AM: Apart from technical knowledge, as a CIO, most important are communication and interpersonal skills.

CIOs should always find ways to make use of technology as a catalyst-to carry out business strategy much faster and effectively. IT can definitely help to lower costs, but it's also particularly useful in speeding up transactions, boosting sales and revenue.

We shouldn't just sit and wait for requests from business users. Even when users make a request, we should also understand the business and technology well enough to advise whether it's the right kind of technology to apply.

But during the process, I'm not only managing technology, but also people. Therefore people skills and communication skills are particularly important.

A CIO also plays a coaching and counseling role. The way I train the team is that I'd never give them a definite answer for their questions. I'll ask them a lot of questions instead, leading them to find out the answer themselves.