As for what worked for him, Salmen says, "One of the most important things is keeping a very open mind about the possibilities in the business.

"I think it is a very important part for CIOs to be looking at what is out there. What customers -- internal and external -- want out of the technology business, out of their technology solutions. Being responsive to the demands of the business is what it comes down to."

A CIO who takes on this perspective can also thrive across industries. "It is totally doable," he says, on the portability of skills of ICT leaders. "It is just a matter of really understanding what customers value from your business, and start looking at ways to deliver that value and using the technology tools that you have got."

Making it into IT

Salmen left high school at 16 and went to Massey University in Auckland for a degree in computer science and electronics engineering. "I was very good at computer science and very bad at electronic engineering mainly because of the heavy duty physics and math that was involved."