VIDEO | Fitch CDO: The Best Data Owners Are Business Stakeholders

(US and Canada) Fitch Group CEO Paul Taylor and CDO Heidi Lanford speak with Salema Rice, Accenture Global Managing Director of Applied Intelligence and CDO Magazine Editorial Board Member, in a video interview about key CDO challenges, positioning a CDO for success, and the role of communications in a CDO organization.

Lanford explains that Fitch is building a new data platform and is recruiting data owners for various data assets. She states that the best data owners are the business stakeholders who know data well and can get it defined. The IT team steps in to make the data accessible.

Regarding her approach to getting people accustomed to the new platform, Lanford says that data will be fresher, more accurate, better documented, and easier to get to in the new environment, along with other benefits. She reveals that her team uses these benefits as a selling point.

Speaking about positioning the chief data officer for success as the newest member of the C-Suite and the impact of the data transformation at Fitch, Taylor emphasizes the importance of meeting people in person. He adds that the CDO transformation exemplifies the significance of people interacting directly again.

Lanford adds that transformation is complex, and a CDO organization's communications piece is multifaceted. She stresses that it requires more than a website, intranet, email, or communications meetings.

Focusing on the most significant aspect of transformation, Lanford says it is about enabling breadth and scalability.

CDO Magazine appreciates Paul Taylor and Heidi Lanford for sharing their insights and data success stories with our global community.