THE BOOK
The
Intrapreneur
CIO™
The field guide for technology leaders who refuse to be back-office.
A forward-looking take on how modern CIOs become intrapreneurial leaders - driving innovation, business value, and strategic transformation, and repositioning technology from a support function to the engine of growth.
THE RECOGNITION
Minds that move the world forward
Awarded by Writers Today, 2025.
THE PREMISE
Most CIOs are managing the past. This book is about building the future from inside the organization.
The Intrapreneur CIO is the leader who behaves like a founder while operating inside a large enterprise — taking ownership of outcomes, building operating systems instead of running pilots, and turning the technology function into the engine of the business rather than its back office.
This is not a theory book.
It is a field guide drawn directly from the operating model I learnt at Thoughtworks and running at LTM — where a 700+-person team made an 90,000+-employee enterprise AI-native, with measurable P&L outcomes and governance built in from day one.
Every framework in these pages has been tested at scale, in production, under executive scrutiny.
THE INSIDE STORY
Four sections of the book
01
Understanding the current business landscape
Gain insights into the evolving business world, its unique challenges, and the untapped opportunities for IT leaders to unlock growth.
02
Define the next
Envision the future of your organization, learn what constitutes a modern digital enterprise, and understand how IT serves as a catalyst for success.
03
Transform
Create a roadmap for transforming your internal IT department. Develop a compelling vision, craft a multi-faceted strategy (business, technology, operations, talent), and put it into action using practical tools like the Internal IT Ambition Matrix.
04
Evolve
Discover strategies to elevate your IT department. Shift from reactive to proactive, embrace automation and intelligence, and create transient advantages through alternate ways of working like hackathons, OTATs, and accelerators. Learn to build high-performing intrapreneurial teams that fuel this evolution.
"Enterprises are not transformed by technology alone.
They are transformed by CIOs who think like intrapreneurs."
WHAT's INSIDE
Six things you'll be able to do after reading.
01 - THE MANDATE
Reframe the CIO role within enterprises
Move beyond managing costs to owning business value — stepping into a growth-driving, intrapreneurial leadership role that shapes enterprise outcomes.
02 - strategic alignment
Anchor IT to business growth
Adopt a proactive, innovative, and customer-centric mindset — replacing reactive IT with fast, adaptive, and value-led delivery.
03 - the mindset shift
Lead with agility and focus
Concentrate the portfolio on what actually moves the business, ship in short cycles, and adapt as evidence arrives - instead of waiting for certainty that never comes.
04 - the framework
Drive transformation with clarity
Use structured frameworks like growth dimensions and transformation principles to define direction, prioritize investments, and scale impact with intent
05 - the innovation engine
System innovation at scale
Build a structured, repeatable innovation model — turning ideas into measurable business value through disciplined execution and continuous iteration
06 - the value realization
Prove impact. Earn influence.
Measure and articulate outcomes clearly — repositioning IT from a cost center to a trusted value partner driving enterprise success.
EARLY PRAISE
What leaders are saying.
WHO IT's FOR
Written for the leaders building what's next.
CIOs , IT Leaders & CTOs ready to move the technology function from back-office to engine room.
CAITOs & Heads of AI who need a governed path from pilots to enterprise scale.
CEOs & Boards who want to understand what AI-native actually requires — beyond the hype.
The next generation of technology leaders who refuse to wait their turn.
READER REVIEWS
From the readers
What sets this book apart is its ability to balance strategic thinking with actionable insights. Deshpande explains complex concepts in a clear, structured manner—making it easy for senior leaders to apply them in real-world scenarios. The focus on purpose-driven teams, innovation ecosystems, and measurable value creation makes this especially relevant for today’s digital era.
Anmol
Amazon review
The author breaks things down into phases, which makes it feel doable, not overwhelming. The real-life examples and tools shared in the book felt useful. The book is definitely a perfect guide for anyone who wants to grow. The writing is perfect; it is strategic and grounded.
Susmita
Amazon review
The book feels like a conversation with someone who has walked the talk. Swapnil Deshpande doesn’t overwhelm with jargon or abstract theories. Instead, the book lays out real, usable strategies that can be adapted regardless of where an organization stands in its digital journey. There’s a genuine sense of optimism here, paired with the grounded realities of leading change in large enterprises.
Harsh
Amazon review