Chief AI Officer

The Chief AI Officer is the most senior executive accountable for AI strategy, governance, and risk management across the organisation. The role owns the enterprise AI strategy, establishes the governance framework, ensures board-level accountability for AI risk, and represents the organisation externally on AI matters.

About the role

You'll be setting the direction for how the organisation develops, procures, and governs AI: building the governance function, sponsoring the risk and ethics programmes, and making sure the board understands and can discharge its accountability. The role requires credibility at the most senior level and the ability to operate across technology, legal, commercial, and regulatory domains simultaneously.

The CAIO typically reports to the CEO or board. Where the role doesn't yet exist, its responsibilities tend to be distributed across the CTO, CDO, and CISO — an arrangement that creates accountability gaps and usually makes the business case for the appointment. Recruitment has grown sharply in recent years; the US federal government has mandated the role across all federal agencies.

What you'll actually be doing

You'll be working at the intersection of strategy, governance, and external representation. Internally, that means setting the AI investment priorities, building the governance infrastructure, owning the responsible AI programme, and leading the function: including hiring the governance, risk, and ethics roles that sit beneath you. Externally, it means engaging with regulators, investors, and other stakeholders on the organisation's approach to AI.

You'll also be the executive sponsor for the AI inventory and risk classification programme, and the person who ensures the board has the information it needs to fulfil its oversight responsibilities under the EU AI Act and other applicable regulation.

What we're looking for

A combination of strategic vision, technical credibility, and governance experience that is genuinely rare in the market. You'll need to understand AI at a sufficient level to make credible decisions about risk and capability, while operating primarily at a strategic and organisational level. Deep familiarity with the AI regulatory landscape is essential, along with experience building governance functions and making the case for responsible AI to boards and investors.

Typical background

CAIOs come from a wider range of backgrounds than most C-suite roles: technology leadership, risk and compliance, academic AI research, policy, and senior consulting are all represented. What matters is the combination of strategic authority, AI knowledge, and governance credibility: no single background dominates.