CDO / CDAIO Advisory

The CDO/CDAIO gap is real — and costly

Most organisations that need senior data and AI leadership don't yet have a full-time CDO or CDAIO. Some are assessing whether the role is right for them. Others have recently appointed one and need to set them up for success. Others have a sitting CDO who is navigating complex organisational dynamics and would benefit from an experienced peer.

EagleView's CDO/CDAIO advisory practice addresses all three situations — with a model that delivers the strategic value of a C-suite data executive at a fraction of the cost and with genuine flexibility.

What this service covers

• Fractional and interim CDO and CDAIO engagements — part-time executive presence for organisations that require senior data leadership without a full-time hire
• CDO/CDAIO onboarding advisory — supporting newly appointed executives in establishing mandates, team structures, and 100-day plans that build credibility fast
• Board-level leadership capability assessment — helping boards considering CDO/CDAIO appointments with role scoping, candidate evaluation criteria, and team design
• Executive coaching and peer advisory for sitting CDOs and CDAIOs — navigating organisational dynamics, board relationships, and programme prioritisation
• Interim coverage — bridge leadership during CDO/CDAIO transitions, searches, or leave

The EagleView difference

Mark Burnard brings more than 15 years in principal consultant and data leadership roles, combined with over 7 years as a solution architect and sales engineer at data and AI vendors including AWS and Dell-EMC. He is the founder of the CDO Guild — a global peer network for Chief Data Officers — and has coached and supported CDOs across financial services, technology, government, and infrastructure sectors.

Where other advisory firms offer generic frameworks, EagleView brings deep personal experience of the CDO seat — the political complexity, the board communication challenges, the trade-offs between quick wins and lasting structural change. Every engagement is frank, experienced, and directly delivered.

Who this is for

• Organisations without a CDO or CDAIO that need data and AI strategy leadership now
• Newly appointed CDOs/CDAIOs who want an experienced sounding board during the critical first 100 days
• Boards evaluating whether to appoint a CDO and what that role should look like
• Sitting CDOs navigating difficult organisational dynamics or seeking peer-level counsel
• Private equity portfolio companies requiring CDO-level advisory as part of value creation