[Fiche métier] The Chief Digital Officer, for a successful digital transition

In 2019, the CDO (Chief Digital Officer) was present in 90% of CAC 40 companies.

And with good reason, this professional is still the best placed to deal with the following issues: how to cope with the digital transformation of the economy, the development of new technologies and changing consumer patterns? How to avoid the phenomenon of market uberization and remain competitive?

It's hardly surprising, then, that the hiring of a Chief Digital Officer is a sign of a company's maturity in its digital transformation process, even if his or her profile is of interest to an increasingly wide range of structures.

But who exactly is the CDO? How do you become one, or recruit this talent for corporate digitalization?

Find out in our job description, along with a toolbox to help you work in the best possible conditions.

Job description :

See all software Project Management

What is a Digital Manager, or Chief Digital Officer?

CDO, for Chief Digital Officer, stands for Directeur Digital, or Digital Strategy Director.

In France, he or she is more commonly known as the Director of Digital Transformation , and often works within General Management, ensuring that digital serves the company's overall strategy.

Sometimes compared to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) , he is in fact its partner: the CDO, as facilitator of digital transformation, relies on the technical skills of the CIO, who :

• maintains the infrastructure in good operational condition,
• ensures application security and compliance,
• collects user feedback on IT tools and processes.

Nor should the Chief Digital Officer be confused with the Chief Data Officer, who shares the same initials... but is responsible for the company's information capital, i.e. the collection, accessibility and storage of all its data.

Of course, not all of these professions can be found in every company's organization chart. Some job descriptions are hybrids, particularly in smaller companies.

Chief Digital Officer job description

Now you'll understand what the CDO does, and why he or she is referred to as a "5-legged sheep" or a "rare pearl".

The role of the CDO

[The Chief Digital Officer] prepares and ensures the organizational, functional and technological transformation brought about by digital technology.

Studyrama

As a result, the CDO's objective is to:

• accelerate the company's growth, through the adoption of new digital practices ;
• ensure the company's digital transformation to adapt to market changes, whether in terms of its offering (developing e-commerce, for example) or its internal organization (setting up a digital workplace);
• transform the company and unite teams around its "reform" projects.

The Chief Digital Officer therefore :

• helps management make the right decisions, especially when it comes to choosing the next investments ;
• works in close collaboration with all the company's departments, drawing on existing expertise to ensure intelligent, cross-functional project management.

Diagnostic mission

The Chief Digital Officer begins by taking stock of the company, its operations, uses and objectives, in order to :

• identify its strengths and weaknesses,
• assess the company's digital maturity, and that of its employees,
• study the feasibility and profitability of the digital projects envisaged,
• assess the needs of each department,
• identify tools,
• map existing processes.

Monitoring mission

In parallel, he/she monitors :

• digital trends and innovations in his or her sector of activity, particularly among competitors,
• studies of the impact of new technologies on processes, organizations, products or services.

Consulting and definition of digital strategy

Following these two steps, we recommend :

• areas for improvement in company practices, from production flows to work organization,
• a digital action plan in consultation with marketing, IT, product managers and the Chief Technology Officer,
• the implementation of tools to support these objectives,
• a roadmap with milestones and priority projects,
• a budget, its breakdown and a timetable for the implementation of actions.

Mission Support and Steering

With the approval of management, the Chief Digital Officer is responsible for :

• deploying projects internally and coordinating the various teams,
• training and support for each team leader, to ensure a clear understanding of the issues, optimal commitment and smooth change management.

Reporting mission

Of course, in order to analyze the performance of the actions implemented, he is also responsible for :

• defining the performance indicators (KPIs) to be monitored,
• monitoring and recording best practices and obstacles encountered,
• producing reports for general management.

This video from SupDigit@l perfectly sums up the scope of the CDO's responsibilities:

What skills are required?

The Chief Digital Officer is faced with the challenge of anticipating the market, but also of transforming the company internally. He therefore has both strategic and managerial skills. He is at once an influencer, a coach and a decision-maker.

