{{Short description|Highest-ranking officer over digital operations}} A '''chief digital officer''' ('''CDO''') or a '''chief digital information officer''' ('''CDIO''') is an individual who helps a company, a government organization or a city drive growth by converting traditional "analog" businesses to digital ones using the potential of modern online technologies and data (i.e., digital transformation),<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-05-12 |title=Introduction to Social Media and Digital Marketing: Chief Digital Officer |url=https://hcmediagroup.co.uk/ |access-date= |website=HCMediagroup}}</ref> and at times oversees operations in the rapidly changing digital sectors like mobile applications, social media and related applications, virtual goods, as well as web-based information management and marketing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://betanews.com/2012/10/22/chief-digital-officer-is-the-next-hot-executive-title-says-gartner |title='Chief Digital Officer' is the next hot executive title, says Gartner |publisher=Betanews.com |date= 2012-10-22|access-date=2012-10-22}}</ref>
==Responsibilities== The responsibilities of an organization's CDO are varied and still evolving as the future of a CIO for digital businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/what-does-a-cdo-do-anyway/ |title=What Does A CDO Do Anyway? |publisher=Mediabistro.com |access-date=2011-03-15}}</ref> The CDO is not only a digital expert,<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-1502811028 |title=The Chief Digital Officer Handbook |date=15 January 2015 |publisher=Buckingham }}</ref> but may also be a seasoned general manager. <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Obwegeser|first=Nikolaus|title=How to Choose the Right Digital Leader for Your Company|url=https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-choose-the-right-digital-leader-for-your-company/|access-date=2020-09-18|journal=MIT Sloan Management Review|date=14 May 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> As the role frequently is transformational, CDOs generally are responsible for the adoption of digital technologies across a business.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2012/11/18/why-cios-may-morph-into-the-chief-digital-officer |title=Why CIOs May Morph Into the Chief Digital Officer |publisher=blogs.wsj.com |date= 2012-11-18|access-date=2012-11-18}}</ref> As with most senior executive titles, the responsibilities are set by the organization's board of directors or other authority, depending on the organization's legal structure. The CDO is responsible not just for digital consumer experiences across all business touchpoints, but also for the whole process of digital transformation.<ref>[https://www.betanews.com/2013/11/25/digital-transforms-modern-businesses-and-delivers-a-global-360-degree-vision/ "Digital: transforms modern businesses and delivers a global 360 degree vision"]. Betanews.com.</ref><ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Transformation-Expertise-Mark-Baker/dp/1500469998/ "Digital Transformation"].</ref>
==Role prevalence== According to a study by Gartner, a predicted 25% of businesses will have created and filled the chief digital officer title by 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/gartner-do-you-have-chief-digital-officer-you%E2%80%99re-gonna-need-one |title=Gartner: Do you have a Chief Digital Officer? You're gonna need one |publisher=Networkworld.com |date= 2012-10-22|access-date=2012-10-22}}</ref> Research by PwC in 2020 indicates that 21% of large public enterprises had created such a role by 2020, with growth decelerating.<ref>{{Cite web|title=From dazzling to departed - why Chief Digital Officers are doomed to fail|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/chief-digital-officer-cdo-skills-tenure-fail/|website=World Economic Forum|date=12 February 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Have we reached "peak" chief digital officer?|url=https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Have-we-reached-peak-chief-digital-officer?gko=9ce66|last=Acker|first=Pierre Péladeau and Olaf|website=strategy+business|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref>
==See also== * Digital strategy manager
==References== {{Reflist}}
===Further reading=== * {{cite web |title=From Emerging CDO to the AI-Native Enterprise |url=https://oliviernaimi.com/chief-digital-officer-reading-path.html |website=Olivier Naimi |access-date=2026-05-21 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Walchshofer |first1=Manuela |last2=Riedl |first2=René |title=Der Chief Digital Officer (CDO): Eine empirische Untersuchung |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1365/s40702-017-0320-7 |publisher=Springer |journal=HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik |year=2017 |doi=10.1365/s40702-017-0320-7 |access-date=2026-05-21 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Kessel |first1=Lena |last2=Graf-Vlachy |first2=Lorenz |title=Chief digital officers: the state of the art and the road ahead |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11301-021-00227-8 |publisher=Springer |journal=Management Review Quarterly |year=2022 |doi=10.1007/s11301-021-00227-8 |access-date=2026-05-21 }}
* {{cite book |last=von Boeselager |first=Friedrich |title=Der Chief Digital Officer: Die Schlüsselposition für eine erfolgreiche Digitalisierungsstrategie |publisher=Springer Gabler |year=2017 |isbn=978-3658179809 }}
* {{cite web |title=The Emerging Chief Digital Officer |url=https://www.oliviernaimi.com/the-emerging-chief-digital-officer.html |website=Website Magazine |year=2012 |access-date=2026-05-21 }}
* {{cite web |title=Why MACH+AI (MACHAI) for the Chief Digital Officer |url=https://oliviernaimi.com/machai-chief-digital-officer.html |website=Olivier Naimi |access-date=2026-05-21 }}
{{Corporate titles}}
Category:Chief digital officers Category:Management occupations D