Top 50 Chief Data Officer Quotes [2026]

Chief Data Officers have become some of the most influential voices in modern business because they sit at the intersection of strategy, technology, governance, innovation, and decision-making. As organizations across industries rely more heavily on data, AI, and analytics to shape growth, improve operations, and strengthen customer experience, the perspective of the CDO has become increasingly valuable. Their words often capture not only the technical importance of data, but also its broader role in trust, culture, transformation, leadership, and long-term business value.

In this collection of 50 CDO quotes, we highlight powerful insights from chief data officers and closely related data leadership roles at globally recognized organizations. This DigitalDefynd compilation brings together a diverse set of voices that reflect how senior data leaders think about data strategy, governance, innovation, AI readiness, organizational change, and the future of enterprise leadership. Whether you are a business executive, data professional, aspiring CDO, or simply interested in how leading organizations are approaching the data-driven era, these quotes offer valuable perspective and inspiration.

 

Top 50 Chief Data Officer Quotes [2026]

1. “AI needs data more than data needs AI,” — David Salvagnini, Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO), NASA.

2. “It’s about getting the right medicines to the right patients, faster,” — Brian Dummann, Vice President of Insights & Technology and Chief Data Officer, AstraZeneca.

3. “One of our core values as a company is innovation.” — Brian Dummann, Vice President of Insights & Technology and Chief Data Officer, AstraZeneca.

4. “Losing trust in data leads to losing stakeholders.” — Una Shortt, Group Chief Data Officer, Schneider Electric.

5. “Hiring a CDO and committing to a data program is an investment.” — Dr. Diane E. Schmidt, Managing Director and Chief Data Officer, US Government Accountability Office.

 

Related: CDO Salary in the US and the World

 

6. “People think of us as a credit card company, but that’s not really right. We are a data business at the end of the day.” — Andrew Reiskind, Chief Data Officer, Mastercard.

7. “Trust is at the core of everything we do, and it is a business value.” — Andrew Reiskind, Chief Data Officer, Mastercard.

8. “You have to be one-third humble, one-third curious, and one-third collaborative.” — Edgar Gallo, Chief Data Officer, Daimler Truck North America.

9. “We tested within the boundaries of our knowledge and then a little more, and then we said, ‘Done challenging that the engine can write good SQL.’ Now let’s put it to work.” — Edgar Gallo, Chief Data Officer, Daimler Truck North America

10. “If you have trust, you have a sustainable business going forward.” — JoAnn Stonier, Chief Data Officer, Mastercard.

11. “Data is food for AI.” — JoAnn Stonier, Chief Data Officer, Mastercard

12. “Data’s never finished.” — Pascale Hutz, Chief Data Officer, American Express

13. “Data has to be a living, breathing kind of organism.” — Pascale Hutz, Chief Data Officer, American Express

14. “The pace of change in our field is crazy.” — Sully McConnell, Chief Data Officer, The Hartford

15. “Data has gravity;” — Sully McConnell, Chief Data Officer, The Hartford

 

Related: How to Become a CDO?

 

.16.  “It’s gone from stewarding and protecting data to monetization of data.” — Heidi Lanford, Chief Data Officer, Fitch Group

17. “Technology’s actually a whole lot easier than people, and the more successful the people are, the harder it is to get them to change.” — Cameron Davies, Chief Data Officer, Yum!

18. “The business problem is the business problem.” — Cameron Davies, Chief Data Officer, Yum!

19. “Data is the underpinning foundation upon which that runs seamlessly and consistently.” — Don Vu, SVP and Chief Data and Analytics Officer, New York Life.

20. “Data quality matters.” — Don Vu, SVP and Chief Data and Analytics Officer, New York Life

21. “So your data strategy is your business strategy and vice versa.” — Walid Mehanna, Chief Data & AI Officer, Merck KGaA.

22. “If you want to have a seat at the table, you’ve got to be able to talk in terms of what the value is in terms of dollars.” — Anand Iyer, SVP and Chief Data Officer, Ecolab.

23. “The role that data, analytics, and AI play is the ability to give business leaders access to impact and what they should do in a very timely manner…” — Anand Iyer, SVP and Chief Data Officer, Ecolab

24. “Too often, we wait until the project’s done to figure out how to get the value and who’s going to sponsor it.” — Chris Bruman, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Dow.

25. “We have to flip that around and secure senior sponsorship before we even start.” — Chris Bruman, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Dow.

