Calling all CEOs, CISOs, CIOs, and other senior executives that hold an unwavering spot in the C-suite club. Make some room at the table, because most chief data officers (CDOs) believe their role is here to stay, even if it still has some maturing to do.
According to the Data & AI Leadership Exchange’s 2025 executive benchmark survey, 70.8% of senior data and AI leaders from Fortune 1000s and top global organizations said that the CDO role will become a permanent C-suite position.
The finding comes even as less than half (47.6%) of respondents said that they felt the CDO role is “very successful and well-established”—a slight downtick from 51.0% in 2024. The same proportion, however, said that the role is “nascent and evolving.”
New kid on the block. Randy Bean, senior advisor, founder, and CEO at the org that has been conducting this survey since 2012, told IT Brew that there is still a significant challenge for the CDO role—which he noted is relatively new—even as the position continues to show up more and more at organizations.
“It’s a new role. It means different things in different organizations. The reporting relationships are all different,” Bean said.
Part of the challenge the role has encountered in finding its rhythm has been a shift in its focus over recent years, according to Delinea Chief Security Scientist and Advisory CISO Joseph Carson, who told IT Brew that it was “historically” tied to regulation and compliance.
“Companies are starting to change that role from being the regulatory compliance person to being the data monetization person,” Carson said. “So, there is a transition happening to that role being more about how can we with the data being collected make more value and more use of that data?”
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Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst Rita Sallam, who argues that the role is not struggling to find its footing but rather getting more attention these days, said another challenge CDOs face is in making sure they are aligned with business priorities.
“Many people who are in the role are challenged to continue to demonstrate the strategic value of the data analytics and AI initiatives of the organization, particularly the foundational investments that are necessary in data [and] in governance for an organization’s AI success,” she said.
Room to grow. While the CDO role is still on a self-discovery journey, Bean told IT Brew that it is without a doubt remaining a permanent C-level function.
“The demand for data and AI leadership is only going to increase, but the shape and form and what it’s called…is going to continue to evolve and grow as it should,” Bean said.
He told IT Brew that he advocates for organizations to have their CDOs report to senior business leaders, such as the CEO or a president.
“I believe that the most successful chief data officers, what distinguishes them is that they’re tied to business outcomes…Their starting point is answering business questions as opposed to building capabilities,” Bean said.
Sallam, on the other hand, advises CDOs to “speak the language of the business” and connect investments in data and analytics to business outcomes that their organization cares about to help further solidify the role.
“If they can achieve that, then it will continue to be a strategic and C-level role,” Sallam said. “If they don’t, it won’t.”