chief data officer (CDO)

Organizations have been gathering and compiling data as long as they’ve existed. But the volume of data started to grow exponentially with the rise of computer systems in the second half of the 20^th century, as did the opportunities to analyze that growing body of data.

Initially, data processing managers and others within the IT department managed the data and data analysis, with CIOs often having responsibility and oversight for the data programs within their enterprise.

However, the chief data officer position arose in the early years of the 21^st century to take on the data management and oversight function.

For example, Capital One appointed Cathryne Clay Doss as CDO in 2002, making her one of the first CDOs and a widely recognized as an early leader in data executive ranks.

The CDO position evolved further in response to increased compliance regulations after the great recession of 2007. At that time, a large part of the CDO’s job typically was to help an organization create data governance policies that would ultimately reduce the organization’s compliance burden. The focus of the position has since shifted to helping organizations understand that big data is a business asset that can be used strategically to identify new revenue opportunities and reduce operating costs.