I’m in Boston next week for IBM’s Chief Data Officer Strategy Summit. It gives me a chance to better understand the changing role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in today’s organizations. Many of my financial service and healthcare clients already have people in this role. They’re in heavily regulated industries. What have they learned about leveraging the CDOs capabilities?  

Over 40% of my manufacturing and technology clients are looking to better understand how the CDO role can help them grow their businesses. How these organizations deal with data and decision making could determine the winners and losers in their global markets. I believe the Chief Data Officer and their teams could become the cornerstone of future growth and opportunities for their organizations.

Can the CDO really help their leadership teams make better decisions faster to seize new opportunities? How can they help lead their organization’s digital transformation efforts?

As always, my clients have questions. Many, many questions. This is going to be an exciting role to add to their leadership team.  I thought I’d share what I hope to learn in Boston next week. If you have any additional questions, drop me a line and I’ll make sure they get answered.

What’s the biggest challenge the CDO faces in creating value in their organizations?

How does the CDO become the trusted advisor to the CEO and CIO (leadership team)?

How can the CDO integrate their data scientists across the organization?

What can the CDO do to create a more innovative data science team?

What skills are essential to turn data into insights and then, ultimately, action?

Who should the CDO report to in the organization? What works and what hasn’t?

How can CDOs and their teams help their organizations make better decisions, faster?

How do CDOs help their organizations anticipate and prepare for the future?

Besides technical expertise, what skills and strengths are required of the CDO and data scientists to have lasting impact of their organization’s success?

How do CDOs design a data strategy that leverages trends to help their organizations seize new opportunities?

What capabilities should the CDO develop within their organization, and what aspects of data science should they outsource to service partners?

We will be publishing several blogs on the role of the Chief Data Officer. There are several additional roles being created with similar responsibilities, including Chief Analytics Officer and Chief Innovation Officer. Many of the responsibilities of the Chief Technology Officers are moving to the data side of the business. What will it take to lead and manage these professionals?

These are questions I plan to explore in the coming weeks.

To learn more about how CDOs can impact your organization’s success you might enjoy reading  What Can a Chief Data Officer Learn from Warren Buffett?

See you next week.