DataandAI

Leadership

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UnderWayand

UnderPressure

dtbrck

Inpartnershipwith

DataiQ.

DataandAILeadership

UnderWayandUnderPressure

Fromhypetoimpact:therealleadershipworkbehindtheAI–firstorganisation

September2025

Inpartnershipwith

d。tbr·cks

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Tableofcontents

Foreword04

AWordfromOurPartner05

Introduction06

LeadershipMode1:Orientation10

LeadershipMode2:Scaling18

LeadershipMode3:NorthStar25

Conclusion33

Contributors35

AboutDataIQ36

Termsandconditions

Toseeourtermsandconditionspleaseusethislink:

www.dataiq.global/terms-and-conditions

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RichardPope

ChiefExecutiveOfficer

DataIQ

Foreword

thoseattheforefrontofdataandAIleadership.Fromtheoutset,ourgoal

Welaunched

DataIQGuildin

2022asaninvitation-onlythinktankfor

wasclear:touniteacriticalgroupofleaderstonotonlyshapethefutureof

data,butalsohoworganisationswork,makedecisions,andevolve.

Fouryearslater,bothcomplexityandopportunityhavegrown.Demand

onleadersisgreater,scrutinyissharper,andtheaccelerationofAIis

outpacingtheorganisationalstructuresbuilttomanageit.Yetalongsidethesepressures,anabundanceofnewpossibilitiesisopeningupfordataandAIleaderstocreatelastingimpactandvalue.

Guild2025broughtthissharedrealityintosharpfocus:leadersareunderintensepressure,navigatingcomplexecosystemswhilemakingsense

ofrelentlesschange.Theyaremakingdecisionsinunchartedterritory,balancinginnovationwithgovernance,andlayingthefoundationsforprogressevenasthelandscapecontinuestoshiftbeneaththem.

Thisreport,producedincollaborationwithourstrategicGuildpartner

Databricks,reflectsthatwork.Itmapsthedifferentleadershipmodes

shapingtheAI-firstorganisationandexploreshowrealprogresshappens,notjustthroughtechnicalsuccess,butthroughclarity,trust,andresilience.

Ihopeitoffersnotjustinsight,butsolidarityandarenewedsenseofagency.Becausewhilethehypemaydominatetheheadlines,it’sthejudgementandcommitmentofthoseleadingthisagendathatwill

determinewhatAIreallydelivers.

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LexyKassan

LeadData&AIStrategist

Databricks

TobyBalfre

VPFieldEngineering,EMEA

Databricks

DaelWilliamson

FieldChief

TechnologyOfficerDatabricks

AWordfromOurPartner

WereproudtoonceagainpartnerwithDataIQtobepartofGuild,oneofthemosthonestandtimelyconversationsindataandAIleadership.

AtDatabricks,wemeetleaderseverydaywhoarenavigating

extraordinaryinnovationwithoutestablishedplaybooksforbuildinganorganisatonthatisreadytoscaletrustedAIappsandagents.

Expectationsarehigh,andpressureisrising,butagainstthisbackdrop,leadersarefindingnewwaystocollaboratetocreatesustainable

impact

WhatstandsoutfromGuildisthecandourofitscontributors.Leadersshareopenlywhatittakestomakeprogress:thecompromises,thebreakthroughs,andthelessonslearnedunderpressure.

AsagenticAIemergesasthenextmajoropportunitytoreshape

enterpriseintelligence,itisvitaltobalancethatpromisewiththe

realitiesofleadingthroughuncertainty.Progresscomesnotfromhype,butfromtrust,partnership,andaclearfocusonvalue.

OurthankstoallGuildcontributorsfortheiropenness,andtoDataIQforcreatingthespacetosurfacetheseinsights.Wehopethisreporthelpsleadersdrawonsharedexperienceandchartpracticalpathsforwardinafast-movinglandscape.

dtbrCk

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Introduction

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WhatItTakestoLeadWhenAIMovesFasterThantheOrganisation

“GenAIhasloweredthe

barriertoentry,enabling

everyonetouseit.Ononehand,thisgivesusalevertopushtoimprovedata

qualityandgovernance

upstream.Ontheother,it’screatedalotofhypeandexpectationsthatbring

hugechallengesrelatedtoreadiness.”

