Matt Cockbill, Partner in the CIO & Technology Officers Practice at Odgers, explains how AI executives can collaborate with C-suite leaders to deliver impact and growth
AI has shifted from a technical experiment to a strategic driver of growth. It now influences every corner of the enterprise, from customer engagement to workforce management and supply chain resilience.
As a result, the AI executive is no longer simply a data scientist at the helm of models and algorithms. They are expected to operate as enterprise leaders, working in lockstep with their peers across the C-suite to ensure AI creates measurable business value.
Success depends less on technical brilliance alone and more on the ability to collaborate with business development, commercial, finance, HR, marketing, and operations leaders to deliver alignment, market differentiation, efficiencies and impact.
From Technical Specialist to Enterprise Leader
The AI executive role has evolved rapidly. What began as a highly technical function has become a board-level leadership mandate. Organisations increasingly recognise that AI projects fail when they remain siloed, disconnected from business strategy, or measured only by technical outputs.
Today’s AI executive must blend fluency in advanced technologies with an equally strong understanding of balance sheets, customer behaviour, employee sentiment, and operational complexity.
The most effective leaders are those who have learned to translate technical innovation into enterprise-wide advantage.
How to build trust with the CFO: Turning AI into Business Value
For the CFO, the lens is always on financial discipline, risk, and returns. AI leaders who succeed in building trust with the finance function speak the language of business impact rather than technical jargon.
That means presenting AI initiatives not as abstract innovations but as investments with clear outcomes. The CFO–AI executive relationship is critical to delivering business efficiency and accelerating decision making. When projects are tied to faster reporting cycles, the removal of manual processes, and the automation of routine finance tasks, CFOs gain the freedom to focus more strategically on the commercial and financial infrastructure that underpins value creation.
Examples range from AI-driven forecasting tools that improve accuracy in volatile markets to intelligent automation solutions that drive efficiency across the commercial and operational heartbeat of the company. When AI executives align projects with financial priorities in this way, they not only gain credibility but also establish the foundation for board-level confidence in AI’s ability to deliver value, efficiency, and long-term success.
Partnering with the CHRO: Shaping the Future Workforce
The CHRO faces the dual challenge of preparing the workforce for an AI-enabled future while maintaining trust and morale. For employees, the introduction of AI often raises concerns about job security and fairness.
AI executives who collaborate closely with HR leaders can help design reskilling programmes, ethical guidelines, and cultural strategies that position AI as an enabler rather than a threat. Together, they can build frameworks for responsible use of AI, from bias detection to transparent communication about new tools.
By working with the CHRO, the AI executive not only supports organisational resilience but also helps create a workforce confident in its ability to exploit new technologies and thrive.
Aligning with the CMO: Enhancing Customer Insight and Experience
For marketing leaders, AI is both a powerful tool and a reputational risk. The promise lies in personalisation, predictive analytics, and enhanced customer engagement. The risk comes when customer data is mishandled or when algorithms reinforce bias.
Effective AI executives engage CMOs as strategic partners, ensuring that customer-facing AI is deployed responsibly and with transparency. Together they can leverage customer data platforms to anticipate needs, refine content, and strengthen brand trust.
The AI executive’s role here is to balance innovation with ethical safeguards, ensuring that customer insight and experience are enhanced without compromising trust.
Collaborating with the COO: Driving Operational Excellence
The COO’s agenda is grounded in efficiency, resilience, and execution at scale. For AI executives, this is the proving ground where technology delivers tangible business outcomes. Predictive maintenance, logistics optimisation, and resource allocation are just a few areas where AI can directly support operational goals.
Success depends on moving beyond small pilots to embedding AI within core processes. This requires close collaboration between the COO and AI executive to align on metrics, governance, and integration across systems.
When executed well, the partnership between operations and AI leadership drives measurable improvements in speed, reliability, and cost efficiency.
The Collaboration Playbook: Leadership Practices That Work
Cross-functional alignment does not happen by accident. AI executives who excel in collaboration adopt a leadership style centred on translation, influence, and empathy.
They convert technical complexity into clear business narratives that resonate with peers. They also establish governance models such as cross-functional steering committees to ensure shared accountability.
And they lead with emotional intelligence, listening actively to peer concerns and building coalitions rather than silos. These practices elevate the AI executive from specialist to enterprise leader.
Risks of Misalignment – When AI Becomes a Silo
The risks of operating in isolation are significant. AI projects developed without collaboration often suffer from misaligned goals, wasted investment, and reputational damage.
Employees may resist adoption if workforce implications are not addressed. Customers may lose trust if marketing applications overreach. Boards may cut funding if the CFO sees no financial return.
Like any business transformation initiative, misalignment of expectation is one of the most common reasons AI initiatives stall or fail, making C-suite collaboration essential.
Looking Ahead: AI Leadership as a Collective Endeavour
The next generation of AI executives will be defined not only by their technical expertise but by their ability to act as integrators across the C-suite. As AI becomes woven into the fabric of every business function, success will hinge on building partnerships that translate innovation into value.
The most impactful AI leaders will be those who see their role as a collective endeavour, working alongside peers in finance, HR, marketing, and operations to ensure AI is aligned with broader business goals.
Organisations that empower AI executives to lead in this way will be the ones that unlock ever greater business performance through AI.
