This is part of our end-of-year series celebrating our top CMSWire Contributors of the Year for 2023. These are regular CMSWire Contributors whose articles this year greatly resonated with our community of professionals. These Contributors simply serve as great ambassadors of our brand in the world of marketing and customer experience.

The Gist

Myles' insightful approach. Myles Suer's adept understanding of digital transformation emphasizes seamless customer experiences and operational efficiency through business integration.
CIO influence stressed. Emphasizes CIOs' evolving roles in marketing and customer experience, stressing the importance of data in strategy development.
Digital transformation expert. Recognizes Myles as a crucial voice in digital transformation, advocating for data-driven marketing and generative AI application.

Delving into the realm of business integration and digital transformation, Myles Suer stands out as a beacon of knowledge and guidance. In his recent CMSWire article, "Creating a 'Future Ready' Integrated Business," Myles navigates the complexities of achieving a future-ready, integrated business environment. His insights reveal the significant benefits of integration, such as a remarkable 17.3% increase in revenue growth and enhanced customer engagement.

Myles, a renowned influencer of chief information officers (CIOs), as ranked by Leadtail, and the facilitator of the #CIOChat, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. He explores critical aspects of business integration, emphasizing the need for a shift from siloed operations to a platform mindset and the importance of delighting customers with integrated experiences. His writing is not just a compilation of industry trends; it's a strategic guide for chief marketing officers (CMOs) and CIOs, highlighting the pivotal role of integrating customer data, marketing, content management systems, ecommerce, and analytics in driving informed decisions and operational efficiency.

Beyond the realms of writing, Myles has demonstrated his profound understanding of the intersection between technology and business transformation. His views on the evolving role of CIOs, particularly in marketing and customer experience, reflect his deep-seated belief in the transformative power of technology. He sees data as more than just a component of digital transformation but as a crucial element in driving marketing strategies and enhancing customer experiences, especially with the advent of generative AI.

Myles is a leading voice in the world of CIOs, a strategic marketing director at Privacera, and an accomplished writer and thinker who has significantly contributed to understanding and navigating the complex landscape of business integration and digital transformation.

Q&A With Myles Suer

CIOs: Beyond Tech, Embracing Empathy

As a leading influencer of CIOs, what do you believe are the key qualities that define successful leadership from CIOs in today's technology-driven business landscape, especially when it comes to marketing and customer experience?

Several years ago, I asked CIOs about how I should cast a persona for a CIO. Everyone agreed, including the men, that the persona should be of a woman even though women represent a small percentage of CIOs. The CIOs said that today's CIOs need to be a great listener and a coalition builder. This is because CIOs today are not focused on technology — even though they clearly understand technology; instead they are focused on business transformation. And for just about every business a large element of this is focused on marketing and customer experience. (I have a piece on this coming). So CIOs that have longevity are focused on marketing, customer experience, and the friction that customers experience on their journey with the company.

Generative AI: Revolutionizing CIOs' Digital Strategy

In your view, what are the most significant trends in digital transformation that CIOs should be preparing for in the near future?

I think that data is proving to be a lot more than the fuel of digital transformation. Organizations that work just on more attractive offerings and better websites and mobile applications are finding, according to the authors of "Future Ready," that doing so without industrializing data and applications leads to fragmented systems and processes. These make it cost more to serve the customer. But GenAI is a game changer in impacting how you market to new customers, service existing customers, and determine what to sell proactively to existing customers. It is the glue that drives marketing and experience. I love here the story of Zara who deployed RFID tags to better manage inventory and discovered it actually provides descriptive analytics on what to make for customers. Imagine now having GenAI on top of this.

AI, ML Evolution: CIOs' New Business Arsenal

How do you see AI and machine learning evolving in the business context, and what should CIOs do to effectively leverage these technologies, especially when it comes to marketing and customer experience?

CIOs are all in on AI and machine learning. They are driving it along with business units. They are considering the whole picture here.

CIOs Sync Tech with Customer Experience Goals

How can CIOs better align technology strategies with customer experience goals in today's rapidly changing digital environment?

CIOs believe it is their job to co-invent transformational opportunities of all kinds. But to do this better, they need a CMO that wants to be an effective partner. The CIOs that have done the most transformational work have several qualities. First they are on top of technology change. Second they see the potential for change to a digital enterprise. Third, they partner to quickly deliver the change. Fourth, they work to create systems and data that can plug and play in a changing environment. And fifth and most important, they and their organization are set up to work with the business. They even co-locate people in the marketing and digital experience groups to ensure nothing is missed.

Tell us something about Myles Suer outside of your professional world.

I tried to be a rock roll musician and singer before getting serious about college. In my second masters, I discovered that I was a systems person. I have started four companies. This year will be 38 years with my wife who is practically perfect in every way.