Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been predicted to be the next future of business. A report by consulting firm McKinsey in May noted that two-thirds of organizations say they’re now using AI in at least one business function. According to McKinsey, 67% expect their companies to invest even more in AI over the next three years.
In 2024, AI was a unifying force for many organizations, enabling them to enhance customer service, train employees, and handle logistics, ultimately leading to increased revenue, efficiency, and scalability, as per Forbes.
Behind the successful deployment of AIs, amidst a fast evolving technology, are Chief Information Officers. This year’s Forbes CIO Next list honors them and those beyond including Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Digital Officers, and Chief Technology Officers.
The U.S. executives who are honored come from banks and financial services firms like Visa and Capital, tech firms like Google and Microsoft and other brands like Coca-Cola and United Airlines. There are also government officials from NASA and the city of San Francisco, Forbes wrote.
To create this list which is in its fifth year, Forbes sought nominations, consulted experts, and reviewed applications. In all, the list highlights 50 exceptional tech leaders who have made significant contributions to their companies.
Among these executives honored by Forbes are four Black CIOs.
Bradley Bolivar
Title: CIO and SVP
Company: Fannie Mae
Bradley Bolivar has spent four years at Fannie Mae, transforming the organization’s use of technology. He led the migration to cloud operations and automated backup and recovery. In 2023, Fannie Mae assisted over 500,000 low-income renters and homebuyers and this was largely thanks to the company’s tech division that has 40% of Fannie Mae employees. In 2025, Bolivar hopes to expand risk management tools and increase the company’s use of automation.
Yvonne Hodge
Title: CIO and Senior Vice President, Enterprise Business and Digital Transformation
Company: Lockheed Martin
Yvonne Hodge leads a team of 5,000 at Lockheed Martin, managing internal tech infrastructure. She spearheads the OneLM Transformation program to streamline the company’s business processes and systems and also works with Microsoft to power classified cloud innovations and artificial intelligence for the Department of Defense.
Rani Johnson
Title: CIO
Company: Workday
Rani Johnson, Workday’s CIO since 2023, has made a significant impact by focusing on AI and security. She leads the AI Executive Advisory Board, resulting in the rollout of 30 AI tools and plans for 20 more. Additionally, Johnson led a security-first update that included a Zero Trust security model and company-wide use of Zscaler.
Mark Mathewson
Title: CIO of Bank Technology
Company: Capital One
Mathewson is known for introducing a feature in April that enables people to tap their phones at ATMs instead of swiping a physical card. Before that, he also helped bring specialized cashier’s check kiosks where customers can get a check issued via QR code without needing to speak to a teller. Over 200 workers across the business are also using Mathewson’s generative AI tools for customer service.
