Our Founder
Jeff Roberts
5-Time CIO. Billions in Value Delivered. Uncompromised Independence. In a landscape crowded with theorists, Jeff Roberts brings a track record of real impact. Innovation Vista was founded on a conviction that has only sharpened with time: technology leadership that separates AI from IT will fail. The mid-market deserves integrated, independent strategic guidance from leaders who operate at the intersection of AI strategy and IT architecture… and Jeff built the firm to deliver exactly that.
Jeff Roberts, CEO of Innovation Vista, founded the firm after five tenures as a mid-market CIO. In total across three decades of IT leadership, he has led dozens of M&A transactions and digital transformations, turning IT organizations into profit centers. Over the past decade, that work has increasingly centered on AI – not as a bolt-on initiative, but as an inseparable dimension of IT strategy, data architecture, and business model transformation. Named an Exceptional Leader to Follow in Innovation, he has mentored over 20 future C-level executives.
Since founding Innovation Vista in 2019, Jeff has grown the consulting team to ~450 experts who’ve advised ~800 companies, driving over $2.7 billion in client impact. Among other awards, for several years running they’ve been named the #1 Provider of CIO Services in the U.S.
Jeff is currently writing Innovating Beyond Efficiency® in the AI Era, drawing on Innovation Vista’s original research and practical framework for mid-market CEOs navigating the AI transition. The book argues what Innovation Vista’s clients experience firsthand: the companies winning with AI aren’t the ones with the best algorithms; they’re the ones whose leadership refuses to treat AI as separate from everything else.
Interviews, articles & podcasts
AI Strategy
Innovation Strategy
Tech Leadership
A Career Based on Impact, Not Hype
Strategy is useless without the confidence to implement. Jeff has served as a CIO for over 20 years, guiding multiple IT departments through the chaos of rapid growth and digital transition.
This isn’t just experience; it is pattern recognition. Jeff identifies the asymmetric risks and opportunities that traditional consultants miss – including the pattern behind the 80%+ AI project failure rate: brilliant AI strategies built on IT foundations that can’t support them.
Throughout his career, his leadership has contributed to over $2.7B in impact via efficiencies and revenue. He doesn’t just modernize IT; he ensures every initiative, including AI, is accretive to our client’s enterprise valuation.
The Commitment to Independence
Jeff founded Innovation Vista to solve a specific corruption in the consulting industry: the conflict of interest.
Too many firms operate as disguised sales channels for software vendors, and the new wave of fractional CAIO firms often carry the same conflicts, recommending the AI platforms they know rather than the ones that fit. Jeff founded Innovation Vista to be purpose-built for the client’s interest alone. We remain vendor-agnostic to judge the best option for each client need.
When Innovation Vista recommends a path, it is because it is the most optimized/monetizable route for your business, not because it triggers a referral commission.
A Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Jeff doesn’t just tell clients to rethink how and where work gets done; he’s been doing it for years. As a global digital nomad operating across Europe and the western hemisphere, he embodies the deployable efficiency modern business needs, while maintaining the high-touch availability required for sensitive boardroom discussions.
This global perspective keeps Innovation Vista ahead of the curve, exposing the firm to international innovations and diverse talent pools that domestic-only firms overlook.
Latest !nsights from Jeff
Measuring Tech Monetization
“The best time to figure out how to attribute ROI to tech initiatives is before you need to.” – Jeff
Why Most AI Projects are Failing, and How to Beat Those Odds
The numbers are brutal. RAND Corporation puts the AI project failure rate at over 80%; that is twice the failure
Why the Old Big 4 Consulting Model is Dying
and What the Mid-market Should be Considering in its Place There is a ritual that plays out in conference