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The Use of Chief Digital Officer in Gaming & Hospitality

Modernizing the role of IT to create and unlock enterprise value through digital.

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  • Digital is the new normal. COVID-19 was the volatile breaking point that forced change in the industry on an IT, business, and customer level.
  • Digital is not embedded or formally structured within the IT organization.
  • Executive leadership does not have the digital culture or understanding required to enable a digitally enabled IT department.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Gaming and hospitality organizations lag in focus on a truly digital role. As your organization shifts to an omnichannel platform business, the role of IT needing to pivot to a revenue operating model is increased and requires a chief digital office role to fall under IT.

Impact and Result

Embed digital into IT and leverage this report’s contents to make the case to the business:

  • Articulate the importance and effectiveness of embedding digital in IT versus a business department.
  • Analyze the current state of the CDO role in the gaming and hospitality industry as well as adjacent industries.
  • Choose your own digital journey depending on where you’re at on the IT maturity ladder.

The Use of Chief Digital Officer in Gaming & Hospitality Research & Tools

1. The Use of Chief Digital Officer in Gaming & Hospitality Deck – A make-the-case report to demonstrate the need to integrate digital leadership within IT.

Modernize the role of IT to create and unlock enterprise value through digital.

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The Use of Chief Digital Officer in Gaming & Hospitality

Modernizing the role of IT to create and unlock enterprise value through “digital.”

Analyst Perspective

Digital is not a trend.

Your guests’ lifestyles, habits, and preferences have changed immensely since COVID-19. Digital is not a trend – it’s the way. For organizations to be most successful in their digital transformation journey, a digital leader is crucial. Organizations will be faced with many questions on this matter: Why do I need a digital leader? Who does a digital leader report to? Where do they sit in the organization’s structure? Is the hiring of a digital leader common among Gaming & Hospitality organizations?

This report is designed to educate Gaming & Hospitality organizations on the role of a chief digital officer (CDO) and the importance for the role to be embedded within IT. The report can be leveraged as a “make the case” for business executives.

Monica Pagtalunan, Research Analyst, Industry Practice

Monica Pagtalunan
Research Analyst, Industry Practice
Info-Tech Research Group

Executive Summary

Your Challenge Common Obstacles Info-Tech’s Approach

Digital is the new normal. COVID-19 was the volatile breaking point that forced change in the industry on an IT, business, and customer level.

Digital is not embedded or formally structured within the IT organization.

Executive leadership does not have the digital culture or understanding required to enable a digitally enabled IT department.

The Gaming & Hospitality industry is behind the curve when it comes to embedding a digital leadership role in the organization:

  • The organization lacks knowledge of where to integrate digital or how to structure organization reporting related to it.
  • The organization’s inability to accurately define “digital” and its scope results in a lack of understanding of the responsibilities and scope of a digital leader.

Embed digital into IT and leverage this report’s contents to make the case to the business:

  • Articulate the importance and effectiveness of embedding digital in IT versus a business department.
  • Analyze the current state of the CDO role in the Gaming & Hospitality industry, as well as adjacent industries.
  • Choose your own digital journey depending on where you’re at on the IT maturity ladder.

Info-Tech Insight
Gaming & Hospitality organizations lag in focus on a truly digital role. As your organization shifts to a platform business, the role of IT needing to pivot to a revenue operating model is increased and requires a digital leader to fall under IT.

Becoming a digital business

Automate tasks to free up time for innovation.

Business activities (tasks, procedures, processes, etc.) are used to create, sell, buy, and deliver goods and services.

When we convert information into a readable format used by computers, we call this digitization (e.g. converting paper into digital format). When we convert these activities into a format to be processed by a computer, we have digitalization (e.g. scheduling appointments online).

These two processes alter how work takes place in an organization and form the foundation of the concept digital transformation.

We maintain that digital transformation is all about becoming a “digital business” – an organization that performs more than 66% of all work activities via executable code.

As organizations take a step closer to this optimal state, new avenues are open to identify advances to promote growth, enhance customer experiences, secure sustainability, drive operational efficiencies, and unearth potential future business ventures.

Key Concepts:

Digital: The representation of a physical item in a format used by computers.

Digitization: Conversion of information and processes into a digital format.

Digitalization: Conversion of information into a format to be processed by a computer.

