Chief Data Officer

Job description / Role

Job Requisition ID: 171144

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United A"rab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the worlds most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Groups entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the rol

In a rapidly evolving data and AI landscape, Al-Futtaim Retail is committed to leading transformation across the real estate sector by harnessing the strategic power of data and artificial intelligence.

The Chief Data Officer will be responsible for driving Retail enterprise-wide initiatives that leverage data and AI to enhance business performance, elevate customer engagement, and unlock new growth opportunities.

This role is centered on enabling business transformation-not just through technical execution, but by shaping and steering data-driven strategies that align with Retail Divisions commercial objectives. The Chief Data Officer will lead the development of AI-enabled products and services across the organizations portfolio, ensuring that data becomes a core enabler of innovation, operational excellence, and competitive advantage.

The individual will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams-including business leaders, marketing, data practitioners, and the Group Technology & Digital Platforms (GTDP) team-to translate strategic priorities into scalable data and AI initiatives. They will ensure that business needs are clearly articulated, and that solutions are designed to deliver measurable impact.

This role also involves engaging with executive leadership, functional heads, external partners, and vendors to foster alignment, drive adoption, and ensure successful delivery of data-led transformation programs.

What you will do: -

Description of Accountability:

Financial Dimensions:

The Chief Data Officer of Retail will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing Al-Futtaim Retails data and AI strategy to unlock new sources of business value. By embedding data and AI capabilities across the business portfolio, this role directly contributes to both top-line growth and bottom-line efficiency .

Through strategic planning and leadership of data-driven transformation initiatives, the role will enable:
- Revenue Expansion : By identifying and activating AI-powered opportunities that enhance customer engagement, personalize offerings, and open new service lines.
- Cost Optimization : By streamlining operations, improving decision-making, and automating processes through data intelligence.
- Value Realization : By ensuring that data assets are leveraged to drive measurable business outcomes across functions such as sales, leasing, asset management, and customer experience

This role is not only responsible for guiding the strategic direction of data and AI initiatives but also for ensuring their financial impact is tracked, reported, and aligned with divisions broader commercial goals.
- Strategic Leadership
Lead the development and execution of a data and AI strategy that supports business growth, operational efficiency, and customer-centric innovation.
- Transformation Enablement
Champion data-driven transformation initiatives, ensuring that data and AI capabilities are embedded into core business processes, decision-making, and service delivery.
- Business Alignment
Collaborate with senior leadership to identify high-impact opportunities where data and AI can deliver measurable business outcomes, such as revenue growth, cost optimization, and risk mitigation.
- Portfolio Oversight
Oversee a portfolio of data and AI programs, ensuring alignment with business priorities and managing cross-functional dependencies to deliver value at scale.
- Stakeholder Engagement
Act as a bridge between business units and data teams, translating strategic objectives into actionable data initiatives and ensuring stakeholder buy-in and adoption.
- Governance & Ethics
Establish and uphold data governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and promoting ethical use of AI across the organization.
- Innovation & Thought Leadership
Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies, providing strategic guidance on how innovations in data and AI can be leveraged to maintain competitive advantage.
- Culture Building
Foster a culture of data literacy, innovation, and continuous improvement, empowering teams to use data as a strategic asset.

Required Skills to be successful:
- Strategic Leadership: A bility to define and execute a data and AI strategy that aligns with business transformation goals.
- Business Acumen: Deep understanding of Retail business operations, value drivers, and how data can unlock efficiencies and growth.
- Data Governance & Ethics: Expertise in establishing governance frameworks, ensuring compliance, and promoting ethical AI use.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled in translating business needs into data initiatives and securing cross-functional buy-in.
- Change Management: Proven ability to lead cultural and operational shifts toward data-driven decision-making.
- AI Literacy & Enablement: Familiarity with AI concepts (LLMs, ML, GenAI) and ability to guide non-technical teams in their adoption.
- Portfolio Oversight: Experience managing a portfolio of data and AI initiatives across multiple business units.

What equips you for the role:
- Masters degree in business administration, Data Science, Economics, or a related field
- Participation in executive data literacy programs and AI strategy workshops is highly valued.
- 12-15 years in data strategy, analytics, or transformation roles, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership capacity.
- Experience in Retail or adjacent sectors with complex data ecosystems.
- Transformation Leadership: Demonstrated success in leading enterprise-wide data modernization or AI-driven transformation programs.
- Proven track record of working with finance, operations, marketing, and technology teams to deliver business outcomes.

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Before you click "apply": Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

About the Company

Established in the 1930s, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940s and 50s saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.