Chief Data Officers Own Data Governance, Management and Analytics
The Chief Data Officer (CDO) role emerged in the early 2000’s. Chief Data Officers drive data strategy and initiatives for companies including data governance, data management, data quality, and data-driven innovation. They ensure the organization collects and processes the required information for optimal performance, implement and support data governance and compliance programs, and leverage analytics to deliver new or improved products and services to customers. Chief Data Officers may report to the CEO, CIO or CTO and their staff may include data architects, data scientists, data governance, and data management professionals. CDOs work closely with Chief Privacy Officers to ensure data-driven initiatives do not increase the privacy risk of the organization, and that the privacy policies and practices are followed.
What are some of the key responsibilities of the CDO?
- Lead the data governance council to drive the organization’s goals, strategies and objectives for data utilization and innovation.
- Creation of a data-driven innovation roadmap.
Oversee the data governance program which encompasses the obligations of data privacy and compliance. - Drive the continuous improvement of data quality to provide better customer interactions and provide a solid foundation for master data management.
- Provide the necessary data for the company to offer new services and products, improve operations and make optimal business decisions.
- Establish best practices for data management programs.
- Leverage data analytics to improve customer retention and satisfaction.
Here are additional resources to learn more about CDOs:
- Gartner, article on CDO prioritization survey
- CIO Magazine, “What is a chief data officer?”
- MIT, CDOIQ Symposium
You just learned about Chief Data Officers, now explore related terms like Data Processors, Data Stewards, Data Controllers, Chief Privacy Officers and Data Protection Officers.