diff --git a/CHANGELOG/CHANGELOG-1.20.md b/CHANGELOG/CHANGELOG-1.20.md
index 9b4ebf00e..b6d37f398 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG/CHANGELOG-1.20.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG/CHANGELOG-1.20.md
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ Changelog for the K8ssandra Operator, new PRs should update the `unreleased` sec
 
 When cutting a new release, update the `unreleased` heading to the tag being generated and date, like `## vX.Y.Z - YYYY-MM-DD` and create a new placeholder section for  `unreleased` entries.
 
+## unreleased
+
+* [CHANGE] Upgrade cass-operator's chart to 0.54.0 (v1.22.4) to allow overriding default image coordinates
+
 ## v1.20.2 - 2024-10-07
 
 * [DOCS] [#1469](https://github.com/riptano/mission-control/issues/1469) Add docs for Reaper's Control Plane deployment mode
diff --git a/charts/k8ssandra-operator/Chart.yaml b/charts/k8ssandra-operator/Chart.yaml
index 509d2d43d..d32ff7abe 100644
--- a/charts/k8ssandra-operator/Chart.yaml
+++ b/charts/k8ssandra-operator/Chart.yaml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ dependencies:
     version: 0.29.0
     repository: https://helm.k8ssandra.io
   - name: cass-operator
-    version: 0.53.6
+    version: 0.54.0
     repository: https://helm.k8ssandra.io
 home: https://github.com/k8ssandra/k8ssandra-operator
 sources: