Should Enterprise Architecture Report to the CIO or CEO? Why TOGAF Gets It Wrong

Sunil Dutt Jha
Mar 10
3 min read

Updated: Mar 15

Today, in thousands of organizations globally, Enterprise Architecture (EA) typically reports directly to the CIO. At first glance, this may seem logical. After all, the CIO leads IT, and EA is often positioned within IT. But if Enterprise Architecture is genuinely about the enterprise—then why does it report primarily to CIOs and not CEOs?

1. The Fundamental Contradiction—CIO vs. CEO Reporting

TOGAF positions itself as "enterprise-wide," yet in reality, most TOGAF-certified architects report to the CIO. Immediately, this raises two critical questions:

If EA truly shapes the entire enterprise, why limit it to an IT leadership role?
If the CIO is responsible for IT infrastructure, software, and governance, how can architects reporting to CIOs be expected to influence broader enterprise strategy?

The truth becomes clear: TOGAF is inherently IT-centric, and the CIO reporting line merely reinforces IT’s limited influence over the true enterprise structure.

Remember clearly: Enterprise Architecture should strategically influence every enterprise component, not just IT governance.

2. Real-world Scenario: CEO’s Perspective on Enterprise Architecture

Let’s consider a global airline or banking CEO perspective:

CEOs are responsible for strategic vision, market positioning, risk management, financial planning, workforce management, operations, customer satisfaction, and growth.
Would a CEO trust an EA function reporting only to the CIO to shape enterprise-wide strategy and operations? Probably not.
CEOs expect their architects to deeply understand finance, operations, logistics, customer experience, human resources, and risk—not just IT compliance and governance.