Ideally, they have a solid knowledge of the sector in which they work.

As they aim to integrate new technologies with existing tools and methods, taking into account all the company's commercial, marketing, financial, HR and logistical issues, they are :

• technophile,
• charismatic
• ambitious,
• versatile,
• curious,
• diplomatic,
• pedagogue,
• good communicator,
• attentive to needs.

He also masters :

• digital intelligence techniques,
• cross-functional project management,
• various marketing levers:
  • social media,
  • monetization,
  • e-reputation,
  • user experience
  • employer brand, etc,
• business issues (budget, business model, etc.),
• English language skills.

How much does a Chief Digital Officer earn?

Salaries vary widely from one organization to another.

According to Michael Page, an executive recruitment consultancy, the range is between €70,000 and €150,000 gross per year, i.e. a monthly salary of between €5,833 gross and €12,500 gross.

Other sources talk of €200,000, or even €250,000 for more senior profiles, in large groups.

What are the career prospects?

Reporting to marketing or general management, the CDO can progress to the position of strategy director and become a member of the management committee.

In fact, some observers believe that the CDO position is a good springboard for later filling the CEO's chair.

How to become a Chief Digital Officer?

The Chief Digital Officer generally holds a BAC+5 (MBA, Mastère, etc.), following training at an engineering school :

• engineering (École Centrale, for example),
• business (HEC, ESCP, etc.),
• computer science.

In short, the profiles are extremely varied. But several trends seem to be emerging:

• CDOs have completed their studies with a specialization in webmarketing,
• they have solid experience in the digital sector, or even in consulting,
• internal promotions, for example from CIO to CDO, are legion, as Gilles Babinet, former Chairman of the Conseil National du Numérique, explains in a video from the MOOC Culture Digitale :

Specific training courses are also emerging, such as EM Lyon Business School's Mastère Spécialisé Transformation Digitale, Marketing & Stratégie.

To find out more: profiles of two CDOs

Interview with Maud Bailly, Chief Digital Officer of the Accor group (hotels), on Les Echos Business :

Extract: "Acceleration is essential in the way we produce, deliver, test and learn. [...] and at the same time, (there is) a need for meaning, so that in this high-speed digital world, people and companies can stay on course".

Interview with Toupargel's Chief Digital Officer:

Digital must serve the company's strategy; it is not an end in itself.

Jérôme Dalidet, CDO chez Toupargel

The CDO's toolbox

To fulfill his missions, the Chief Digital Officer equips himself with software to :

• organize and plan the various tasks involved in digital projects in an agile way ;
• foster collaboration and internal communication;
• collect, process, analyze and track marketing data and KPIs;
• model business processes, in order to develop the company's operational and functional efficiency.

Business Process Management software

🔧 Example: Iterop

Project management software

🔧 Example: Bubble Plan

Collaboration software

🔧 Examples:

• BeeShake (idea and innovation management),
• Elium (knowledge management),
• Talkspirit (digital workplace).

Marketing software

From marketing intelligence to marketing automation, thanks to artificial intelligence, this type of tool helps the CDO in :

• data collection,
• data analysis,
• KPI tracking,
• recommending tools to optimize acquisition campaigns, for example.

🔧 The CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) can share part of his toolbox with the CDO.

See all software Project Management

Ready to become or recruit a CDO?

The job description and scope of tasks vary widely, depending on the organization and its digital maturity.

Whatever the case, the Chief Digital Officer's challenge is a major one.

In addition to ensuring the company's long-term viability and accelerating its growth in the face of the market's pure players, there's a real dimension to the role: supporting the company's workforce, sometimes even transforming its business lines.

Recruiters, be ready to embrace change, and make sure that all executive managers are players and partners in the CDO's missions.

CDOs, arm yourselves with patience: changing the corporate culture in favor of innovation may seem obvious, but you'll first need to get the support and commitment of your teams to see your project through.