The CDO enables a platform strategy

Your digital leader will develop interactions that can jump from physical to digital, and vice versa, but keeps the identity of the customer intact in both environments by curating content, delivering seamless interactions, and orchestrating value across the ecosystem.

Representation of a CDO platform strategy

  • Mobile application
  • Loyalty platform
  • Casino management system
  • iGaming/Sports betting platform
  • Customer relationship management
  • Property management system
  • Central reservation system

Structure redesign matters

Your organization must redesign the IT structure to align to the strategic objectives of the enterprise.

Adaptability is at the core of staying competitive today. Digital technology and information transparency are driving organizations to reorganize around customer responsiveness. To remain relevant and competitive, your reporting structure must be forward looking and ready to adapt to rapid pivots in technology or customer demand.

Structure is not just an organizational chart. The design of your organization dictates how roles function. If not aligned to the strategic direction, the structure will act as a bungee cord and pull the organization back toward its old strategic direction. Structure supports strategy, but strategy also follows structure.

Info-Tech's IT maturity ladder

Visual Extract: This is Info-Tech’s IT maturity ladder where organizations can visually determine where they are in their current state and where they want to successfully climb to as their aspirational state. In relation to the CDO initiative, when an organization achieves Innovator level, the operating model and IT leadership title is going to change because considering digital in your portfolio helps to achieve competitive advantage.

Steps to embed digital in IT

Enable your organization’s ability to thrive in a digital economy.

Journey #1: If your IT department is viewed as a “business partner” or “innovator.”

1
Use of CDO in Gaming
Make the case to roll digital into IT.

2
Redesign Your Organization Structure
Taking on digital capabilities is a critical redesign driver.

3
Define Your Digital Business Strategy
Cross-collaboratively build your people, processes, and technology initiatives.

Journey #2: If your IT department is viewed as a “trusted operator” or below.

1
Define Your Digital Business Strategy
Cross-collaboratively build your people, processes, and technology initiatives.

2
Redesign Your Organization Structure
Taking on digital capabilities is a critical redesign driver.

3
Use of CDO in Gaming
Make the case to roll digital into IT.

Gaming & Hospitality Organizations must strongly consider a CDO role

The Gaming & Hospitality industry is vulnerable to significant changes that are reshaping value – facing a digital threat with e-commerce, online sports betting, and iGaming. For example, digital-first fantasy sports betting companies like FanDuel (with 12 million users and $1.9 billion in revenue) are new entrants into real-money gambling that have become a digital threat to the industry. The CDO should bridge the brick-and-mortar and online experience gap to counter this disruption.

Organizations must improve operational efficiency and resiliency for years to come. Many organizations in the Gaming & Hospitality industry have not fully embraced the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to benefit both internal processes and external guest experiences. The industry will require a disruptive perspective from someone (CDO) who can improve and re-engineer business functions and processes to better enable a seamless and personalized digital guest experience.

Embracing the digital era will benefit your organization and by extension, the entire industry. It would allow the organization and industry to expand existing revenue streams and tap into new growth strategies including new customers, new products and services, and new business models. The industry should move beyond basic digital implementations and toward a fundamental and seamless transformation of the business, taking advantage of new/er concepts to transform the industry.

Key drivers of digital transformation

The CDO can unlock organizational value post-pandemic

Build business resilience and customer relationships.

97% of surveyed executives say COVID-19 accelerated their digital transformation, using the pandemic as a stimulus for change. – Forbes, 2020

  • COVID-19 has irrefutably changed livelihoods, businesses, and the economy. During the pandemic, digital tools have acted as a lifeline, helping businesses and economies survive, and in the process, have acted as a catalyst for digital transformation.
  • Although the chief digital officer role has steadily been increasing since it was created in 2010, COVID-19 has accelerated a post-pandemic push for a CDO because of its ability to enable the following:
    • Enterprise-wide digital transformation: Improve and digitize all aspects of the business internally and externally by modernizing systems, introducing agile processes, and embracing innovative technology to increase business resilience.
    • Seamless customer journey: The pandemic made organizations realize that they must prioritize the digital experiences for their customers to optimize customer relationships. The CDO will help the organization be better positioned to tackle the post-pandemic new normal where consumers’ needs and expectations have drastically changed.

