From “Tech Custodian” to Strategic Co-Creator: CIOs Reimagine the Digital Backbone at Darwinbox PH Summit

By: Zenia Pearl V. Nicolas

MANILA — On October 8, 2025, at the Manila Marriott Hotel, the Darwinbox Philippines Leadership Summit convened HR  and IT leaders to reimagine the future of talent, systems adn transformation. The day culminated in a vivid CIO panel titled “The Digital Backbone: How CIOs Power Conglomerate Reinvention,”.

What emerged was not simply a picture of evolving toolsets, but a collective resolve: CIOs must evolve from support functions into strategic partners of HR, co-creating the future of work. 

A Shift in Identity: Custodian – Strategist

Opening the session, Dinna Ramos (Chief Information Officer, Federal Land) reflected on her own journey:

“Years back we were called tech custodians, we just made sure our IT is up to date. But today, CIOs must be strategic partners. We align with business, translate data, innovate and reduce operational costs.”

That shift, less about keeping systems running, more about enabling growth, resonated with fellow panelists:

Charmaine Rose A. Valmonte (Chief Information Security Officer, Aboitiz Equity Ventures) recalled  a challenge when HR and IT operated on disconnected mindsets:

“HR was on defense; the rest of the organization wasn’t aligned. Without planning and shared understanding, even good HR tech becomes a costly delay.”

Alpha Omega Aquino (Executive Director, PM Consulting) probed how CIOs can work with HR:

“In HR we care about employee experience. IT prioritizes manageability. How do we balance that?”

Ella Dujali-Mangubat (Head of Solution Sales, Microsoft Philippines) urged bridging business and tech:

“HR leaders should join tech forums. Think of HR as tech. Our goal: scalable, secure operations that enable business outcomes.”

Together, they stressed that CIOs must embed themselves in HR strategy, not remain backstage:

Themes That Resonate:

From the discussion and Q&A several key themes surfaced:

1. People-First Transformation

Tech adoption fails without human buy-in. Dinna emphasized  co-creating workflows and communicating “why and how” to avoid fear (“If IT implements AI, it will replace you”). In her words: 

“The most challenging part is the people. Adoption is a key factor.”

2. Data as the New Gold

IT and HR must partner to turn raw data into actionable insight. Charmaine described how they cut down project timelines by making sure data models and HR goals were aligned from the start,

3. Innovation with Governance

Alpha called for balance: 

“Everybody wants innovation and AI, but we must also enable adoption and trust."

This matches the broader industry shift: CIOs are increasingly expected to lead transformation while safeguarding security and compliance.

4. Cultural and Communication Alignment

Ella noted tension across departments–finance, sales, HR–all may demand different systems. The glue, she argued, is culture, transparency and shared language. Without that, even the most advanced system can fail for lack of alignment. 

Why This Matters, Backed by Data

To ground conversation, here are relevant trends that validate the urgency of this shift:

• According to the Top 10 HR Tech Trends 2025 report by Darwinbox, global HR tech is moving aggressively toward predictive analytics, AI augmentation and compliance-driven automation. (Darwinbox Blog)

• Darwinbox also reports that its payroll solution in the Philippines, using the “RIVeR” framework (Review, Initiate, Verify & e-Approve, Release), addresses common pain points like manual compliance tracking and integration challenges. (Darwinbox Blog)

• In a real-world Filipino example, Cebu Pacific migrated its HR processes onto Darwinbox, pairing tech with heavy change management to boost adoption and streamline operations. (People Matters SEA)

• In broader IT leadership conversations, CIOs  expect their roles to  evolve due to digitalisation,  and many now take direct responsibility for innovation initiatives.  (Imaginary Cloud)

Together, these data points show that technology operators and HR leaders  alike are  under mounting pressure to converge. 

Framing the Future:  Where CIO+CHRO Must Co-Lead

From the summit, one clear verdict emerges: the future of HR-IT collaboration is not hierarchical, but co-leadership. Here’s how that plays out:

Early alignment during planning

CIOs must be involved from the ideation stage, not after HR specs are set to avoid costly rework and misalignment. 

Shared governance and guardrails

A scalable, secure architecture is a non-negotiable foundation. But governance must allow  agility for business units to innovate. (As Netskope phrased it: CIOs must move beyond gatekeeping to orchestration. 

Intentional change management

Excellence in adoption, not just rollout, depends on aligning culture, training, communication and  process flows with new systems.

Data-driven decisioning

IT must help translate data into HR-friendly dashboards and insights, fueling decisions on talent-mobility, attrition, performance and future skills.

AI responsibly embedded

AI will accelerate HR capabilities (recruitment, personalization, profiling), but adoption must be phased, transparent and bias-aware.  (Darwinbox Blog)

In short: the CIO is no longer just a builder of  tech, but a co-architect  of talent strategy. 

Darwinbox’s Implicit Promise

As the AMA with Darwinbox cofounders  wrapped the session, one felt a quiet subtext: Darwinbox  is not simply an HR platform, but a  platform for HR-IT co-creation. By having this summit and centering the CIO voice, Darwinbox positions  itself not on one side of the aisle, but as an integrator of technology, culture  and human  outcomes.

In a time when HR tech adoption, AI and digital transformation move at breakneck speed, the CIO’s transformation, from custodian to strategic co-creator is not optional. It’s necessary for tomorrow’s enterprises.