Driven by Data | The Newsletter, Edition 86

And with November upon us, we see shorter days, longer nights and the arrival of holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. But before that, we still have lots to do and share. Starting with the launch of DbD Mentorship Cohort 8 next week. Stay tuned for applications opening up soon for Cohort 9!

Driven by Data | The Podcast

We will be back very soon with our first episode of Season 5! So stay tuned and be sure to hit Follow on your favourite listening app to be notified when a new episode drops!

In the meantime why not give our top 10 most listened-to episodes a listen?

1. Busting Myths About the CDO Role with Barry P. , Chief Data & Insight Officer at John Lewis Partnership
2. From Data to Insight....So What? with Lyndsay Weir , Chief Analytics & Insight Officer at Barilla Group
3. The Future of the Board; The Future of the CDO with Sanjeevan Bala , Former Group Chief Data & AI Officer at ITV
4. Productionising GenAI to Drive Value with Zachery Anderson , Chief Data & Analytics Officer at NatWest Group
5. The Delineation Between Business and Technology with Chris Daniels , Chief Data Officer (Corporate Bank) at 德意志银行
6. Designing and Implementing the Correct Data Operating Model with Pete Youngs , Managing Partner at Ortecha
7. Effecting Change in a Large, Traditional Organisation with Sarah Barr Miller , Director of Data & Automation at British Airways
8. Selling Your Data Story; The Customer Obsession with Ciara Moore , Chief Data & Digital Officer at Bank of Ireland
9. Getting Data & Analytics into the Boardroom with Kate Sargent , Chief Data Officer at Financial Times
10. Unboxing Data Maturity: Insights from HelloFresh's Growth Journey with David Castro-Gavino , Global VP of Data at HelloFresh

Driven By Data: The Podcast—Celebrating 4 Years, 200 Episodes, and a New Live Event!

Since launching our very first episode on 27th October 2020, Driven By Data: The Podcast has come a long way. Four years and 207 weeks later, we’re thrilled to have just wrapped up Season 4 with a remarkable milestone:

??? Over 200 episodes (plus a few bonus ones)

?? 60,000 listeners

?? In 163 countries worldwide

We could never have imagined the incredible journey this podcast would become, and we owe it all to our inspiring community and stellar guests.

What's Next?

In early 2025, we’re bringing Driven By Data: The Podcast to life with a full-day LIVE event in London!

Expect a day packed with insightful case studies, 1:1 interviews, and thought-provoking panel discussions. We’re honoured to announce our guest line-up so far:

• Davin Crowley-Sweet , Chief Data Officer, National Highways
• Aimee Smith , Director of Data, Metropolitan Police
• Ranil Boteju , Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Lloyds Banking Group
• Daniel Hulme , Chief AI Officer, WPP & CEO, Satalia
• Loretta Franks , Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Kellanova
• Sarah Barr Miller , Director of Data & Automation, British Airways

And that’s just the beginning! More speakers and details will be announced soon.

A Day to Give Back

100% of ticket proceeds will go to charity.

Want to be the first to secure a ticket?

Join our waitlist by clicking the link below and be among the first to know when tickets go live!

Catch Kyle Winterbottom at the BFSI Chief Data Officer Exchange on 12th November

Catch Kyle alongside a dynamic panel at the BFSI Exchange:

• Ashley Goodwin at Capital One
• Mridula Mutharaju at NatWest Group
• Fatima Abukar at Financial Conduct Authority
• Harleen Thethy at Barclays Investment Bank
• Elodie Blyth de Fontenay at Royal London Asset Management

Kyle will also be moderating a session earlier in the day at 8:40 am

Check out the full agenda for Day 2 here:

The Culture of Data Report

Earlier in the year, we conducted a series of surveys and interviews with CDAOs and key members of Data & Analytics teams responsible for culture-related initiatives. Our goal was to evaluate how organisations are fostering a culture that prioritises data. We’ve compiled our findings into an insightful report, and we’re thrilled to share it with you!

Current jobs on offer:

We have got some really meaty roles on at the moment. Why not check them out and if one takes your fancy, get in touch with Natalia Kurasinski :

• Interim Head of Data Platform
• Director of Data
• Partner
• Analytics Engineer

Watch: Kyle on the Data Value Show

Last month, Kyle Winterbottom joined Chris Tabb , Co-Founder & CCO of LEIT DATA , on the Data Value Show for an insightful webinar on The Evolution of the CDO Role. Tune in to discover the highlights, key takeaways, and perspectives shared. Watch now to catch the full discussion!

The Root Cause of Data & Analytics Challenges in Business: A Leadership Gap

This week's blog is brought you to by Sophie Muscat

Some common issues in the D&A sphere are low returns, unclear impact on business goals, and teams that don’t always have the right skills for the job. One of the main reasons for this is too many executives still see data in a limited way, affecting who they hire and what they focus on. In order to see proper results, we need to change how leaders think about data and show how it can genuinely drive success.

It often starts with a somewhat wrong understanding at the top of the food chain. Many CEOs and executives have an outdated or skewed understanding of what data can and should achieve. This starts off the process of data strategy wrong and can ruin potential outcomes.

Making the right decisions when hiring members for the D&A team can make or break the team. An executive's (possibly wrong) idea about data can lead to hiring based on the wrong criteria, and so as a result, candidates with say technical but perhaps not business-oriented experience may be hired over instead of the right person. This will naturally negatively affect the team’s overall effectiveness.

A mismatch of skills in data teams is another factor. Team leads may set goals for their data teams that focus on building technical infrastructure—like data platforms, warehouses, or lakes, rather than being data-driven to fix business issues. This method means that D&A teams are loaded with building systems instead of providing insights and analytics that may help the company make data-driven business decisions. Because of this, it limits their impact on the company’s success.

People within the data team may voice their opinion about the restricted obligation and may suggest alternative methods or areas of focus on business outcomes rather than infrastructure. Sadly, these suggestions may be ignored, and the executives will look for candidates who will carry out their initial plans.

The usual two-year timeframe kicks in and the top staff are left scratching their heads as to why they are not seeing what they hoped to see by now or their expected ROI. Usually, the only visible outcome of the data investment is the platform the data team were asked to build, rather than any impacts on business performance.

This is usually followed by a frustrated shift of responsibility onto the CIO, as they are knowledgeable on how to build platforms, and the company will only have to fork out one wage rather than two. The company views data initiatives as more technical than strategic. This shift creates a cycle where data is seen as a support function, instead of a core value within the business.

It is a difficult yet important cycle to break, however. There is a strong need for data leaders who can fill the gap between the power of data and successful business outcomes. But this desire has to come from the top and executives need to change how they view data.

Getting all the business executives together along with the data team leaders may allow a conversation to occur whereby they can discuss how data can genuinely lead to desirable business outcomes.

One may find that many executives don’t want to talk about data. The mindset here needs to be changed and data must be positioned as a vital part of business strategy and value creation.

These hurdles within D&A teams will only continue unless top business executives change and develop their understanding of data’s role in business outcomes. A real change can be made once the gap between data team leaders and executives is filled via collaboration, open communication and aligning data strategies with real business needs.

And of course, this week's data joke:

Why did the data analyst get kicked out of the party?

They kept trying to "pivot" the conversation! ??

See you next week!