According to an IBM Study:

92%

Percentage of surveyed organizations that scored high in digital maturity have a CDO.

65%

Percentage of surveyed organizations that scored low in digital maturity do not have a CDO.

- IBM, 2019

Three ways to embed the CDO role into your organization

IT Ownership Business Ownership Digital Ownership
Role Distinction and Reporting Structure Common Structures:
  • Merging the CIO and CDO role and reports to CEO.
  • Reports to CIO or vice versa.
Common Structures:
  • An existing business executive takes ownership of the digital role either by reporting to a business C-level executive or the title merges with a C-level executive.
  • A common example is the CDO reporting to the CMO or COO.
Structure:
  • New leadership role is created and reports directly to CEO as its own discrete product and department.
  • Traditionally, does not have technical expertise.
Responsibility Distinction
  • When IT owns digital, initiatives and objectives tend to be highly focused on technology, leveraging digital innovations to speed up change.
  • When the business owns digital, initiatives and objectives tend to be focused on improvements and solutions that impact customer-facing touchpoints and channels.
  • When the digital leadership role is created, the objective is to transform existing business models, and seamlessly connect the customer experience, and operational and technology capabilities.
Key Benefit
  • IT would take on an internal market operating model, pivoting to a revenue center versus cost center.
  • The digital role would prioritize singular results in order to create efficiency in the organization’s operations.
  • With the responsibility focused on customer-facing solutions, initiatives will prioritize customer needs.
  • With sole focus on transforming the business, the digital role can be agile and responsive to business and technology needs and demands with the ability to efficiently prioritize high-level innovations.
Key Risk
  • If you’re not a business partner or an innovator on the Info-Tech maturity ladder, there may be significant challenges as key components of the business’ strategy may be overlooked or the digital strategy may be inflexible or behind the curve when it comes to changing business needs.
  • Depending on who owns the digital role, the digital executive may focus their attention on their own business unit which will cause disconnect and constraint.
  • With sole focus on transforming the business, too many initiatives at once may introduce risks such as change management and the need for training and education for all parties.

Digital should be embedded into IT

Transformation is driven by IT initiatives.

Transformation driven by IT initiatives

Common challenges of digital transformation makes its way back to IT as the digital solution

DIGITAL CHALLENGE IT AS THE SOLUTION
Reliance on legacy tools and ability to sync technologies. IT is responsible for modernizing tools and integrating technologies. Therefore, IT should lead every step of the way to tackle this challenge.
The organization’s view of digital transformation and lack of organizational culture. IT can communicate the importance of digital transformation across the enterprise to decrease chance of resistance while helping them get accustomed to digital culture, tools, technology, and solutions.
Supporting digital security. Cybersecurity is in IT’s realm and therefore will be their role to consider how to keep the trust with customers, avoid risk, and if a privacy breach were to occur or a player loses trust, how will the organization respond?
Embracing an agile development approach. Ability to merge two levels of maturity by aligning strategic goals and building digital fluency.
People fear too much change at once. IT does well in prioritizing people, process, and technology initiatives.

IT departments face challenges in becoming digital leaders

CHALLENGE #1: Corporate culture that is slow to embrace change and disruption.
63%
Percentage of surveyed organizations that claim IT is ready for digital transformation but the business isn’t ready.

CHALLENGE #2: Digital does not fall within IT.
52%
Percentage of organizations that embed digital’s leadership and budget in a business department: marketing, operations, or finance.

CHALLENGE #3: IT lacks IT budget and resources.
46%
Percentage of surveyed organizations that lack capable talent to carry out key roles or take advantage of new systems.

30%
Percentage of surveyed organizations that struggle with high cost of purchasing and implementing new systems.

Info-Tech LIVE, 2022.
Gaming & Leisure Las Vegas, 2022.

A CTO, CISO, and CIO reporting to the CDO allows for an all-encompassing, future-forward approach

What should the CDO reporting structure look like? It varies.

In 2019, IBM conducted a chief digital officer survey with 1,500 executives and in discerning its results, they state “that the CDO reporting structure is as varied as the organizations we surveyed.” Info-Tech Research Group asserts a similar stance, detecting a highly varied CDO reporting structure across organizations and industries. A wide variety of reporting structures can work and structure is dependent on the needs of the organization.