GeorgePapadatos,GlobalHeadofDataStrategy,

Syngenta

Artificialintelligenceisnotanewdomain.Accordingtodatagatheredfromthe2025DataIQ100,AIhasahighdegreeofcorrelationwith

machinelearning,amaturedisciplinewithinmostdatafunctions,andevenmorecloselywithgenerativeAI(GenAI).

Yetthewaythesetwobranchesofthesametreehavegrowninside

organisationsisnotthesame.Machinelearningsrisewasdeliberate,designedtodeliverresultsinacontrolledway.GenAI,bycontrast,shotupalmostovernight.Itslargefoundationalmodelscapturedattentioninstantlyandspreadfasterthanthetechnicalandorganisationalrootscouldstabilise.

Overnight,AImovedfromaspecialistfunctiontoaboard-levelpriority.Itbecameaheadlinedriver,sourceofinvestorpressure,andastrategicquestionforeverybusinessunit.Leaderswanttoknowwhatitcan

delivernow.Teamswithdirectaccesstotoolsareexperimenting,oftenwithoutconsultationorcoordination.Regulatorsaresharpeningtheirexpectationsaroundcontrolandaccountability.

FordataandAIleadersbuildingtheAI-firstorganisation,thechallengeislesstechnicalandmoremanagerial.Itgetshardernotbecausethe

modelsgetsmarter,butbecausetheorganisationisrarelyreadyfortheacceleration.

ThatiswhypressurebecamethekeywordatGuild2025.Itseverywhere,butitdoesntlookthesame.Someleadersfacehighexpectations

withouttheauthoritytoact.Othershavestrongsponsorshipbutarenowconfrontingsystem-widechange.Manyfindthemselvesscalingfastbutstrugglingtoholdalignmentasdemandoutpacesstructure.

Inmostcases,theChiefDataOfficertitlestaysthesame,buttheworkhassignificantlyevolved:towardsbusinessstrategy,judgedonvalue,andleadingacrosspeople,culture,technology,governance,and

innovation.

Thisreportisaboutthatshift.Itmapsthreedistinctleadershipmodes

observedacrossGuildcontributorsOrientation,Scaling,andNorth

Star—andexploreshoweachreflectsadifferentresponsetothe

pressurestriggeredbyGenAI,andtowhatscomingnext.Because

whileGenAIhasopenedthefloodgates,AgenticAIisalreadygatheringoffshore.Fornow,there’snofinalblueprint:onlythechallengeofleadingforwardthroughconditionsthatremainunclearandunfinished.

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WhytheSameTitleMeansVeryDifferentWork

OnethingbecameclearatGuild:notwoleadersareoperatingunderthesameconditions.

Theymayallcarrysimilartitles—ChiefDataOfficer,HeadofAI,DirectorofDataandAnalytics—butthecontextshapingtheirrolesdifferswidely.Forsome,dataandAIareembeddedincorporatestrategywhileothersremainadjacent,withinfluenceearnedcasebycase.Someoperate

incentralisedstructureswithclearoversight.Othersworkinfederatedmodelswithdistributedownership.Regulatoryexposure,business

complexity,fundingmodels,andtechnologystackareallfactorsthatbendtheshapeofthejob.

Whatmattersisnotwhetherconditionsare“right”or“wrong,”buthowleadersrespondtothem.

