Episode 1: A Day of Goodbyes and New Beginnings

I stared out the office window one last time, taking in the iconic Marina skyline, with the lagoon shimmering under the morning sun. It was my final day on the marketing team at the bank. My desk—once scattered with campaign ideas and customer personas—was now neatly packed up, ready for the next occupant.

Today was about saying goodbyes and stepping into the unknown. After two years of strategizing how to win customer hearts, I was about to join the Enterprise Data Management (EDM) department. What exactly I’d be doing there was still a bit hazy, but I’d been told this was an opportunity to grow.

The announcement of my transfer had come as a surprise a few weeks ago. The EDM department is relatively new but already recognized as the backbone of the bank’s data-driven strategy. As a part of onboarding, I’d been invited to choose one of five units within the department: Data Governance Office, Data Privacy, Enterprise Analytics, Data Engineering, or Data Products.

The Choices

I had spent the last few days researching each unit to make an informed decision:

• Data Governance Office (DGO): The DGO ensures the bank’s data is managed responsibly. They develop policies, establish data standards, and oversee data stewardship to ensure data is accurate, secure, and accessible.
• Data Privacy: This unit is responsible for protecting sensitive customer and employee data. They ensure compliance with regulations like Nigeria’s NDPR and global standards like GDPR, while addressing risks related to data breaches and privacy violations.
• Enterprise Analytics: The team that turns raw data into actionable insights. They build dashboards, perform advanced analyses, and support decision-making across the bank’s functions.
• Data Engineering: The builders of the bank’s data infrastructure. They design pipelines, integrate diverse data sources, and ensure data is available and reliable for other teams.
• Data Products: This team develops data-driven tools and applications for both internal users and customers. They turn data into usable products that add value utilizing tools from APIs to predictive models.

I was drawn to the Data Governance Office. While the technical depth of other units seemed intimidating, DGO felt like a natural fit. It promised exposure to both the strategic and operational aspects of data, and I liked the idea of being part of a team that ensured the bank’s data was trustworthy and well-managed.

Before heading to my new department, I made the rounds, saying goodbye to colleagues who’d become like family. My manager, Mr. Olumide, gave me a warm handshake and an encouraging pep talk.

“Data Governance? You’ll be great there,” he said. “It’s different, but you’ve got the organizational skills and discipline to excel. Just don’t lose that marketing flair—it’ll be your edge.”

By the time I made it to the elevator, my emotions were a tangled mix of excitement, nerves, and gratitude.

A New Beginning

The Enterprise Data Management floor was nothing like marketing. It was quieter, with rows of clean desks and dual monitors, and the air felt more... technical. A sign reading Data Governance Office greeted me as I walked in.

A woman with a sharp bob and kind eyes approached me. “You must be Ada,” she said warmly. “I’m Tola, the DGO lead. Welcome to the team.”

Tola introduced me to the rest of the group, who were a mix of data stewards, policy writers, and analysts. During the team’s morning briefing, she explained their current priorities: updating the bank’s data classification framework and creating a roadmap for data stewardship programs. It was fascinating but felt worlds away from my marketing campaigns.

“We’ll start you off slow,” Tola said reassuringly after the meeting. “Here’s some material to get you acquainted with the basics of data governance.” She handed me a laptop and showed me a folder titled Introduction to Data Governance.

As I skimmed through the pages at my new desk, I found terms like metadata, data quality, stewardship, and lineage. It was a lot to take in, but one section caught my eye: Why Data Governance Matters. It outlined how proper governance builds trust, ensures compliance, and supports decision-making.

It then hit me: in marketing, I’d relied heavily on clean, actionable data. Now, I’d be one of the people ensuring others could do the same.

Reflections

As I packed up for the day, I felt a small but growing sense of excitement. This is a chance to build something meaningful. Maybe I wouldn’t be creating campaigns anymore, but I’d be contributing to the very foundation that made those campaigns possible.

Walking out of the bank’s towering building into the buzzing Marina streets, I couldn’t help but smile. This is just the beginning, and I am ready to discover where this new chapter would take me.