However, three key benefits come out of this proposed reporting structure:

1 2 3
This proposed reporting structure ensures sustainment – that when the business has been transformed and the level of digitization is high, the CDO and its IT reports will work with business leaders to ensure every executive and business unit is enabling, supporting, and improving digital across all value streams. In this reporting structure, the CTO, CIO, and CDO roles are distinguished with focus on all aspects of the business. A CDO should be looking internally and externally to improve processes and experiences. This can be accomplished by having a CIO (internal) and CTO (external) report to the CDO. Increased IT resources and budget to bridge skill gaps and enable a digital workforce. Without these components, operators will struggle in overcoming digital transformation challenges.

Reporting structure may be based on size of organization and business model

As an organization grows, it may add more departments and divisions, which creates more layers that exist in the hierarchy and a greater need to differentiate management of authority.

Representation of a reporting structure

Distinguishing the CIO, CTO, and CDO roles

Chief Information Officer

The CIO typically looks internally, aiming to improve processes within the company by developing the overall business-aligned IT strategy and its projects while providing vision and leadership in all aspects of IT management and operations.

First use of the term: mid-1980s

CIO keywords:
IT Management, IT Service Management, IT Strategy, Information Technology, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Resource Planning, COBIT, Project Management

Chief Technology Officer

The CTO typically looks outwards, building and using technology to improve and innovate products that serve the customer experience with the objective of achieving and supporting the organization’s customer goals and objectives.

First use of the term: mid-1990s

CTO keywords:
Technical Leadership, Innovation, Collaboration, Software Development, Customer Service, Compliance, Software Engineering, Deployment, Technology, Coding, Infrastructure

Chief Digital Officer

The CDO looks internally and outwards to transform the organization through a digital business strategy which entails both business and technology initiatives, and the development of new revenue streams through technology.

First use of the term: 2010

CDO keywords:
Digital Strategy, Digital Transformation, Analytics, Content Strategy, Mobile, Revenue, Automation, Digital Innovation, Cross-Functional Change, Digital Technology, Digital Ecosystem

The CDO Scope

The chief digital officer provides vision and leadership for developing and implementing digital technology initiatives. They also:

  • Work closely with the business to digitize operations, responsible for the exploration and investment of digital innovations and emerging technology with a focus on improving the customer journey.
  • Lead development and operation of digital projects within each function of the company to achieve cost-savings or to enhance the customer experience.
  • Work closely with company business leaders to conceive and plan the digital transformation of the organization.
  • Work closely with the IT department to implement digital technology and coordinate customer-facing teams to excel in service delivery on digital channels.
  • Conceive of new digital products contributing to an underlying platform strategy.
  • Create digital innovation hubs in the organization and cultivating a digital-first culture.
  • Educate other business and IT executives on the value of digital technology.

CDO job title equivalents:
Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Transformation Officer, Head of Digital, Head of Digital Transformation

MGM’s Chief Strategy, Innovation & Technology Officer

“Oversees MGM Resorts’ digital strategy, driving growth and innovation through technology-led customer-centric experiences, products, and services.”

Hyatt Hotels’ SVP and Global Head of Digital

“Is in charge of setting digital strategy and improving the company’s digital capabilities, managing revenue from digital channels, and ensuring that it continues to advance the guest experience and provide seamless digital interactions throughout the ecosystem.”

Chief digital officer responsibilities

Strategy and planning responsibilities

  • Participate in strategic and operational governance processes of the business organization as a member of the senior management team.
  • Define the digital strategy and partner with IT to implement it.
  • Lead cross-function strategic and operational planning to achieve business goals by fostering innovation, driving a focus on the customer, interacting with customers across digital touchpoints, and collaborating with IT to execute on implementing a digital platform.
  • Create a seamless and personalized customer experience.
  • Establish cross-functional digital business goals, objectives, and operating procedures by working closely with the business.
  • Identify opportunities for the appropriate efficiency gains to focus more resources on the customer experience, including staffing, sourcing, purchasing, and in-house development.
  • Assess and communicate risks associated with digital investments.
  • Develop, track, and control the digital annual operating and capital budgets.
  • Develop business case justifications and cost/benefit analyses for digital spending and initiatives.
  • Assess and make recommendations on the improvement or re-engineering of organizational functions to better serve customers.
  • Define and communicate corporate plans, policies, and standards for the organization for acquiring tools and resources related to digital initiatives.