Condition

WhatItLooksLikeinPractice

StrategicMandate

StrongC-suite/P&Lownersponsorship

Limitedexecutiveownership

OrganisationStructure

CentralisedmodelwithdirectExCoaccess

Federated,edge-ledmodel

TechnologyReadiness

Stable,connected,iterativeplatforms

Federated,edge-ledmodel

CulturalEnvironment

Appetiteforinnovationandtoleranceofrisk

Risk-awareandcautious

ExternalPressures

Constructiveregulatory

andinvestorengagement

Heavyscrutinyanddemandto“showAI”

ResourceModel

Stronginternalteamwithbalancedskills

Vendor-heavyor

consultancy-dependent

BusinessComplexity

Streamlinedbrands/markets

Fragmentedportfoliosand

withalignedsystems

transformationinflight

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ThreeModesofLeadership

Whiletheroleisbeingreshapedbypressure,theleadershipresponseisdrivenbywherethatpressurelands,whattheorganisationmakespossible,andhowleadersnavigatethesurroundingecosystems.

WhatemergedatGuildwasasetofleadershippracticescentredaroundthreekeyvariables:

Mandatehowmuchauthoritytheyhold,andhowclearlytheir

purposeisdefined

Momentumhowfasttheorganisationisexpectingchange

Meanshowwell-equippedthebusinessanddatateamaretoactonwhatsbeingasked

Thesevariablesforgethreedistinctleadershipmodes:Orientation,

Scaling,andNorthStar.Eachonereflectsadifferentblendofpressure,possibility,andleadershipwork,drivenbycontext.

ModesofAILeadership–AtaGlance

Mode

Defining

Context

EcosystemDynamics

LeadershipFocus

Pressure

Point

Orientation

AIisonthe

agenda,but

means,mandate,andclarityare

weak

Informal

networks,fragilealignment

Buildtrust,

definegoalsandvalue,establishpermissionto

lead

Highexpectation,lowauthority

Scaling

Momentum

isstrong,and

foundationsarepartlyinplace

Fragmented

priorities,vendorstrain

Co-create

value,embedguardrails,

coordinatedelivery

Demand

outpacesmeans

NorthStar

DataandAIare

Strategicfabric,

Alignsystems,

Strategicvisibility,

embeddedin

co-designwith

shapefuture

sustained

strategyand

partners

capability,lead

complexity

operatingmodel

throughothers

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LeadershipMode1

Orientation

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“We’reseeingmoreand

morepressureforAI,but

thepressuredoesn’talways

comewiththenecessary

investmentsandsupport.A

lotoforganisationsarefeelingthepressureisaskingusto

runbeforewecanwalk.”—

Groupdiscussion,Guild2025

DefiningContext

OrientationleadersoftenstepintoroleswhereAIishighontheagendabutpoorlydefined.Theorganisationseespotentialbuthasn’tclarifiedwhatitwantstoachieve,howitwillmeasuresuccess,orwheredataandAIfitintothebroaderstrategy.Theroleisfrequentlytreatedastechnicaloradjacent,whilestillcarryinghighexpectationsforvisiblebusiness

outcomes.

Thecriticaltaskhereisagreeingthestrategicgoalwiththebusiness.

Istherequirementprimarilytodeliverdataservices:dashboards,self-servicetools,anddataqualityimprovements?Isthedatastrategy

expectedtoenablebusinessandprocessoptimisation?Oristhe

ambitionnothinglessthanthetransformationofthecorebusinessandoperatingmodel?

Creatingclarityattheoutset,andtheabilitytorevisitit,areessential.

Withoutit,expectationsquicklyoutpacemandateandpressuremounts.LeadersareaskedtodemonstratebusinessimpactfromAI,butwithoutthesponsorshiporaccessneededtodeliverit.Guildcontributors

describethisasafamiliarpattern:accountabilitywithoutauthority,orambitionwithouttheconditionstoact.

Orientationleaderstypicallyoperateinenvironmentswhere:

InterestinAIishighbutunderstandingofwhatittakestodeliverislow.

Thebusinesswantsprogressbuthasntalignedongoalsorsuccesscriteria.

Datafoundationsandtruststructuresarestillfragile.

Theconversationisdrivenmorebyexternalpressurethaninternalreadiness.

