It depends on the scope of transformation, the company’s size, its digital maturity, and team makeup. Thus, an extensive, disruptive transformation will likely start with a CEO or CIO. They have the necessary authority to lead a cross-functional shift, yet they might need someone from middle management or an external expert to assist.
If the transformation only involves a single department or function, a department head can be appointed. They have the knowledge required to generate effective solutions and receive buy-ins from C-suite.
Additionally, a large company is likely to have the resources to have a dedicated team to lead the initiative and report to upper management.
Further, companies at the very beginning of their digital journey may choose to experiment small scale and learn before making the big shift. In this case, frontline workers can lead the efforts to adopt technology in processes and workflows.
Finally, if you have experts in digital transformation on your team, it may make sense to appoint them. But if you don’t or can’t afford to relieve an employee of their everyday duties, you might want to appoint someone from senior management or get an external digital transformation consulting service to guide the decision-making process.