Acquisition and deployment

  • Develop and implement digital design processes across the organization, establishing a standard of excellence for customer-facing designs.
  • Manage digital performance across the organization, being accountable for outcomes of both internal and external products and the project portfolio as they relate to the selection, acquisition, development, and installation of tools and licenses required to deliver on the digital strategy.
  • Develop business case justifications and cost/benefit analyses for digital spending and initiatives.

Operational management

  • Foster company-wide commitment to a digital vision and mission statement.
  • Supervise end-to-end delivery of the company’s digital roadmap.
  • Establish lines of control for current and proposed digital processes and systems.
  • Keep current with trends and issues in digital business delivery, including current technologies and prices. Advise, counsel, and educate executives and management on their competitive or financial impact.
  • Promote and oversee strategic relationships between company resources and external entities, including government, vendors, and partner organizations that will further the company’s digital capabilities.
  • Supervise recruitment, development, retention, and organization of digitally savvy employees across all organizational functions in accordance with corporate budgetary objectives and personnel policies.
  • Coordinate and facilitate consultation with stakeholders to define business and systems requirements for new digital initiatives.

Typical CDO background

Typical education

  • CDOs typically possess at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, information systems, engineering, or another relevant field.
  • They often undergo additional education in business or management, which allows them to understand the complex interactions between technology and business .

Work experience

  • To be effective, it’s pivotal that they possess extensive and relevant professional experience with employers usually considering candidates with 5-7 years of experience.
  • They should have experience from a similar role designing and launching digital platforms or working in roles that involve the use of technology and entail managing a team and leading projects.

Indeed, 2022.
LinkedIn, n.d.

Highlighting CDOs in the Gaming & Hospitality industry

Company Name Title Role Start Date Market Cap Previous Titles
2. Entain Chris Ward Chief Digital Officer January 2019 $8.7 billion
  • Chief Digital Officer
  • Head of SEO, Social, Content, and Affiliates
3. Hilton APAC Joshua Tong Chief Information and Digital Officer June 2019 $42 billion (Worldwide)
  • VP of IT
  • CIO
4. Hilton EMEA Xavier Walker Chief Information and Digital Officer November 2019 $42 billion (Worldwide)
  • Global CIO
  • Group IT Director
5. Holiday Club Resorts Nicholas Stubb Chief Digital Officer January 2020 --
  • Group CIO
  • ICT and BI Manager
6. Marriott International Jim Scholefield Chief Information and Digital Officer February 2020 $56.6 billion
  • CIDO
  • Global CIO
  • CTO
7. Nord Choice Hospitality Group Carl Oldsberg Chief Digital Officer January 2021 $7.5 billion (Worldwide)
  • Head of International Department
  • VP, Revenue & Distribution
8. AccorHotels Alix Boulnois Lombard Chief Digital Factory Officer May 2021 $8.3 billion
  • SVP Digital, Product & Innovation
  • Head of Key Account Mgmt., Pricing, and Customer Experience
  • Category Leader, Consumer Goods & Loyalty Programs
10. Loto-Quebec Denis Daly Chief Officer of Digital Transformation & Technology April 2021 --
  • VP, Corporate IT
  • Director, IT
  • Director, Gaming Systems Development
11. Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corp. David Pridmore Chief Digital and Strategy Officer June 2021 --
  • SVP, Enterprise Strategy & Analytics
  • VP, Enterprise Business Development
13. Crown Resorts Nic Emery Chief Customer and Digital Officer October 2021 $8.6 billion
  • Chief Marketing Officer
  • General Manager, Deposits, Credit Cards & Transactional Banking
  • General Manager, Marketing

Note: As sourced from press releases and online sales tools and may or may not be represented in the forthcoming organizational charts.

Based on key organizational chart findings:

Gaming & Hospitality organizations lag in focus on a truly digital role.