Thisisafragilephase.Theleadershipworkhereisnotabout

deliveringtransformation,butaboutcreatingtheconditionsforprogresstotakeroot

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Benchmarkingdatafrom

submissionsbytheDataIQ1002025showsthattheaveragetenureof

EuropeanCDOsisjust1.9years,aperiodoftentooshorttoland

lastingchange.ThefragilityoftherolesuggeststhatmanyleadersfacedifficultyinmovingbeyondOrientationmode.

1YR2YR3YR4YR5YR6YR

theaveragetenureofEuropeanCDOsisjust

1.9years

P

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NavigatingtheEcosystem

Insidetheorganisation,Orientationleaderstendtooperateinecosystemsthatarefragmented,informal,andonlylooselyaligned.Formalauthorityislimited,soprogressdependsonbuildingrelationshipswithIT,

compliance,businesssponsors,anddataowners—throughinfluence

ratherthancontrol.Muchoftheearlyworkinvolvessurfacingtensions

thathaveremainedunspoken,clarifyingownership,andlocatingdecisionrightsthathavenotbeenexplicitlymapped.

“Theonethingyoucannotdoisunderestimatetheneedto

understandtheecosystem:howtheyoperate/whattheycareabout/whatinfluencetheyhave.”—IanHockney,GroupCommercial

DirectorandOfficeoftheCIO,Specsavers

Thisenvironmentcreatesconstanttrade-offs.Leadersmustwork

acrossfunctionsthathavedifferentincentivesandlevelsofliteracy,whilekeepingtheworkcredibleintheeyesoftheexecutive.

Misunderstandingsarecommon:ITmayseeAIasatechnologyrollout,thebusinessasaquickproductivitylever,andcomplianceasarisktobecontrolled.Withoutalignment,effortscanduplicate,stall,oreven

undermineeachother.

Externally,influencetendstobenarrow.Orientationleadersmayengagesolutionproviderstosupportproofsofconceptortraininginitiatives,buttheyarerarelypositionedtoshapelong-termpartnerships.Often,they

inheritvendor-ledactivityinitiatedelsewhere,creatingapatchworkof

projectswithunevenownership.Inthisenvironment,proximitytotheCIOorCTObecomescritical,determiningwhetherleadershavevisibilityof,oraccessto,thewiderenterprisetechnologyagenda.

InOrientation,theecosystemisthereforelessaformalstructureand

moreawebofdependenciestobeunderstoodandnavigated.Masteringthisstagethroughcarefulmapping,trustbuilding,andgainingearly

credibilitycanknittogetherwhatisotherwisefragmentedandlaythe

groundworkforthemorecoordinated,scaled-upecosystemthatfollows.

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LeadershipFocus

InOrientationmode,theleadershipfocusisonbuildingtrust,definingpurposeandvalue,andestablishingpermissiontolead.With

responsibilityhighandauthoritylow,progressdependsonrelationalwork:earningcredibilitystepbystep,clarifyingexpectations,and

demonstratingrelevanceinwaysthebusinesscanrecognise.

Guildcontributorsdescribetheleadershipworkthatmattersmostinthismode:

?Buildingtrustfromthecentreoutwards

Progressdependsonseniorsponsorship,butthatsponsorshipmustbeearnedandcontinuallyreinforced.Leadersinvestearlyinrelationshipswithexecutivestakeholders,listeningcarefully,demonstratingrelevancethroughaction,andavoidingoverlytechnicalframing.

?

“StartbuiIdingtrustatthec–suiteIeveI—makesuretheyunderstandwhereyou/recomingfromandhowyoucanheIpthem.Once

youhavethattrust/theywiIIstarttocascadeitdownthroughthe

business.”—BharathiRajan,VP-Data&Insights,SwireCoca-Cola,USA

Framingtheworkinclear,relatablelanguage

Languageisacriticalenableroftrustandcredibility.Withunevenliteracyacrossthebusiness,Orientationleadersrelyonmetaphors,mantras,andrepetitiontomaketheworkaccessibleandeasiertosupport.ClearlanguagealsohelpsavoidmisperceptionsthatdataandAIarepurelytechnicalorperipheral.

