For businesses where data is becoming a genuine source of advantage, the Chief Data Officer is an important and relatively new hire. Here is how to approach it.
Define governance versus value
A Chief Data Officer role has two sides — building the well-governed, high-quality, secure data foundation, and driving value from data through analytics, insight, and data-enabled decisions and products. Before hiring, define where the business most needs to start: many need to build the foundation before they can extract value, while others have data infrastructure but underuse it. Being clear about the priority shapes the profile to hire.
Balance both sides
The strongest Chief Data Officers can do both — building the trustworthy foundation and using it to create advantage — even if they start with one. A leader focused only on governance underdelivers on value; one who chases value while neglecting governance builds on sand. Assessing for the ability to balance foundation and value, over time, matters, because a business's data needs evolve and a one-dimensional leader is soon outgrown.
Connect data to business outcomes
The most valuable data leaders connect data work to business outcomes — better decisions, sharper customer understanding, personalisation, growth — rather than treating data as a technical end in itself. In consumer and beauty, look for a leader who understands the brand and customer and can turn data into commercial and customer advantage. Commercial fluency, alongside data expertise, distinguishes a strong appointment.
How the search works
Because data leadership blends technical, analytical, and commercial dimensions, define the specific mandate and a retained search that can assess all three is well suited to finding the right Chief Data Officer for the business's stage and needs.
Hiring a data leader?
We recruit Chief Data Officers and senior data and analytics leaders for consumer and digital businesses.
Explore Digital & Technology Search →Frequently asked questions
What should you look for when hiring a Chief Data Officer?
A leader who can build the trustworthy data foundation (governance, quality, security) and drive value from data (analytics, insight, products), balance both, and connect data to business outcomes — matched to whether the priority is foundations or value.
When does a business need a Chief Data Officer?
Where data is becoming a genuine source of competitive advantage and needs a dedicated senior owner — to build the data foundation, extract value through insight and personalisation, or both. Common in digital and consumer businesses.
Related: What Does a Chief Data Officer Do? · How to Hire a CTO · DTC Beauty Leadership
