Who are the Chief Digital Officers?

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CIO Disrupt Yourself

Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) typically earn between $250,000-500,000 a year, but some make up to $700,000. Nearly 90 percent of CDOs are located in the United States, and nearly 60 percent of them work in the northeast. These are some of the discoveries from the Chief Digital Officer Talent Map, an analysis of CDOs conducted by David Mathison, founder of the CDO Club and curator of the Chief Digital Officer Summit.

Companies increasingly wrestle with whether CIOs are equipped to provide senior management with guidance on digital, mobile and social media platforms and issues. In recent years, some companies have split the responsibilities so that CIOs focus on IT infrastructure while CDOs focus more specifically on digital policies and procedures. In other companies, the CIO serves as the de facto CDO, or has a subordinate responsible for digital strategy.

Mathison interviewed 50 CDOs and dozens of other top digital executives, and also developed these interesting CDO insights:

  • He conservatively projects that the number of CDOs will double again this year, leading to a total of about 1,000 CDOs worldwide by year end.
  • 40 percent of CDOs are in the advertising industry, with media and publishing tied for second place with 15 percent.
  • CDOs are primarily men. Only 20 percent of CDOs are women.
  • CDOs have bright futures, with about 42 percent expecting to be a CEO or president in their next job.

Do you believe that CDOs impact the role of CIOs, and are you surprised by any of the results of Mathison’s analysis?

Read "7 Habits of effective Chief Digital Officers."

Chris Carroll is a freelance technology writer with over 30 years editorial experience. See more information about his background, including samples of his work and references, at www.chriscarroll.com.

Chris Carroll is a freelance technology writer with over 30 years editorial experience. See more information about his background, including samples of his work and references, at www.chriscarroll.com.