Top 10 Chief Analytics Officers – 2021

The Chief Analytical officer (CAO) identifies new business opportunities based on data. He converts raw data in to valuable assets. The role is relatively a new C-suite position emerged from the thought of leveraging new tools and techniques to cope with the changes in the using & analyzing of data and changing role of data & analytics in the organization. CAO make strategic decisions based on insights obtained from data, which is backed by data science techniques. A CAO reports directly to the CEO or the CIO.

Most important of the daily activities of a CAO includes collecting data and using it to create business intelligence models. They interact with CIOs for the matters regarding necessary infrastructure for analytics operations. Hence, their main focus is on creating business oriented decisions by using the data that is available from market, sales or any other operations within an organization. They also develop central repository data ware houses for all information within the company. They also formulate data governance and management frameworks.

A CAO must be technically adept and must have high business skills. He is a business strategist who knows about the flow of information, understands its context, and is aware of how that information links across the enterprise. A CAO must be able to make decisions that will lead to business development. Even though the position is in its nascent stage, considering the present scenario in business and the change AI is making, analysts are predicting higher demand for CAOs in the near future. Thus, having a CAO on-board will soon become inevitable in the digital journey of every organization.

In this issue, the CEO Insights introduces a list of  'Top 10 Chief Analytics Officers - 2021'. The list has been crafted by a team of CEOs, VCs and the CEO Insights editorial board, thus delivering inspiring stories of their journey and the contributions & roles played by them in the creation and empowerment of an  organization.