{"id":43936,"date":"2026-05-18T15:07:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/?post_type=article&#038;p=43936"},"modified":"2026-05-18T15:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:07:54","slug":"c-suite-want-and-expect-cdos","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/articles\/c-suite-want-and-expect-cdos\/","title":{"rendered":"What do the C-Suite want and expect from CDO\u2019s?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The f<a href=\"https:\/\/hub.dataiq.global\/posts\/what-do-the-c-suite-want-and-expect-from-cdo-s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ull article and learnings<\/a> are available to DataIQ clients on our members only hub.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Moderator: Asha Saxena, Founder &amp; CEO, WLDA: World Leaders in Data &amp; AI\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/dataiq100\/anu-krishnan-chief-data-analytics-officer-chevron\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anu Krishnan<\/a>, Chief Data &amp; Analytics Officer, Chevron\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/dataiq100\/scott-richardson-chief-data-analytics-officer-first-citizens-bank\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scott Richardson<\/a>, Chief Data &amp; Analytics Officer, First Citizens Bank\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/dataiq100\/ido-biger-cio-cdo-delek-us-holdings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ido\u00a0Biger<\/a>, EVP, Chief Information &amp; Data Officer, Delek US Holdings, Inc.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/dataiq100\/christopher-satchell-managing-director-digital-technology-cdr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Satchel<\/a>, Managing Director Tech\u00a0&amp;\u00a0Digital, CD&amp;R\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>During the\u00a0DataIQ\u00a0100 Summit\u00a0in Nashville,\u00a0a panel of\u00a0senior leaders from energy, banking, private equity, and industrial operations discussed how expectations of the CDO role are rapidly changing. What began as a governance and data management function is now being recast as a driver of AI readiness, business transformation, and organizational velocity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The discussion focused on the realities of influence, such as\u00a0earning executive trust, prioritizing finite resources, reshaping business processes, and helping organizations understand what AI can\u00a0(and cannot)\u00a0realistically deliver.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Questions Explored\u00a0<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>How has the CDO role evolved over the last decade?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>What do CEOs and boards now expect from data leaders?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>How should CDOs explain foundational data investments to the C-suite?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>What role\u00a0do\u00a0storytelling and influence play in successful transformation?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>How do organizations balance AI ambition with legacy systems and limited resources?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>What separates AI experimentation from\u00a0real business\u00a0transformation?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>How can CDOs build organizational buy-in beyond IT?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>What practical operating models are helping enterprises scale AI adoption?\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Translate data into business language\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>One of the clearest topics\u00a0from the\u00a0panel\u00a0was that technical competence alone no longer defines successful CDOs\u00a0(which\u00a0was\u00a0echoed in the recent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/report\/the-end-of-ai-theatrics-accountability-governance-and-value-in-2026\/\"><i>The End of AI Theatrics<\/i><\/a>\u00a0report). The role increasingly depends on the ability to communicate business value in language the board and executive peers understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chris Satchell said the strongest data leaders are \u201cgreat storytellers\u201d who can explain why data matters \u201cin your business terms.\u201d He added\u00a0that\u00a0\u201cthe board wants to hear about the business outcomes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That expectation is reshaping the role\u00a0as boards are now actively asking about AI readiness, data maturity, and whether the organization has the right leadership in place to operationalize both.\u00a0Chris\u00a0noted that when evaluating companies, his team increasingly asks\u00a0the\u00a0question\u00a0\u201cdo you have a great data executive?\u201d\u00a0early in the process.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The implication is\u00a0that\u00a0CDOs are no longer back-office operators\u00a0and have\u00a0become\u00a0strategic translators between technology capability and enterprise value.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>AI finally gave data leaders leverage\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Several panelists acknowledged that,\u00a0for years,\u00a0foundational data work struggled to attract executive attention or\u00a0funding,\u00a0and now\u00a0AI changed that equation\u00a0almost overnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Anu Krishnan described years spent defending investments in MDM, lineage, and governance tooling,\u00a0stating\u00a0that\u00a0\u201cI used to call it the plumbing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, however, executives understand that poor data produces poor AI outcomes,\u00a0stating\u00a0\u201cwe finally have a carrot with AI.