The Future of the CDO

The future of the CDO isn’t dead but it needs a redirection.

There’s a growing chorus online proclaiming the death of the CDO.

Let’s be honest here, this was always going to happen to any role that stayed in the shadows of infrastructure, tech delivery, or governance. The CDO was meant to be a commercial catalyst, not just the data owner.

So here we are and in Prince’s words “It’s not the dream we all dreamed of.”

Many CDOs never truly made it to the boardroom and with that many never won the sponsorship of the CEO. Quite a few got lost in the labyrinth of tooling, platforms, policies, and never linked their work to value.

But this post isn’t a takedown of the CDO, Hulk Hogan did enough takedowns in his life.

No, this is a a turning point.

Because the CDO can still become one of the most strategic roles in an organization.

Here’s my 5-step path to escape the “non-value-adding” label and shift from back-office support to front-line leadership:

 👉 Reframe the Role from Data Owner to Value Creator

I’m going to have to say it straight, stop talking about “data governance maturity” or “data maturity” and start asking: What’s the commercial problem we are solving?

Build every initiative around business use cases. Become known as the person who can turn data into revenue, margin, or customer growth.

 👉 Create a Data Operating Model that Embeds into the Business

If you’re sitting only under the CIO or CTO, you’re in the wrong room. I know you know that. Data needs to live inside business operations, not alongside them.

Build cross-functional ownership models that empower product, ops, and frontline teams to drive data outcomes.

 👉 Talk in Commercial Language, Not Data Speak

If the CEO can’t understand you, they can’t back you. Translate insights into impact: revenue uplift, churn reduction, customer lifetime value not “data lineage maps” or “semantic models.” No one wants to hear another conversation about how amazing your graph database is!

 👉 Build Quick Wins That Buy You Strategic Capital

Start small. Solve one P&L relevant problem.

Create one use case that delivers measurable commercial value and make sure the business takes the credit. Then, scale.

👉 Shift the Horizon: Think Like a COO, Not a Data Person

CDOs who will rise are those who stop asking for permission and start behaving like enterprise leaders.

Don’t just enable. Operate. Drive business transformation with data at the core and lead with value. The title change will follow.

I think the “death” of the old CDO model might be the best thing that ever happened.

Because it makes room for something better. We are closing one door and opening another.

Something bolder. Not a custodian of data.

But a creator of competitive advantage. Yes, that!

What would it look like if you reimagined your role not as a CDO but as the next COO or even CEO in training?

👉 What’s the one thing you would change today to move in that direction?