’t always lived up to the hype–a recent MIT report found that over 90% of enterprise generative AI pilots failed to deliver a return on investment.
Ensuring the success of a company’s AI strategy usually falls to Chief Information Officers, who now find themselves confronted with a twofold challenge — vetting and adopting the new technologies that promise to improve their businesses and ensuring they achieve their intended results. This list honors all who do that — CIOs, Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Digital Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and the like.
Now in its sixth year, the Forbes CIO Next list recognizes executives across a wide array of sectors: fast-casual restaurant chains like CAVA and Chipotle, banks and financial institutions like BNY and Block, retailers like Ulta Beauty and J. Crew and entertainment companies like Tubi and the National Football League.
The executives assembled here all led major digital transformations in their companies. In 2025, many did so by using AI for tangible business impact. Some are using chatbots to handle simple tasks, freeing up humans to focus on more complex issues. Others are using AI models to improve business processes, such as helping to write code or keep an eye on kitchens to monitor restaurant inventories. Simplification is another theme: over the decades, large organizations have garnered thousands of legacy apps the way ships attract barnacles, and many leaders on the list saw big impacts from simply consolidating and upgrading their company’s digital toolboxes. To compile this list, Forbes issued a call for nominations and consulted with experts and trade organizations to find worthy candidates. After reviewing hundreds of names, staffers poured through applications to find 50 standouts that exemplify excellence in the role. Of note, this list isn’t ranked; instead, it’s meant to be a spotlight on the best and brightest in the field. We prioritized candidates who are making big impacts at their companies, with recent accomplishments and tangible successes.
