Elevated in prominence over the past few years, CIOs are now an integral part of the C-suite, with salaries and compensation packages now commensurate with that stature. “As key officers of their companies, technology leaders have entered a more lucrative compensation bracket,” notes Martha Heller, CEO of Heller Search Associates. Since 2023, compensation for CIOs and CTOs has increased by more than 7% and over 20% since 2019, according to Heller. “This growth is evident in both base salaries and equity packages,” she says. “The primary driver behind this trend is the evolving reporting struct…