what is a chief technology officer cto 
a chief technology officer cto is the executive in charge of an organization s technological needs as well as its research and development r d also known as a chief technical officer this individual examines the short and long term needs of an organization and utilizes capital to make investments designed to help the organization reach its objectives the cto usually reports directly to a company s chief information officer cio but may also report to the chief executive officer ceo of the firm understanding the role of the chief technology officer cto a chief technology officer cto is the highest technology executive position within a company and leads the technology or engineering department they develop policies and procedures and use technology to enhance products and services that focus on external customers the cto also develops strategies to increase revenue and performs a cost benefit analysis and return on investment analysis previously a chief information officer cio performed dual roles as cio and chief technology officer however as technology continued to advance there was a growing need to separate the cio job into two roles to ensure a company s success hence the cto was developed as a separate position 