 

Related: Pros & Cons of Being a CDO

 

26. “Prompt engineering—even though it has ‘engineering’ in it— I see that as a general-purpose technology.” — Ashwin Sinha, Chief Data Officer, Macquarie Bank

27. “Hire talent that’s not currently in the ecosystem, bring in people with a different perspective or a different experience or a different capability.” — Robin Sutara, Field CDO, Databricks

28. “If I start 20% behind my male cohorts, it doesn’t matter how much you reward on meritocracy, I will never catch up.” — Robin Sutara, Field CDO, Databricks.

29. “We can’t affect the change that this mission is so focused on reaching if we don’t have everybody at the table.” — Roisin McCarthy, Founder, Women in Data.

30. “We simply do not have enough people coming into the industry.” — Roisin McCarthy, Founder, Women in Data.

31. “At ADP, one of the strengths of the company is the fact that we pride ourselves on the diversity of the company itself.” — Jack Berkowitz, Chief Data Officer, ADP.

32. “There’s a culture shift that you have to drive.” — Cara Dailey, EVP and Chief Data Officer, LPL Financial.

33. “I often say data governance is like a seatbelt.” — Geraldine Wong, Chief Data Officer, GXS Bank.

34. “You don’t want to judge your success based on just the outcome. You should judge your success based on the decision quality.” — Chu-Cheng Hsieh, Chief Data Officer, Etsy.

35. “Generative AI is a game changer for efficiency and helping us focus on human creativity.” — Sebastien Rozanes, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Carrefour.

 

Related: CDO Upskilling Benefits

 

36. “In New Zealand, we have a word ‘taonga,’ and that means a treasure, a gift from the past to the future.” — Jan Sheppard, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, ESR.

37. “It’s not just how accurate the algorithm is, but also how well the physicians understand it. They’re less likely to trust a black box.” — Dr. Dana Rollison, Vice President and Chief Data Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center.

38. “I’ve always been personally very interested in the intersection of people, of business, and technology, which I think naturally leads one to a data career.” — Kjersten Moody, Chief Data Officer, Prudential Financial.

39. “I sometimes joke that one of the hardest things that a data officer could tackle is an enterprise-level data governance program.” — Jim Tyo, Chief Data Officer, Invesco.

40. “It’s not just letting IT figure it out.” — Captain Brian Erickson, Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer, US Coast Guard.

41. “I think that clarity is kindness to all of our stakeholders.” — Jason Lally, Chief Data Officer, City and County of San Francisco.

42. “Any data product has three components you need to get right.” — Alberto Rey Villaverde, Chief Data Officer, Just Eat.

43. “Our CEO had a very, very clear directive – if we are going to acquire a company, integration of it starts from integration of ID.” — Takuya Kitagawa, Managing Executive Officer & Chief Data Officer, Rakuten Group, Inc.

44. “The first thing you want to do in a data project is to find a very good sponsor.” — Ido Biger, EVP, CTO & Chief Data Officer, Delek US.

45. “Passion, when it comes to data, [data] literacy is really important.” — Iwao Fusillo, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, General Motors.

 

Related: Hobby Ideas for CDOs

 

46. “One of the big benefits of ThoughtSpot is that it’s trying to anticipate what you’re asking for.” — Louis DiModugno, Global Chief Data Officer, Verisk.

47. “The mentality of us, we, they, as data professionals, is that what gets measured gets done.” — Stephen Harris, Chief Data Officer, VMware.

48. “The most effective CDOs are no longer just stewards of infrastructure — they’re enablers of confidence, alignment, and decision velocity.” — Elena Alikhachkina, Chief Data Officer, TE Connectivity.

49. “The CDOIQ conference remains at the top of its game.” — Andrew Foster, Chief Data Officer, M&T Bank.

50. “I’m proud to join an organization where purpose and capability go hand in hand.” — Caroline Bellamy, Former Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer, UK Ministry of Defense.

 

Conclusion

The Chief Data Officer quotes reflect far more than industry soundbites. Together, they show how data leadership now sits at the center of business strategy, innovation, governance, trust, and AI transformation. From building data-driven cultures to improving decision quality and creating measurable enterprise value, today’s CDOs are helping organizations rethink how data can power long-term growth. Their insights also make one thing clear: success in modern leadership increasingly depends on the ability to connect data vision with business execution.

For professionals who want to strengthen that capability, this is the right time to deepen both strategic and technical expertise in data leadership. Explore DigitalDefynd’s featured list of Chief Data and Analytics Officer courses to learn from leading programs designed to help executives and aspiring leaders build stronger foundations in data strategy, governance, analytics, AI, and enterprise transformation. Whether you are preparing for a senior data role or looking to grow in your current leadership position, the right learning path can help you stay ahead in a rapidly evolving field.