Hiring a chief AI officer: Compensation, recruitment, candidates, responsibility

AI is now large enough to justify a dedicated seat in the C-suite. Demand for this leadership position is being led by three groups, Praneet Franklin , senior partner and AI practice lead at recruitment firm Search Services , told FinAi News: Boards and CEOs want single accountability for AI risk and ROI; Regulators and auditors want clear governance; and Business unit leaders want a designated person to scale AI safely. “Many firms tried to split AI across [chief information officer, chief development officer], head of analytics and business leadership,” Franklin said. “That can work early. At scale, it often turns into fragmented decision-making.” Read more: 2025 brings leadership rethink as banks install chief AI officers worldwide Ideal candidate So, who is ideal for this responsibility? “The best CAIOs [chief AI officers] I see usually come in two ‘flavors,’ and the right one depends on the institution’s maturity,” Franklin said. Those flavors are: Builder operator: Someone who has led AI/ML platforms. Past roles include head of AI/ML, vice president of data science, AI product leader or a leader inside a bank or fintech. Enterprise governor: Someone with experience in the model risk, enterprise analytics or cross-functional transformation roles. Whether the person is a builder operator or enterprise governor, requirements for a CAIO include: A track record of taking AI from proof-of-concept to production; Credibility with engineering and data teams; Comfort operating in regulated environments; Experience with data and platform enablement; and Experience with change management adoption. Compensation Compensation for the role is starting to be tracked. The median compensation for a CAIO is $235,000, according to data provided by J. Thelander Consulting to FinAi News. Maximum compensation, according to the consulting firm, is $300,000 and the minimum is $197,500. Appointed CAIOs Daniele Magazzeni started in his position as chief AI officer at UBS this week, according to a post he made on LinkedIn . He joined UBS from JPMorgan Chase, where he spent six years. “AI is clearly a strategic priority for UBS, supported by a deep bench of talented professionals across the firm,” he said on LinkedIn. “I am excited to contribute to the next phase of the journey.” Other CAIOs at financial institutions include: Pascal Belaud , chief AI and data officer, Truist ; Ranil Boteju , CAIO, Commonwealth Bank of Australia ; Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen , CAIO and head of gen AI, Danske Bank ; Oliver Dorler, chief data and AI officer, Commerzbank ; and Sarthak Pattanaik , chief data and AI officer, BNY . Register here by Jan. 16 for early-bird pricing for the inaugural FinAi Banking Summit, taking place March 2-3 in Denver. View the full event agenda here .

Hiring a chief AI officer: Compensation, recruitment, candidates, responsibility

UBS CAIO Daniele Magazzeni started this week

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Hiring a chief AI officer: Compensation, recruitment, candidates, responsibility

UBS CAIO Daniele Magazzeni started this week

PNC Head of Data, Automation Ned Carroll featured fireside chat at FinAi Banking Summit

Bluevine’s AI chatbot resolves 80% of customer queries

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