Chief digital officers · the role
What does a chief digital officer do?
The short answer · updated
A chief digital officer (CDO) leads how a business uses digital channels, data and technology to deliver its strategy: the digital products and services customers use, the transformation of how the company works, and the investment behind both. They usually report to the chief executive and advise the board on digital opportunity and risk.
What is a chief digital officer?
A chief digital officer is the executive accountable for a company’s digital strategy and its delivery.
The role exists where digital is how the business reaches customers or how it must change, not only a service the IT function runs.
The UK government’s Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework describes its equivalent seat, the chief digital and information officer, as shaping and enabling the delivery of the organisation’s strategy through digital, data and technology, and as a trusted adviser to the board on all of it.
Private-sector chief digital officers carry the same core, usually with more weight on customers and revenue.
Chief digital officer roles and responsibilities
The remit depends on what the chief executive and the CIO or CTO keep.
The common core:
- Digital strategy. Setting how digital channels, products and data will deliver the business plan, and keeping it current as technology changes.
- Digital products and customer experience. Owning the websites, apps and digital services customers use, and how well they work.
- Transformation. Leading the change in processes, systems and ways of working that a digital strategy needs.
- Investment. Making the case for digital spending and choosing between competing demands.
- Capability. Building the product, design, engineering and data skills the plan depends on.
- Security and resilience. Making sure digital growth does not outrun the organisation’s cyber security and resilience.
- The board. Advising directors on digital opportunity and risk.
Chief digital officer vs chief data officer
Both are called CDO, which causes confusion in job titles and searches.
A chief digital officer owns digital strategy, products and transformation.
A chief data officer owns the organisation’s data: its governance, quality, architecture and use in analytics and AI.
Our page on what a chief data officer does covers that seat.
Some companies combine them; many large ones have both, with the chief data officer reporting to the chief digital officer or to the chief operating or financial officer.
Read the remit, not the acronym.
Chief digital officer vs CIO vs CTO
A CIO runs the organisation’s information systems and IT operations: the platforms the business runs on.
See what a CIO does.
A CTO leads technology and engineering, and in a technology company owns the product’s architecture.
See what a CTO does.
A chief digital officer is defined by the outcome rather than the technology: customers served digitally and a business that works digitally.
In practice the three overlap, and smaller companies give one person two of the titles.
Digital risk and the board
Digital growth widens the attack surface, and boards are expected to govern it.
The government’s Cyber Governance Code of Practice shows boards and directors how to manage digital risks; it was co-designed with the National Cyber Security Centre, whose Cyber Security Toolkit for Boards helps directors put it into practice.
A chief digital officer usually brings these questions to the board with the CISO.
For public services, the GOV.UK Service Standard starts from understanding users and their needs; many private-sector digital leaders borrow the same discipline for their own products.
Fractional, interim and permanent chief digital officers
A permanent chief digital officer suits a company whose digital agenda needs a full-time executive.
An interim chief digital officer covers a fixed period, such as a transformation programme or a gap between appointments.
A fractional chief digital officer works part of the week, often for a mid-sized company setting its first digital strategy.
See how to hire a fractional chief digital officer or an interim chief digital officer.
A fractional or interim chief digital officer working through their own company may fall within the off-payroll working rules (IR35).
Status turns on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination.
Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
Pay depends on the size of the business and the scope of the role.
Our chief digital officer salary page sets out published pay with sources.
How to hire a chief digital officer
Decide first what the role owns that the CIO, CTO or marketing leader does not, and write it down.
Then define the first year: a strategy agreed, a product launched, a platform replaced, a team built.
Test candidates on your own digital problem and take references from people who worked for them.
BCS Chartered IT Professional registration shows professional standing in technology, though it is not a requirement for the role.
We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors.
For a digital brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting.
To hire a chief digital officer, start with our hire a chief digital officer page.
Questions people ask
What is a chief digital officer?
The executive accountable for a company’s digital strategy and its delivery: digital products and services, the transformation of how the business works, and the investment behind them.
What is the difference between a chief digital officer and a chief data officer?
A chief digital officer owns digital strategy, products and transformation; a chief data officer owns data governance, quality and use.
Both are called CDO.
Who does a chief digital officer report to?
Usually the chief executive.
In some companies the role reports to the COO or sits under a combined digital and technology leader.
Is a chief digital officer the same as a CIO?
Not usually.
A CIO runs information systems and IT operations; a chief digital officer is measured on digital customers and transformation.
Smaller companies sometimes combine the two.
Can a chief digital officer work part-time?
Yes.
A fractional chief digital officer works part of the week.
See how to hire a fractional chief digital officer.
How do I hire a chief digital officer?
Define what the role owns against the CIO and CTO, set the first-year outcomes, and test candidates on your own digital problem.
We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
