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This April 2026 edition of the study shows the evolution and new responsibilities of CDOs in the AI era.
The strength of this study comes from leaders willing to move beyond polished narratives and speak with candor about what truly works and what remains unresolved.
It is a privilege to introduce this study and, above all, to express my sincere gratitude to the many leaders and organizations who made it possible.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Chief Data Officers, Chief Data & AI Officers, and Data, Analytics and AI leaders who generously shared their time, their experience, and—most importantly— their candor. The quality of this study is a direct reflection of the openness with which you spoke about what is working, what remains unresolved, and what truly keeps you awake at night. Your willingness to go beyond polished narratives and engage in honest, peer-level conversations is what gives this work its depth and credibility.
I am equally grateful to the EY teams who led and supported the development of this study across geographies. This has been a genuinely global effort, driven by a shared conviction: that the data and AI leadership community deserves research that captures reality, not just maturity scores. The rigor, commitment, and collaboration shown by our teams have been exemplary, and I am proud of what we have built together.
A special thank-you goes to Douglas Laney, not only as a co-lead, but as a true global partner. Doug’s perspective, intellectual generosity, and relentless focus on substance over hype have elevated this study well beyond a traditional benchmark. This work is stronger because of his contribution—and because of the shared belief that global challenges require global dialogue.
Finally, I would like to thank all collaborators who supported, challenged, and enriched this work along the way. This study is the result of a collective effort, shaped by many voices and viewpoints.
My hope is that these pages serve not only as insight, but as reassurance: that while the challenges facing data and AI leaders are complex, they are shared—and that progress is already being made by those willing to confront them with clarity, humility, and purpose.
Enrique Manso Partner – Data & AI, EY Spain Global Coordinator of the Study
A global initiative, with a global partner: Douglas B. Laney
We are pleased to have Douglas B. Laney, author of Infonomics and Data Juice and renowned analyst expert in Data, Analytics & AI, for this second edition of the Study on the Role of the CDO. Doug has not only contributed to the design of the Study but also to its development, individual sessions with CDOs, and extraction of key insights and opportunities arising from it. It is undoubtedly a pleasure for EY to have such a partner for this edition.
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2nd Edition drivers
This second edition has a global reach, being coordinated by different EY offices and regions across the globe:
- Global coordinator: Enrique Manso
- LATAM coordinator: Patricio Cofre
- US coordinator: Joseph Sommer
- Europe coordinator: Giuseppe Santonato
- APAC coordinator: TBD
The study focuses on the main challenges and issues surrounding the role of the Chief Data Officer, a role in constant evolution and one that, without a doubt, the rise of AI has placed back at the center of major organizations. How is the CDO navigating in times of AI? And how is it aligning the Data strategy while managing the company’s expectations regarding genAI?
Methodology
This study isn't just for CDOs, it's a study for any Data, Analytics, and AI leader.
Experts from different regions participated in two complementary ways:
Basic participation
The basic way to participate was through the proposed questionnaire, which summarized the main analysis points of the Study in just 36 questions and required no more than 10 minutes of quality time.
Extended participation
In addition to the basic participation, for those who wished to invest more than one hour of their time in this Study (with the corresponding additional benefits), there was an option to schedule a consultative meeting with Doug Laney and/or with an analyst from the EY team.