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scott Richardson\u00a0described a similar shift. Data management was once treated as \u201ca necessary evil,\u201d but AI reframed data as a strategic business asset.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What matters here is budget availability\u00a0and the fact that\u00a0AI has changed the political position of the CDO.\u00a0Panelists agreed that executive attention is now arriving earlier, higher up the organization, and with greater urgency.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Re-engineer processes\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>The panel repeatedly warned against confusing tactical automation with enterprise transformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Anu\u00a0cautioned that many organizations are becoming overly focused on agentic AI without fundamentally redesigning how work happens:\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re shaving off parts of the business process, but you haven\u2019t really reimagined the whole business process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She argued that real value creation will require combining agents with deeper machine learning and full process redesign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This distinction matters because many current enterprise AI deployments still sit in the productivity enhancement category. The panelists suggested the\u00a0real competitive\u00a0advantage will come from organizations willing to rethink workflows from first principles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Make the business own the transformation\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>A recurring point across the discussion was that AI programs fail when they\u00a0remain\u00a0stuck\u00a0within the box of being a\u00a0technology project.\u00a0Chris\u00a0summarized CD&amp;R\u2019s approach:\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0seen a successful tech project ever, but\u00a0I\u00a0have\u00a0seen successful business projects powered by tech.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Speakers stressed that CDOs should actively hand ownership to business leaders. That includes giving operational teams visibility, recognition, and accountability for outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ido Biger described how operators became champions once they were given tools and autonomy, whereas Chris went further, advising leaders to \u201cgive away your initiatives, make it the business owners initiative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That shift creates stronger adoption because business leaders become financially and operationally invested in delivery.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Build internal AI movements\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Scott\u00a0described how First Citizens Bank created an internal \u201cAI volunteer army\u201d to crowdsource momentum and uncover hidden talent across the organization.\u00a0The strategy reflects a broader pattern\u00a0emerging\u00a0where\u00a0AI adoption accelerates when organizations create grassroots participation rather than relying on centralized teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scott explained\u00a0how his team\u00a0uses internal communities, collaboration channels, and public experimentation to surface employees willing to challenge existing ways of working.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This matters because most enterprises do not have enough specialized AI talent to scale transformation centrally. Internal mobilization becomes a force multiplier.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The CIO-CDO relationship is becoming existential\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Multiple panelists emphasized that AI readiness depends heavily on alignment between data and technology leadership. Ido\u00a0stated\u00a0that CDOs operating without strong CIO partnership face structural disadvantages:\u00a0\u201cYou need him or her at your side.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scott\u00a0reinforced this, noting that delivery speed, engineering culture, and modern SDLC practices often become transformation bottlenecks long before AI models do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As expectations rise, the separation between infrastructure, engineering, data, and AI strategy is becoming increasingly impractical.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>The f<a href=\"https:\/\/hub.dataiq.global\/posts\/what-do-the-c-suite-want-and-expect-from-cdo-s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ull article and learnings<\/a> are available to DataIQ clients on our members only hub.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CDOs are being tasked with AI translation and storytelling to C-suite executives, as well as handling prioritization, governance, culture, and transformations across organizations \u2013 so what does the C-suite truly want from their CDO? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":43937,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[129,398],"tags":[453,1503,1502,321,322,380,1222,87,1097,1151,1504],"pillar":[194],"class_list":["post-43936","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-public","tag-453","tag-board","tag-c-suite","tag-cdo","tag-ceo","tag-decision","tag-executive","tag-leadership","tag-nashville","tag-summit","tag-translate","pillar-leadership"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-25 21:12:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/43936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/43936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43938,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/43936\/revisions\/43938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43936"},{"taxonomy":"pillar","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pillar?post=43936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}