Headhunter for Chief Digital Officer Positions

CDO – Chief Sales Officer

The CDO position has emerged during the digital transformation - because planning and managing digitization in a company is the primary task of a Chief Digital Officer. This includes, among other things, all processes, methods and products of the greatly expanded digital reality, which is breaking entirely new ground, especially in communication and collaboration. After the home office, which I'm sure we've all witnessed, we're heading towards a future of the "Hybrid Workplace". Future-proofing for an organization in this context is also part of this position's remit.

With the advent of digital transformation and therefore this new position at the highest management level, there is a certain potential for conflict between the CDO, CIO (Chief Information Officer), CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and COO (Chief Operating Officer). Some responsibilities can easily overlap. This calls for a clear separation of roles as well as unambiguous areas of responsibility.

Let us find the right CDO for you

The constant changes in digitalisation mean that the demands on CDOs are constantly increasing. CareerTeam supports you in aligning your management in a future-proof and sustainable way. As a leading executive search agency in the digital economy with cross-industry knowledge, CareerTeam has in-depth expertise within recruitment. 

Our recruiters find specialists and executives for top management. Thanks to our algorithmic multichannel search, we achieve high speed and also find the "hidden candidates". For top management in particular, it is critical to find the right person. This also corresponds to our claim for particularly sustainable personnel management.

Through an extensive, active network of over 600,000 specialists and managers, our recruiters find suitable candidates for the position of CDO in the shortest possible time. And all this with the highest quality.

CDO responsibilities

Driving the digital transformation of an organisation means defining the key priorities and coordinating all measures to lead and secure the organisation into this future. So it means developing a future-oriented and long-term digitalisation strategy. This affects different departments, whether IT, marketing or finance. A CDO is able to communicate with all stakeholders and convince them to follow the digital strategy. 

To do this, existing structures must be considered, as well as new structures created, and all stakeholders and interest groups must be involved in this change process (change management). At the centre of this is the coordination of the digitalisation of processes and organisational areas, which encompasses the entire company.

Depending on the industry, the degree of challenge can vary. The IT or finance industry has always worked only with data and is therefore inherently predestined for digitalisation. Other sectors and industries, such as manufacturing and Industry 4.0, pose greater challenges. The topics of networking, data processing and above all security pose extreme hurdles for CDOs.

Digital leadership qualities of a CDO

Preceding all leadership qualities is a profound understanding of the digital world. CDOs know how technology is used and how it evolves. They have often experienced first-hand what digitalisation is all about in digitally mature companies.

To successfully digitise any organisation, CDOs need to have strong business acumen and in-depth technical knowledge of it. This means a deep understanding of the company's customers, its products and services, position in the value chain, business processes, etc.

CDOs must be strategic thinkers who possess a clear vision of the company's long-term future. They can immerse themselves in every aspect of the macro as well as micro level. Anytime. This allows them to think strategically about new business opportunities that digital technologies are opening up for companies.

The four archetypes of a CDO

The disrupter 

This CDO is in charge of transforming existing business models and working methods. The role is characterised by high accountability and decision-making efficiency, and typically reports to the CEO.

The innovative integrator 

This type of CDO integrates customer experience and insights with improvements in operational capabilities. Primarily, this person focuses on the highest-priority innovations. But because the CDO reports to the CEO, this may lack full control over the entire digital implementation, e.g. product research and development.

The market-minded maven 

This CDO drives new digital solutions for customer-facing channels and distribution channels. The focus of the role is on digital initiatives that impact customer growth. This may lead to them being disconnected from other areas of the business. They are responsible for the end-to-end customer experience and typically report to the CMO or CRO.

The technology integrator

The CDO role is technology-focused and uses digital innovation to accelerate change in the organisation. This role focuses on single-result initiatives in the form of robust work plans that lead to optimised operations. The downside of this approach is that the initiatives undertaken may not adapt quickly enough to changing business needs, and important components of the business strategy may be overlooked. This CDO usually reports to the CIO or CTO.

Human Resources 4.0

At CareerTeam, we provide executive search services for the digital economy through recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). Software-supported interview and selection processes help us as a recruitment agency in the entire hiring process, which also covers the entire candidate journey management. 

Furthermore, we take care of the cultural fit, which is an extremely critical feature, especially in the field of executive search. In addition, we also offer employer branding, active sourcing and direct search. You are welcome to contact us to find out about the full range of our services - without obligation, of course. We look forward to hearing from you.