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts Adjacent Organizational Charts CxO Reporting to CxO Organizational Charts
  • Info-Tech researched and analyzed organizations in the Gaming & Hospitality industry and their reporting structures.
  • Of CISOs Key statistics based on peer group sample size:

    • 50% of peers have a three-layer C-level reporting structure.
    • 53% of peers have a digital executive of which 71% are C-level.
    • 19% of peers have merged the digital executive role with another C-level title (i.e., CIDO, CITO, etc.).
    • 50% report into an IT executive.
  • The Gaming & Hospitality industry is behind the curve when it comes to embedding a digital leadership role in the organization and enabling 3-layer C-level reporting structures, especially in comparison with adjacent industries. Although these components are not prevalent, they still do exist in the industry.
  • A dedicated CDO role would put your organization on the path of digital progression for competitive advantage.
  • Info-Tech researched and analyzed three other adjacent industries (similar characteristics) and their reporting structures:
    • Healthcare: High compliance characteristic
    • Retail: Sales transaction and experience characteristic
    • Banking: High compliance characteristic

    Key statistics based on adjacent peer group sample size:

    • 83% of adjacent peers have a 3-layer C-level reporting structure.
    • 88% of adjacent peers have a digital executive of which 100% are C-level.
    • 50% of adjacent peers have merged the digital executive role with another C-level title (i.e., CIDO, CITO, etc.).
    • 67% of CISOs report into an IT executive.
  • In adjacent industries, 3-layer C-level reporting structures and the embedding of a digital leadership role in the organization is more prevalent.
  • If we use the adjacent industries as a leading indicator for Gaming & Hospitality, it’s an opportunity for the organization to realize the organizational value that comes from a dedicated CDO role.
  • Info-Tech researched and analyzed 200 publicly available organizations and their reporting structures across various industries for the purpose of this report.
  • Key statistics based on CxO org. chart sample size:

    • Of the organizational charts that involves C-level tech executive reporting structures,
      • 69% have a CTO reporting to the CDO.
      • 50% have a CIO reporting to the CDO.
      • 38% have a CISO reporting to the CDO.
  • This desired C-level reporting structure that involves tech executives reporting into a CDO does exist in other organizations and industries.

Note: The CxO Reporting to CDO organizational charts includes the reporting structures from the Gaming & Hospitality and adjacent organizational charts. Additionally, the organizations in the CxO reporting to CDO analysis was based on Info-Tech’s repository of tools and the top search results when researching CDO titles.

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

  • Info-Tech researched and analyzed organizations in the Gaming & Hospitality industry and their reporting structures.
  • Key statistics based on peer group sample size:

    • 50% of peers have a 3-layer C-level reporting structure.
    • 53% of peers have a digital executive of which 71% are C-level.
    • 19% of peers have merged the digital executive role with another C-level title (i.e., CIDO, CITO, etc.).
    • 50% of CISOs report into an IT executive.
  • The Gaming & Hospitality industry is behind the curve when it comes to embedding a digital leadership role in the organization and enabling 3-layer C-level reporting structures, especially in comparison with adjacent industries. Although these components are not prevalent, they still do exist in the industry.
  • A proposal for a 3-layer C-level reporting structure and a dedicated CDO role would put your organization on the path of natural progression for competitive advantage.

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

Hilton Grand Vacations Marriott International Caesars Entertainment
Hilton Org Chart Marriott Org Chart Caesars Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CISO reports to the CIO
  • Digital leadership is owned by the business, reporting to the CMO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CIO and CDO role is merged (CIDO)
  • The CTO and the CISO report to the CIDO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CIO and CTO report to the CEO
  • The CISO reports to the CFO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts MGM Resorts Hyatt Hotels
Wyndham Org Chart MGM Org Chart Hyatt Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • For Travel & Leisure:
    • The CISO reports to the CTO
  • For Wyndham Hotel Group:
    • The CISO reports to the CIO
    • Digital leadership is business-owned, reporting to the EVP of Marketing
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CISO reports to the CIO
  • The CDO and CTO role is merged and reports to the CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • Security leadership reports to the CTO
  • Digital leadership is owned by the business, reporting to the CCO

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

Loto-Quebec Ontario Lottering & Gaming Corp. Accor Hotels
Lotto-Quebec Org Chart Ontario Lottering & Gaming Corp. Org Chart Accor Hotels Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CDO and CIO role is merged (CIDO)
  • Security leadership reports to CIDO
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CDO reports to CEO
  • Security leadership reports to CTO
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CTO and CDO report to CEO
  • CISO reports to CTO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

