I don't think you'll get a role as Director or VP simply on technical knowledge. This is what the Harvard Business Review has to say (pretty light on actionabl

I don't think you'll get a role as Director or VP simply on technical knowledge. This is what the Harvard Business Review has to say (pretty light on actionable advice though): https://hbr.org/2011/03/the-new-path-to-the-c-suite https://hbr.org/2011/03/the-new-path-to-the-c-suite Another article: http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Career-management-The-path-to-CIO http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Career-management-The-... I guess an MBA could be of help, but it's useless unless you already have connections and all the other requirements in place. http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/6-must-have-skills-for-aspiring-cios/d/d-id/1103925 http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/6-must-have-ski...? A recurring piece of advice is having been a consultant. The other is building your relationship-building prowess.: "Strong project management skills are critical to running a successful IT shop. But if you're hoping to climb that corporate ladder, it's important to know how to build relationships up, down, and sideways. In fact, according to a recent poll from SearchCIO, conducted of 875 senior and mid-level IT executives, CIOs who earn the highest salaries make building relationships with top executives more of a priority than managing IT projects. "Being a CIO requires an ability to develop relationships in all directions--with your boss, outward with one's peers, with other C-level executives, heads of business units and relationships downwards as well,"