“l(fā)nthefirstyear,thethemewas,buildingtheteam.,Butinthesecondyear,lkeptrepeating:,thisisshowtime.,”—LaiaCollazos,ChiefDataandAnalyticsOfficer,Coca-ColaEuroPacificPartners

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?

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Clarifyinggoalsandexpectations

Orientationleadersworkwithexecutivestoestablishwhatthe

organisationreallywantsfromdataandAI:services,processchange,ordeepertransformation.Thismeanssurfacingassumptionsand

bridgingliteracygapsatthetoptable.Withoutclearexpectations,pressuremountsbutprogressstalls.

“There/sno“data”and“business”.We/reaIIinthistogether.

Soinsteadofhavingdatateamsgoingthroughtheirown

transformationaIprogrammesandcreatingtheirownmetrics/we

needtogetonthebusofkeystrategicorganisationaIchangesIikesustainabiIity/andGDPR/anddrivethedatatransformationthroughthosestrategicgoaIs.”—EnriqueMendez,GroupChiefDataand

AnalyticsOfficer,Edrington

Creatingmandatethroughcontribution

Withlimitedauthority,Orientationleadersbuildcredibilitybysolvingmeaningfulproblems,evenifsmallortactical.Quickwinsmaynotmatchstrategicambition,butcreatemomentumandlegitimacy.

“EveryC–suiteIeaderownsaprobIemthey/reIosingsIeepover.IfyoucansoIve10%oftheirprobIem/therestoftheC–suitewiIIcometo

you.”—TobyBalfre,VPFieldEngineering,Databricks

Workingwith,notagainst,ambiguity

Orientationleadersavoidcontestingownership;insteadtheypartnerwithactiveteamsandusethoserelationshipstodrivealignmentovertime.

“Don’tworryabouthowAIisdefinedinyourorganisation.WorkwiththoseteamsandbuiIdthereIationshipsthatmatter.”—SamirPatel,HeadofData,BAESystems

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OneofthekeychallengesfacingOrientationleadersistherelativelylowlevelofdataliteracyamong

ExecutiveCommitteemembers

WhatisthelevelofDataLiteracyamongyourExecutiveCommittee(orequivalent)?

■Almostall13%

■Majority35%

■Some25%

■Few21%

■Almostnone6%

Almostnone6%

Almostall13%

Few21%

Majority35%

Some25%

Source:DataCapabilityMatrix,abenchmarkingassessmentavailabletoDataIQclients.

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AddressingPressurePoints

Withpressurestemmingfrommanaginghighexpectationswhilehavingrelativelylowauthority,Orientationleadersworkrelationallytobuild

momentumthroughcredibility,developingthefluencytonavigateacrossteamswithoutbeingboxedinbyorganisationalstructures.

Guildcontributorsdescribethekeytraitsthatmakethispossible:

?Theyinfluencewithoutalienating

Theynudgeupwardswithoutcreatingresistance,choosingtheir

timingcarefully,andrecognisingwheninfluencemattersmorethanownership.

?Theyreadtheorganisationbeforeredesigningit

Theytakethetimetounderstandwheredecisionsaremade,how

powerflows,andwherefrictionsexist,ratherthanpushingforformalalignmenttooearly.

?Theystartwithempathybeforearchitecture

Theybeginwithpeople,notroadmaps.Theylistenwithcuriosity,

surfacetensions,andhireforsoftskillsalongsidetechnicalexpertise.

?Theyframeproblemsthroughbusinesspainpoints

Theyleadwithrelevance,notcapability.Byaddressingspecificchallenges,theygeneratemomentumforbroaderadoption.

?Theyuselanguagetodemystify

Theyrepeatkeymessages,buildingsharedmetaphors,andcuttingthroughtechnicaljargontomakeprogressintelligible.

?Theymakeprogressvisiblewithoutclaimingcredit

Theyuseinternalcommsandbusinesschampionstocarrythestory,prioritisingcredibilityacrossthesystemoverpersonalprofile.

?Theyaretransparentinuncertainty

Theyshareopenlywhenthepathisunclear.Throughupdates,forums,orjustshowingup,theynormaliseambiguityandinviteothersintothework.

