Skills shortage as a term may have fallen out of favor from its high usage two years ago, but with demand for enterprise AI, the most recent research into digital careers suggests that a skills shortage is back with us. Also, the summer has not seen a significant lull in role changes. 

Digital leaders tell the US headquartered international recruitment firm Robert Half that the market for technology talent is highly competitive. Demand is especially high for AI, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and data engineering skills. Robert Half states in its Demand for Skilled Talent report that need is outpacing supply. Earlier in the year, the Digital Leadership Report from rival Nash Squared cited these as the most required skills, and clearly, there has been no let-up. The Robert Half report states: 

Unemployment rates for many tech roles are well below the national average, making it difficult for companies to find qualified candidates. 

Also in the top 15% of demanded positions are data analysts, DevOps engineers, business analysts, and project managers. On AI skills, the report states: 

AI expertise has become increasingly valuable as organizations seek professionals who can develop and implement solutions ranging from customer service chatbots to predictive maintenance systems that keep factories running smoothly.

The report finds that regulations and evolving threats are driving “unprecedented demand” for cybersecurity skills, while the complexity of digital infrastructure and demand for improvements to workflow are increasing the need for IT operations and automation expertise. 

Year end

Digital leaders can expect easing in the competition for these skills in the last months of 2025. Over half (56%) of respondents in the report say they will add new permanent roles to their technology teams throughout the second half of the year. These hires are to meet the growth objectives of their businesses and to deliver the increasing number of projects landing on CIOs’ desks. 

Almost 90% (89%) say finding the right skills is getting harder, and over half (65%) are therefore increasing their usage of contract staff.

Among our community of digital leaders, over half (57%) are in a CIO or CTO role and report they are secure. A little over a quarter (26%) have moved into interim digital leadership or consultancy by choice, with three more classifying themselves as enforced interim. Less than 10 members of the community are engaged in the search for a new role. Despite the demand, the market appears to be taking a long time to make decisions, perhaps exacerbated by the tariff battles organizations face, and the need for businesses to understand how to benefit from AI and not put their brand and customers at risk. 

Movers and shakers in the summer sun

Consumer goods: From September 1, 2025, sports clothing maker and retailer Puma will have a former CIO as COO. Andreas Hubert will take on the role and be part of the management board. In the new role, Hubert will be responsible for sourcing, sustainability, and product development, logistics, and IT in a change to the board structure at Puma.

This is a change from the current structure, where IT reports to the CFO and sourcing to the Chief Product Officer. Hubert joins Puma from rivals Adidas, where he has been CIO since 2021, but has also held roles at the business since 2015 in sourcing. 

Education: Rob Lowden is moving from Indiana University to Ohio State University. Lowden has spent 25 years in digital leadership. Chris Kabourek, senior vice president for Administration and Planning at Ohio State University, said:

I’m thrilled that we have attracted one of the nation’s top technology leaders to Ohio State. 

Lowden brings the deep expertise, innovative thinking, and collaborative approach necessary to help our university lead in a higher education landscape being reshaped by AI and other technologies. He has a proven record of leading change at complex institutions, and he has a keen sense of where our digital infrastructure will need to go to support world-class education, research, and health care well into the future.

Lowden will lead the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI) at the university and the role includes oversight of enterprise IT, cybersecurity, data and analytics, and digital learning platforms. The university said Lowden will:

Help expand access to intelligent tools, agentic AI systems, and ethical technology practices.

Engineering: After 10 years with Vistry, the housing firm that can trace its roots back to construction firm Galliford Try, CIO Chris Pearce has moved to Rainham Industrial Services as Group CIO. Rainham Industrial Services is a specialist engineering and construction provider to sectors such as energy and utilities. In 10 years at Vistry, Pearce has moved from Head of IT to Group CIO. 

Financial services: London-based international insurance firm Arch Insurance announced that David Maher had been promoted to the role of CIO. Maher joined the firm in 2024 from the Lloyds Banking Group insurance business line, and has moved from head of delivery to interim CIO and now to the role of International CIO at Arch. The firm said Maher will be responsible for the technology strategy, infrastructure, and the adoption of new technologies. He will report to the COO. 

Government-owned financial services provider the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa has appointed CIO Faith Burn as its CTO. Burn joins from South African energy generator Eskom where, as she told this title, she has been leading a major technology modernization programme. She said of the new role: 

Essentially, this role encompasses the roles of Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operations Officer. I am responsible for the provision of information technology and operations strategies, coupled with technology services to Land Bank and its subsidiaries. My responsibilities include the entire IT and OT value chains as well as the Operational processes such as Client Services, Property, and security. 

A central focus of my role is the provision of operational excellence and technology innovation throughout the cross-functional business and technology processes for the entire business, and ensuring that business strategy objectives are well supported.

Healthcare: Krishna Ramachandran has announced that he is joining major healthcare provider UnitedHealthcare Operations & Experience as its CIO. He joins San Francisco-based UnitedHealthcare from Oakland, California, headquartered Blue Shield, also a healthcare service provider. Announcing the move, he said: 

We are living through a pivotal moment in human history and evolution, with advancements in technology, data, and artificial intelligence changing our world at a rapid pace. My focus will be on leveraging these powerful tools to enhance operations and improve the experience within the healthcare system.

Pharmaceuticals: CIO Alessandro de Luca has had a role change at pharmaceutical firm Merck. His role is now Head of Digital Enterprise Solutions and Group CIO, a change from Group CIO and Head of Information Technology. He first joined the firm in 2012 as Head of Global Supply Network Operations, and took on his first CIO role with Merck in 2016. 

Public sector: Paul Golland is moving ever so slightly north as he becomes the CTO of the London Borough of Hackney in the UK. Golland has been with Croydon Council in South London for almost four years. 

Technology: Well-known tech sector CTO Andi Mann is now Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) for Apica, the Swedish observability platform provider. Mann spent over six years at Splunk and has also led technology at CA Technologies and BMC, whilst more recently with Qumu, a video as a service provider.

My take 

Of all the trends in this month’s diginomica Digital Careers Report, the move of CIO Andreas Hubert into a COO role with arch rivals Puma is the one I will be watching most closely. Not because of the change in business, but to have a CIO as COO, although one who has business operational experience throughout his career, will be fascinating to watch. The reason I’m so interested is that Puma is stitching together sourcing, logistics, and IT – the entire product chain of its sportswear making and retailing into one business unit. This makes sense as technology already touches each area, but making it a reality is easier said than done. 

Puma, like all in its sector, faces major challenges in retailing, manufacturing, and the supply chain. How it tackles these and the leaders at the helm is going to be a thrilling game. 

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