Chief Digital Officers earn more than CEOs in a startup. This is how you can become one

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Chief Digital Officers earn more than CEOs in a startup. This is how you can become oneWe all have this school of thought that Chief Executive Officers, or CEOs, are the ones who steer an organisation in the upward direction and their seven, or even eight, figure salaries are justified as they sit on a bed of roses and wear a tiara made of thorns.
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But, we are now in the digital era, where you might be talking to a chatbot and this may tweak your thought process a bit now regarding CEOs or CIOs and think about Chief Digital Officers (CDOs).

CDOs are individuals who help an organisation drive growth by converting traditional "analog" businesses into digital ones, using the potential of modern online technologies and data. The responsibilities are varied and still evolving.

“A CDO can be seen as a mix of CMO (expert in digital marketing & customer engagement) and a CIO (digital transformation strategist). The mix of these two roles can make you a highly successful CDO. The CDO is not only a digital expert but can also be a seasoned general manager capable of adopting digital technologies across a business. The individual must have an understanding of IT systems and processes, be able to recognize potentials for the digital opportunities presented by business and production processes,” said Rajeev Thakur, Director, Grassik Search.

The trend of hiring a CDO is catching up fast and the future is quite bright.

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“No industry sector can remain immune from digital transformation. It is a role which is set to occupy top space in organizational hierarchies in due course of time,” said Thakur.

Talking about salaries, they earn whooping eight figures, making the deal even more lucrative.

“With the advent of technology and demand for skills, a CDO can easily draw a starting salary of 7 figures reaching an 8-figure mark depending upon skills set, experience and the demand,” he said.