(CFP Photo)

Jiangsu Province has released the first batch of companies included in a program to phase in Chief Data Officer (CDO) amid efforts to support digital transformation.

The role of CDO is mainly responsible for incorporating data strategy into business decision-making and managing the overall data collection, analysis and application.

Zhang Guodong, deputy general manager of Jiangsu Etern, said the new position can promote enterprises to formulate a set of rules for data collection and analysis. "Market dynamics and user experience can also be represented in the form of data."

Shan Zhigang, deputy general manager of Changzhou Industrial Investment Group, said the initiative helps the company break through the original data barriers so departments and business units within the enterprise can enjoy smooth data flow.

By 2022, 90% of corporate strategies will be estimated to underline information as a critical enterprise asset and analytics as an essential competency, according to analyst firm Gartner.