Rank Group Las Vegas Sands Aristocrat Leisure
Rank Group Org Chart Las Vegas Sands Org Chart Aristocrat Leisure Hotels Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • Security leadership reports to CIO
Info-Tech Insight
  • CIO, Security leadership, and innovation leadership report to CEO
Info-Tech Insight
  • Digital CPO reports to CDO
  • CISO reports to CIO
  • CDO, CIO, and CTO report to CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

FontainebleauSonesta ResortsBritish Columbia Lottery Corp.
Fontainebleau Org ChartSonesta Resorts Leisure Hotels Org ChartBritish Columbia Lottery Corp. Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CISO reports to the CTO
  • CTO reports to General Counsel
Info-Tech Insight
  • Security leadership reports to CIO
Info-Tech Insight
  • Security leadership reports to CEO

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

Penn National GamingOmni HotelsBest Western
Penn National Gaming Org ChartOmni Hotels Org ChartBest Western Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • Security leadership reports to CIO
Info-Tech Insight
  • CIO and CDO role is merged (CIDO)
  • CIDO reports to CFO
Info-Tech Insight
  • Technology leadership reports to CDO
  • CDO reports to CEO

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

IGT Flutter Entertainment Electronic Arts
IGT Org Chart Flutter Entertainment Org Chart Electronic Arts Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CTO reports to CEO
Info-Tech Insight
  • CISO reports to the CIO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CISO and CIO report to CTO
  • CTO reports to CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

Station Casinos Seminole Hard Rock Wynn Resorts
Station Casinos Org Chart Seminole Hard Rock Org Chart Wynn Resorts Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CISO reports to the CIO
  • The CIO reports to the CFO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • Security executive reports to the CIO
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CISO reports to the CIO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Gaming & Hospitality Organizational Charts

JetBlue Airways DraftKings
JetBlue Airways Org Chart DraftKings Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CTO and CDO role is merged (CDTO)
  • CPO and CISO report to CDTO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CISO reports to CTO
  • CTO reports to CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Adjacent Industries

Organizational Charts

  • Info-Tech researched and analyzed three other adjacent industries (similar characteristics) and their reporting structures:
    • Healthcare: High compliance characteristic.
    • Retail: Sales transaction and experience characteristic.
    • Banking: High compliance characteristic.

    Key statistics based on adjacent peer group sample size:

    • 83% of adjacent peers have a 3-layer C-level reporting structure.
    • 88% of adjacent peers have a digital executive of which 100% are C-level.
    • 50% of adjacent peers have merged the digital executive role with another C-level title (i.e., CIDO, CITO, etc.).
    • 67% of CISOs report into an IT executive.
  • In adjacent industries, 3-layer C-level reporting structures and the embedding of a digital leadership role in the organization is more prevalent.
  • If we use the adjacent industries as a leading indicator for Gaming & Hospitality, it’s an opportunity for your organization to realize the organizational value that comes from a dedicated CDO role.

Banking Industries Organizational Charts

Scotiabank Columbia Bank LoanDepot
 Scotiabank Org Chart Columbia Bank Org Chart LoanDepot Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO reports to CEO
  • CIO reports to Group Head
Info-Tech Insight
  • The CDO and CTO roles merged (CDTO)
  • The CIO and CISO report to the CDTO
  • CDTO reports to CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CIO and CTO report to CDO
  • CDO reports to CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Banking Industries Organizational Charts

Bank of Missouri Fifth Third Bank Live Oak Bank
Bank of Missouri Org Chart Fifth Third Bank Org Chart Live Oak Bank Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO and CTO report to CEO
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO reports to CEO
  • CTO and CISO report to CIO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO and CIO roles merged (CIDO)
  • CISO and CTO report to CIDO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Retail Industries Organizational Charts

Indigo Crocs Nike
Indigo Org Chart Crocs Org Chart Nike Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO and CIO report to CEO
  • CTO reports to CIO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • Digital leadership is owned by the business, reporting to reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer
  • CISO reports to CIO
  • CIO reports to CFO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CIO and CDO roles merged (CIDO)
  • CIDO reports to COO

