In March, 2015 Anthony Algmin became the first Chief Data Officer for the Chicago Transit Authority. He had been an external consultant to the CTA prior to this transition, so he knew the organization and its data management challenges very well when he came on board to do the job, and intimately understood the objectives and priorities of the new CDO role. Many organizations are debating on what a CDO should be, and whether or not they need one. The answers will vary, but as Anthony has been down the path of helping an organization create this position, and eventually being offered and filling the position himself, he can provide valuable insight on that process. He’ll talk about the things that were essential to allow the CDO to be successful at the CTA, and which apply to most other organizations as well. He’ll share lessons learned during his transition from consulting into a CDO role, and offer insights into the “start-up” challenges in his first few months into the position. Other topics of the discussion will include: The key capabilities of a CDO and some unexpected places you may find good candidates Where the CDO should sit in an organization, and why the CTA has structured it the way they have The principal objectives of a CDO’s department, and how they differ from those of IT. How does the CDO role differ from the CIO? A few months into the job, what has gone well and what does he wish he had done differently? What can other organizations learn from Anthony’s experience?

2. If you remember nothing else…
❖ The CDO job should always be
an answer to a problem - not an
answer looking for a problem
❖ The CDO is not an IT job - it’s
about connecting the business
to data
❖ The CDO is an IT job -
leveraging technology is
essential to doing data right

3. Why CDOs are a thing now
❖ What is the role of a Chief Data Officer?
❖ Was this role not important before?
❖ What can organizations do with a CDO that they
couldn’t do previously?
❖ Is a CDO position really going to solve our problems?
Data analytics capabilities are becoming more important,
but our current organizations are poorly-suited to building
and connecting the business to these capabilities.

4. CTA’s data analytics framework
Quality
• Ensure
that
the
accuracy
of
data
adequately
supports
business
needs
Adoption
• Ensure
that
people
actually
use
the
data
and
analytics
capabilities
Business
Impact
• Ensure
that
data
and
analytics
capabilities
improve
business
decisions/activities
Data is valuable
only when it makes
the business better
Data availability, quality, and adoption are foundational
steps towards achieving value
Availability
• Ensure
that
source
system
data
is
accessible
to
analytics
as
quickly
We calibrate all of our activities to:
1 - What is the delta of what the business do with this
versus what they can do without it?
2 - What’s that worth versus the costs to do it?

5. My lessons learned so far
❖ Nobody really knows what a CDO does until you tell them
❖ Until you connect directly with people they see you as a threat
❖ Don’t be afraid to rock the boat: a successful CDO must be a
change agent, and that will encounter friction…
❖ …but pick your battles accordingly
❖ Always collaborate, sometimes compromise, but never betray
your values
❖ Once you get the position, don’t change too much
❖ Remember: your role as a leader of people trumps everything else