Dive Brief:
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According to a survey from Forrester Research, more companies are hiring chief data officers to serve as a bridge between IT and business groups.
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About 45% of global firms have appointed a chief data officer, according to Forrester, and an additional 16% say they plan to create a CDO role within the next year.
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This is the first Forrester survey to directly ask companies whether they have a CDO.
Dive Insight:
Forrester said one potential challenge for CIOs is that there is no template for how the CDO fits inside an organization. Most CDOs report to either the CEO or CIO. In some cases, CDOs may be assigned to take on strategic analytics roles, leaving CIOs with the more mundane day-to-day tasks.
“More CDOs will own the data management resources that currently belong to the CIO when people feel they’re behind the curve on data management and quality,” said Gene Leganza, a Forrester analyst and co-author of the study. “There is a potential conflict just in terms of career growth.”
Leganza said CIOs and CDOs at companies that have both roles say clearly defined responsibilities and collaboration are critical to success.
