The key attributes required to be a great Chief Information Officer (CIO) have been revealed by CIO.co.uk, which recognised the skills whilst creating its list of the UK's top 100 CIOs.

According to the website - which prides itself on providing analysis and opinion for the IT industry - CIOs must be operating across three key functions. These were named as "business, technology and leadership."

What's more, they should try to ensure they have an active voice on their company's executive board; keeping them fully engaged with the business' wider activities and strategies. However being innovative was one of the biggest attributes cited by those deciding upon the top 100; perhaps taking unique approaches to their IT orchestration or internal networks.

"Innovation comes in many forms," they revealed. "It could be the use of a new technology to achieve a business objective. It could just as easily be a new way of marshalling resources or using services or outsourcing to business advantage.

"The key measure was the amount of influence a CIO had on their company's strategy. Sometimes this ties in to broader company fortunes too; a CIO may be able to (need to) transform operations one year but look a lot less innovative the following year."

The last key skill attributed to an excellent CIO was communications management. The importance of using a broad range of communication channels - including social media - is seemingly something all CIOs should be aware of; particularly with the latest generations practically being brought up on social networking sites.

CIOs wishing to better themselves and make the most of their position may be encouraged to take this advice; especially given that FT.com writer Mike Cooke recently proclaimed that the role of the CIO is fading away. He advised CIOs to step up their game or risk becoming extinct.