The work required to create working CIO-CDO relationships

Modern business operations depend on technology and data. Within this context, no CIO can afford to be an island. The most effective CIOs work closely with CDOs and non-IT executive colleagues to ensure technological innovation powers business change.

“The CIO role is undergoing a profound evolution,” says Ankur Anand, CIO at global technology and talent solutions provider Nash Squared. “The CIO used to be a leader driving technology strategy, but now the role is more about being a business strategist.”

Anand says transformation has broadened from implementing technology systems to exploiting data and AI, honing customer experiences, and enabling business growth. His firm’s annual Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report found close to two-thirds of CIOs report their CEOs are significantly more focused on using technology to make rather than save money.

The changing nature of transformation has also affected IT leadership structures. In addition to CIOs, technology leadership encompasses other senior roles, such as chief data officers, chief digital officers, chief innovation officers, and chief AI officers. The AWS Generative AI Adoption Index suggests 60% of companies have already appointed CAIOs, and another 26% plan to make appointments by 2026. 

But while the breadth of senior technology positions continues to increase, organizations must find ways to bring the knowledge and experiences of these digital leaders together and create connections that ensure innovation leads to business value. In many cases, the route to success runs via the CIO.

“Digital leaders need to be less siloed, taking a collaborative and consultative approach,” says Anand. “In the past, the CIO, CDO, and CTO may have competed for influence. Now, success is about finding strength in partnership, and CIOs usually have ultimate accountability and must create a unified digital leadership model where leaders align on shared outcomes with common KPIs.”

Refining the digital leadership model

Building a joined-up leadership approach is something familiar to Antony Hausdoerfer, group CIO at UK auto breakdown specialist The AA. He works alongside other senior peers, including the chief digital officer and chief data and analytics officer, to ensure the organization exploits technology effectively.

While the digital chief focuses on online channels and the data chief concentrates on deriving value from information, Hausdoerfer oversees the technology capabilities for customers and colleagues, and all the organizations’ digital leaders report to the COO.

“We’re aligned in terms of reporting and the boundaries of our roles,” he says, adding how The AA ensures these relationships work effectively. “You must be clear on the accountabilities you have, and you must also have a shared direction. We’ve all got to believe in the same things. If we pull apart, then we’ll create problems all the time, and politics will get involved.”

Gartner suggests that executing transformation via effective collaboration is non-negotiable. The tech analyst’s 2025 CIO Survey reports just 48% of digital initiatives meet or exceed business outcome targets. Hausdoerfer says The AA’s joined-up digital leadership delivers great results by creating clear responsibilities within shared objectives.

“Data chiefs don’t necessarily want to run the data platforms, infrastructure, availability, and the patching,” says Hausdoerfer. “Digital, meanwhile, is a critical channel for our business. There’s a strong commercial and service angle, beyond just technology, to the digital chief’s role. I think they’re quite happy to be supported around technology infrastructure because it allows them to focus on the service side.”

In other organizations, like HPE, the technology leadership model is more hierarchical where the chief data officer, who manages AI and data as a combined function, reports to global CIO Rom Kosla. To elucidate how the relationship works, Kosla refers to the company’s explorations into gen AI, particularly the firm’s development of its internal chat solution, ChatHPE, powered by Azure and OpenAI technology.

“To stand up that capability, we had a gig-based approach across our 1,000-strong global technology team,” he says. “We combined a group of IT and data professionals, and gave them a special assignment to build ChatHPE. We got our best Python and C# developers, and gave them the opportunity.”

This integrated approach resonates with Alexandra Willis, director of digital media at the Premier League, who says technology, data, and digital domains are moving closer. Her team plays a crucial role in helping the business create engaging experiences for soccer supporters, including using Adobe’s AI-enabled technologies across web and mobile apps.

“The worlds of digital and technology are increasingly merging, and, arguably, technology is responsible for that,” she says. “Therefore, making sure we’re operating and collaborating horizontally is vital, rather than everyone working in their verticals on one project. I think that joined-up approach is at the root of success — having a common understanding of your objectives and what you’re trying to achieve, and ongoing discussions about how you’re contributing to those outcomes, because successful transformation is a team effort.”

Vivek Bharadwaj, CIO at clothing manufacturer Happy Socks, also says digital leaders must build and maintain effective working partnerships across the organization. As he has a wide role that encompasses data, technology, and website product development, he says there are several things he does to establish strong synergies with the professionals on his team and peers across the rest of the business.

“One of the key things is establishing the right cadence,” he says. “Matching different motivations requires a lot of communication. Another crucial factor is goal alignment, especially with the disparate units I manage. Alignment means everyone knows they’re working toward the same goal, even when they’re looking at areas of the business through different lenses.”

Taking responsibility for business benefits

For Joe Depa, global chief innovation officer at EY, the focus on business outcomes means the role of the modern CIO is all about delivering value. Digital leaders must connect with peers within the department and across the organization to ensure they, their teams, and their technologies are providing measurable ROI.

“If you’re the CIO, you should be thinking about how to deliver value to the business,” he says. “Whether you’re driving revenue, creating new products and services, or helping support business teams to provide more productivity and efficiency, those objectives are all about creating value for the organization, and to me, that’s the role of the CIO of the future.”

David Walmsley, chief digital and technology officer at jewelry specialist Pandora, concurs, saying his role is increasingly about cultural business leadership. “My role is more like a chief transformation officer in terms of thinking how are we going to move the machine forward and how does the machine evolve,” he says.

Walmsley suggests his executive background, having held senior digital and marketing positions for retailers such as Mark & Spencer, Dixons, and John Lewis, gives him a commercial edge he can bring to C-level conversations. At Pandora, he works with seven peers on the executive leadership team.

“I see my role as supporting my colleagues, in terms of what their goals are, but also challenging them,” he says. “As I said from day one of the digital transformation, we’re not here to take down orders. We’re here to provide robust collaboration. I work with my colleagues, and the conversations are free flowing.”

Applying the weight of experience

Pandora’s approach to technology, digital, and business integration is all about prioritization. Walmsley balances the demands of stakeholders with sustainable technology choices. A careful balance means his team isn’t pulled from one thing to another by stakeholders excited by the latest innovation.

“We’re very much in the driving seat in terms of prioritization, which means we’ve been able to invest in things like data foundations,” he says. “This approach means we can invest in areas that stakeholders might not even know exist, but are fundamental to acceleration and drive faster deployment of innovative functions and features.”

Kirsty Roth, chief operations and technology officer at business information services specialist Thomson Reuters, is another executive who raises the importance of business experience. “You’ve got to be commercially savvy,” she says. “I see this character in folks who have great relationships, either on my team or elsewhere, with our business leaders. When I meet customers or talk with our business leaders, they probably wouldn’t start by thinking I’m a techie. I embed myself in the customer problem, and what we’re trying to do as a business, and how technology can solve the problem.”

So as a CIO, digital leader, or data chief, it’s critical to appreciate the customer challenge and describe your solution in terms stakeholders recognize. Whether the CIO leads change or an organization has a more collective approach to transformational leadership, the best working relationships start with stakeholder engagement.

“Tell them about the potential solution in a way they can understand and see the benefits of what you’re trying to propose,” says Roth. “The most successful people tend to be commercial and on the front foot, versus people who are amazing technologists, but struggle to make an impact because they can’t necessarily explain the opportunities.”