CIO
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Chief information officer |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Business & Finance, Texting & Internet Slang |
CIO has four meanings. The most common are Chief information officer (job title) and Chief investment officer (job title); it can also stand for Cry it out and Charitable incorporated organisation.
Meanings of CIO at a glance
| # | CIO stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief information officer | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 2 | Chief investment officer | Business & Finance › Job Title |
| 3 | Cry it out | Texting & Internet Slang › Parenting Forum |
| 4 | Charitable incorporated organisation | Business & Finance › Company Type |
1. Chief information officer
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations
Head of an organization's information technology, including internal systems, infrastructure, data, enterprise software and IT staff. The CIO ensures technology supports business operations and often oversees digital transformation programs.
Example: The CIO is consolidating our three data centers into one cloud provider over the next 18 months.
The title emerged in the 1980s as companies began treating information systems as strategic assets. In the US federal government, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 required major agencies to appoint CIOs. In asset management, pension funds and endowments, CIO usually means chief investment officer instead.
2. Chief investment officer
Business & Finance · Job Title Abbreviations
Executive who leads investment strategy and portfolio management for an asset manager, pension fund, endowment, insurer or family office. The CIO sets asset allocation, oversees portfolio managers and is accountable for investment performance.
Example: The pension fund's CIO cut its private equity target from 15 to 12 percent of assets.
Banks and wealth managers often publish their CIO's market outlook as research for clients. University endowment CIOs, such as those at Yale and Harvard, became well known for strategies built on alternative assets. If the organization manages money, the investment meaning is usually intended rather than chief information officer.
3. Cry it out
Texting & Internet Slang · Parenting Forum Abbreviations
Sleep-training approach in which a baby is put to bed awake and allowed to cry until falling asleep, either without checks ("extinction") or with timed check-ins.
Example: We tried CIO last week and it took three nights, now she sleeps till six.
Often associated with pediatrician Richard Ferber's 1985 book "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems," though the Ferber method uses graduated check-ins rather than pure CIO. The approach is hotly debated, and many forums restrict sleep-training arguments. Gentler methods include "chair method" and "pick up, put down."
4. Charitable incorporated organisation
Business & Finance · Company Type Abbreviations
Legal form for charities in England and Wales that gives trustees limited liability without the need to register as a company. A CIO is registered only with the Charity Commission rather than also with Companies House.
Example: The village hall trust converted to a CIO so its volunteer trustees would no longer face personal liability.
Available in England and Wales since 2013; the Scottish equivalent, the SCIO (Scottish charitable incorporated organisation), has been available since 2011. The official spelling uses "organisation." In business, CIO more often means chief information officer or chief investment officer.
Related abbreviations
More job title abbreviations
- CEO – Chief executive officer
- CFO – Chief financial officer
- CGO – Chief growth officer
- CHRO – Chief human resources officer
- CISO – Chief information security officer
- CLO – Chief learning officer
- CMO – Chief marketing officer
- COO – Chief operating officer
See all 70 job title abbreviations →