Retail Industries Organizational Charts

Ralph Lauren Abercrombie & Fitch Macy’s
Ralph Lauren Org Chart Abercrombie & Fitch Org Chart Macy's Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO, CTO, and CIO roles merged (CIDTO)
  • CISO reports to CIDTO
  • CIDTO reports to COO/CFO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CDO and CTO roles merged
  • CIO reports to CFO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CISO reports to CIO
  • CDO reports to CEO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

Healthcare Industries Organizational Charts

Quest Diagnostics Bristol-Myers Squibb Zoetis
Quest Diagnostics Org Chart Bristol-Myers Squibb Org Chart Zoetis Org Chart
Info-Tech Insight
  • CIO and CDO roles merged (CIDO)
  • CISO reports to CIDO
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
Info-Tech Insight
  • CISO reports to CIO
  • CDO and CTO roles merged
  • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
  • Info-Tech Insight
    • CISO and CDO report to CIO
    • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

    Healthcare Industries Organizational Charts

    Spring Health St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital Atlantic Health System
    Spring Health Org Chart St. Jude's Children Research Hospital Org Chart Atlantic Health System Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • CISO reports to CTO
    • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
    Info-Tech Insight
    • CDO reports to CEO
    • CISO reports to CIO
    • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure
    Info-Tech Insight
    • CDO reports to CEO
    • Security leadership and CSO reports to CIO
    • 3-Layer C-Level reporting structure

    CxO Reporting to CxO

    Organizational Charts

    • Info-Tech researched and analyzed 200 organizations and their reporting structures across various industries for the purpose of this section.
    • Key statistics based on CxO org. chart sample size:

      • Of the organizational charts that involve C-level tech executive reporting structures,
        • 69% have a CTO reporting to the CDO.
        • 50% have a CIO reporting to the CDO.
        • 38% have a CISO reporting to the CDO.
    • Although not prevalent, this desired C-level reporting structure that involves tech executives reporting to a CDO does exist in other organizations and industries.

    CxO Reporting to CDO Organizational Charts

    LoanDepot Marriott International National Grid
    LoanDepot Org Chart Marriott International Org Chart National Grid Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO and CIO report to the CDO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO and CISO report to the CIDO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO, CIO, and CISO report to the CIDO

    CxO Reporting to CDO Organizational Charts

    Philip Morris International Cushman & Wakefield
    Philip Morris International Org Chart Cushman & Wakefield Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CPO, CIO, CISO, and CSO report to the CIDO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO, CISO, and CTO report to the CIDO

    CxO Reporting to CDO Organizational Charts

    Littelfuse Bayer Global
    Littlefuse Org Chart Bayer Global Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The three CTOs report to the CDTO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CIO and CTO report to the CIDO

    CxO Reporting to CDO Organizational Charts

    General Mills Gap Adeo
    General Mills Org Chart Gap Org Chart Adeo Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The chief innovation officer (CTO) reports to the CDTO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CDO reports to the CDTO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CISO and CIO report to the CIDO

    CxO Reporting to CDO Organizational Charts

    Arcutis Biotherapeutics Michelin CBRE
    Arcutis Biotherapeutics Org Chart Michelin Org Chart CBRE Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO reports to the CDTO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CIO reports to the CIDO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CDTO and CISO report to the CDTO

    CxO Reporting to CDO Organizational Charts

    ExlService Fiserv UDR
    ExlService Org Chart Fiserv Org Chart UDR Org Chart
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CIO reports to the CDO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO reports to the CDO
    Info-Tech Insight
    • The CTO reports to the CDO

    Bibliography

    “Chief digital officer job description” LinkedIn, n.d.

    “Chief Digital Officer Responsibilities (With Qualifications) Indeed, 2022.

    “Designing the modern digital function” Deloitte, 2021.

    “Gaming & Leisure Roundtable” Gaming & Leisure Las Vegas, 2022.

    “Is your Chief Digital Officer MIA?” IBM, 2019.

    “Organize for Digital – the CIO / CDO relationship” Deloitte, 2018.

    “Sports, Gaming & Hospitality Roundtable: Delivering IT in the Digital Experience Economy” Info-Tech LIVE, 2022.

    Koetsier, John. “97% Of Executives Say Covid-19 Sped Up Digital Transformation” Forbes, 2020.

    The Use of Chief Digital Officer in Gaming & Hospitality preview picture

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