Chief Data Officer
UK / Hybrid
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Overview
A UK listed financial services group is strengthening its leadership team with the appointment of a Chief Data Officer. The organisation operates across multiple business lines, with a broad customer base and a growing reliance on data to drive decision making, regulatory reporting, and commercial performance.
This hire reflects a shift towards treating data as a core business asset rather than a supporting function.
The Position
The Chief Data Officer will define how data is governed, structured, and used across the organisation. The remit spans strategy, architecture, governance, and culture. You will bring consistency to how data is managed while enabling the business to extract greater value from it.
This is a role that sits at board level, with responsibility for shaping policy, influencing investment decisions, and ensuring data is both trusted and usable across the group.
Core Focus
- Establish a clear data strategy aligned with business objectives and regulatory obligations
- Create and embed a group wide data governance framework, including ownership, quality standards, and controls
- Oversee data architecture to ensure consistency, scalability, and accessibility
- Improve the quality, integrity, and lineage of data across multiple systems and business units
- Enable better use of data in reporting, forecasting, and commercial decision making
- Work closely with technology leadership to align data and platform strategy
- Engage with risk and compliance functions to meet regulatory expectations around data management
- Build and lead a data function covering governance, engineering, and analytics
- Promote a culture where data is understood, trusted, and actively used across the organisation
Experience Required
- Previous experience in a Chief Data Officer or senior data leadership role within financial services or a regulated environment
- Strong understanding of data governance, data quality, and enterprise data management frameworks
- Experience operating across complex organisations with multiple systems and data sources
- Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive organisational change
- Knowledge of regulatory expectations relating to data within financial services
- Track record of building or evolving data functions at scale
- Commercial awareness with an understanding of how data supports growth and efficiency
Desired Requirements
- Exposure to listed or highly regulated environments would be beneficial
- Experience aligning data strategy with digital or technology transformation programmes
- Familiarity with modern data platforms, cloud environments, and reporting frameworks
- Understanding of how data supports client outcomes, operational performance, and risk management
What is on offer
- Competitive executive package
- Hybrid working within the UK
- Board level influence and visibility
- Opportunity to shape how data is used across a complex organisation
- Long term role with scope to build and mature a group wide capability