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LeadershipMode2

Scaling

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DefiningContext

Scalingleaderssitatthepointwherescalingofbusinessimpactwith

dataandAIbecomesviableforenterprise-widedeployment.The

businessiscallingforimpactoverideas,proofoverpotential.Thefocusisnolongerprimarilyonbuildingfoundationsbutonorchestrating

deliverywhilereinforcingguardrails.

Inthismode,scalingisaboutreducingfriction,managingexposure,andactingasaguidingmindforhowdataandAIenablethebusiness.

Co-creationbecomesthemodusoperandi.Theseleadershaveearnedaseatatthetableandarebuildingoperatingmodelsthatmake

collaborationrepeatable.Theyengageearly,drawontrusttoaskthe

difficultquestions,andfocusonenablingthebusinesstotaketheleadindeliveringvaluethroughdataandAI.

Severalrecurringconditionscharacterisethismode:

?DemandforAIishigh,butcapabilityacrosstheorganisationremainsuneven.

?Foundationalstructures(governance,platform,security)existbutarestillpatchy.

?Successdependsonearlyengagementacrossfunctions—notjusttechnicaldelivery.

?Adoptionrequiresculturalshift,notjustnewtooling.

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NavigatingtheEcosystem

AsScalingleadersmovefromexperimentationtodelivery,theydescriberisingcomplexitynotjustintechnologybutalsoinrelationships.The

challengeisnotsimplyownership,butcoherence:aligninginternalteams,externalpartners,andstrategicgoalswhenprioritiesare

fragmentedandthepaceofdemandishigh.

Externalpartnerships:pressureandlossofrhythm

Contributorsreflectedontheincreasingstraincreatedbyvendor

activity.Externalprovidersareoftenengageddirectlybybusiness

units,bypassingcentraldataorITteams.Whilethisreflectsgenuine

enthusiasm,itcanalsoleadtoduplicatedeffort,platformmisalignment,andoverpromisedoutcomes.

Asoneleaderwarned:

“We’vegotalotofvendorsallovertheplacemakingpromisesaboutAI…we’rehavingtositdownwiththebusinessandexplainwhywhatthevendorsaresayingisn’tquitethetruth.”

DianeBerry,FormerChiefDataandAnalyticsOfficer,The

PhoenixGroup,advised:“Youhavetosettherhythm.Otherwise,theconsultantswillsellthestrategybeforeyou’vedefinedwhat’spossible.”

Theseleadersemphasisetheneedfordeliberatesequencing:involvingprocurementandriskteamsearly,clarifyingdeliverycapacity,and

ensuringinternalalignmentbeforeexternalengagementsarescoped.

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Internalcomplexity:misalignedtimelinesandoverlappingroles

Insidetheorganisation,thechallengeisoftenoneofoverlapandmisalignment.Contributorsdescribecompetinginitiativesacrossfunctions,eachwithitsownagendaandlevelofmaturity.

Evenwithexecutivesponsorship,deliverycanstallifmiddle

managementlacksclarityorsupport.Asonecontributorputit:

“Often,it’sanexecutivesponsor.Butaretheyengaged?Oraretheyjustanameonasheet?”

Deliverycyclesarefrequentlymisaligned:modelsarereadybefore

changemanagementisinplace;pilotssucceedtechnicallybutfailtoscale.

“Therealitycheckisthatyoucandevelopveryquicklyaproofof

concept…Now,fromthatproofofconcepttoproduction,tobeliveatscalegloballyfor2,000fieldtechniciansintheworld—that’sanotherstory.”—Jean-PierrePelicier,FormerGroupChiefDataOfficer,

EngieSA

Inthisenvironment,theleader’sroleshiftsagainfromtranslating

betweendataandthebusinesstoarbitratingbetweenambitionand

reality.Theirinfluenceliesnotinowningeverypieceofthesolution,butinsettingsharedexpectations,aligningdeliverycadence,andreinforcingwhereaccountabilitymustlive.

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