A third of IT bosses say it is still difficult to move across vertical market sectors without the relevant industry experience despite CIO skills becoming increasingly transferable across different types of businesses.

Getting ‘boxed in’ to a particular vertical industry sector has always been an issue for IT directors, especially when moving across from the public to private sector or vice versa.

But two-thirds of silicon.com’s 12-strong CIO Jury user panel said general management and leadership skills are more important to businesses than specific industry experience and that many organisations value the fresh insight from someone outside their sector.

Rob Neil, head of ICT at Ashford Borough Council, said: “I