The Data Chief
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Meet the world’s top data and analytics leaders transforming how we do business. Hear case studies, industry insights, and personal lessons from the executives leading the data revolution.
Join host Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, every other Wednesday to meet the leaders and teams at the cutting edge.
Available episodes
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Nov 22, 2023
The Data Chief Returns In 2024
The world's top data and analytics leaders share their stories on the The Data Chief. New episodes return in January 2024. Until then, take a look at some of the previous episodes and hear case studies, industry insights, and personal lessons from the executives leading the data revolution.
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Oct 25, 2023
How to Organize Modern Data and Analytics Teams with Mode Analytics Co-Founder, Benn Stancil
Description:
On this episode, Benn Stancil, Co-Founder of Mode Analytics and current Field CTO at Thoughtspot shares his thoughts on who wants to use data to solve problems, and who just wants data to validate an opinion. He brings unique perspectives to how data excellence can be proliferated through an organization, whether shadow IT is a nuisance or a guide post, and how large language models will influence the future of data.
Key Moments:
* How an internal analytics tool Benn built at Yammer led to starting Mode Analytics to serve the new breed of technical data teams (4:00)
* Why the urgency around BI consolidation in 2023 prompted conversations with ThoughtSpot (52:30)
* The risks of shadow tools and lack of consistency; importance of a centralized data infrastructure (26:30)
* Using natural language search as an interface for asking novel questions and changing how people use data (44:00)
* Data teams need visibility into the business context; centralization for infrastructure but decentralization to embed in business units (23:30)
* How ambition plays an outsized role in the type of data tools selected in an organization (17:58)
Key Quotes:
* Courage, ultimately, is needed in making a decision that you have to own. [Unfortunately], data can be a punt. If you make a data driven decision, nobody made the decision. The data made the decision. There is like an abstraction there of who was actually responsible for it.
* What ends up happening [in shadow IT] is you spend all this time just trying to figure out, like, which one do you trust? Who's right? Everybody has their different perspective
* Good Googlers are not people that know the, the exact syntax of weird Google searches. Good Googlers are the people who have some spider sense about where to go looking for things. And I think AI is probably going to be similar to that, where it's not the crazy prompt engineers that'll make it good. It’s like some of the next level spider sense skills that we don’t know yet.
Mentions
* R
* Shadow IT
* Microsoft acquires Yammer
* Large Language Models (LLMs)
* Mode
Bio
Benn Stancil is ThoughtSpot’s Field CTO. He joined ThoughtSpot in 2023 as part of its acquisition of Mode, where he was a Co-Founder and CTO. While at Mode, Benn held roles leading Mode’s data, product, marketing, and executive teams. He regularly writes about data and technology at benn.substack.com. Prior to founding Mode, Benn worked on analytics teams at Microsoft and Yammer.
Personal Details:
- Enjoys playing baseball and is a Braves fan
- Favorite pump up song: "Labour" by Paris Paloma
- Grateful for opportunities to travel and gain new perspectives
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Oct 11, 2023
Democratizing Data with Colgate-Palmolive Chief Analytics & Insights Officer, Diana Schildhouse
Diana Schildhouse, Chief Analytics and Insights Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, discusses driving business value through analytics, ensuring executives are data fluent, innovating with AI, and her career path through iconic brands like Mattel and Disney.
Key Moments
* Listening Tours: How 100’s of one-on-one conversations helped to narrow in on which business problems could be solved with data and quickly lead to business value (4:50)
* Working to benchmark the company against its industry helped to establish the business impact and value of data (6:41)
* Transforming from pockets of excellence to uniform excellence. Spreading data excellence as a way to increase data transformation (8:00)
* Increasing data literacy via its own data education and recognition program, Data Literacy and Analytics Academy. (9:52)
* Because product development lifecycles are so long, data plays a massive role in understanding consumer trends and what consumers will want in the future (19:46)
* Use case driven innovation drives business value fastest. (22:46)
* Data Clean rooms and partner collaboration is the key to generating useful 1st party data (25:06)
* How a center-led hybrid enabled global teams to improve data utilization at Colgate-Palmolive (31:21)
* Co-Creation helps create both nuance for specific teams and applicability for broader teams (33:21)
Key Quotes
* The approach of let's take five years and invest in data and get it to a perfect spot and then we can start doing analytics and showing that value is just not one that any company has patience for.
* That co-creation is so important to us, because..if the business doesn’t understand what a solution is supposed to help them do, it won't be adopted.
* We try to be laser focused on what we think will move the business versus starting with the data. We're not trying to boil the ocean. It's hard to show value and progress when you're not delivering tools that can actually help the business make a decision today or tomorrow.
Mentions
* DataIQ 100
* Boston Consulting Group
* Mattel
* CDOIQ
* DataCamp
* Credly
* Revenue Growth Management
* Clean Rooms
Bio
Diana Schildhouse is Chief Analytics and Insights Officer at Colgate-Palmolive. She previously held analytics leadership roles at Mattel and The Walt Disney Company. Diana has an undergraduate degree in Business and Finance from USC and an MBA from Harvard.
Personal Details
* Favorite activities outside of work: walking her golden doodle named Bagel, spending time with family, movies, reading
* Song that pumps her up: "Who Run the World (Girls)" by Beyonce
* Grateful for close friendships with "personal board of directors" from business school
* Seen the Barbie movie 3 times and loved it
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Sep 27, 2023
How to create an ecosystem moat via data sharing with CDAO at retailer Carrefour
Description
As the world’s seventh largest retailer, Carrefour is using advanced analytics to transform operations, better serve customers, and pioneer the future of retail. Chief Data & Analytics Officer Sebastien Rozanes explains how the company is leveraging data and generative AI to drive measurable business value across merchandising, supply chain, marketing and more.
Key Moments:
* How a strong data foundation and data monetization mindset accelerated data maturity at Carrefour (5:46)
* Selling data to CPGs to improve collaboration and justify data investments (20:57)
* The "data supermarket" analogy to get business leaders invested in data quality (30:39)
* Reducing friction by enabling suppliers and retailers to work from the same data facts (32:33)
* Starting with imagination not limitations to identify AI opportunities (42:08)
* Leveraging ChatGPT to transform the ecommerce shopping experience (45:10)
Key Quotes
* “It's okay to be 5% wrong, but 95% right…[with the time you free up] you will make up much more value than trying to optimize the last 5%.”
* “The role of Chief Data Analytics Officer goes way beyond the technology. It's 10 percent about technology, 20 percent about data, but actually 70 percent about transformation and adoption.”
* “Generative AI is a game changer for efficiency and helping us focus on human creativity.”
Mentions:
* Paris
* Google Cloud
* MIT CDO Forum
* Wharton School
* Data Lakes
* Data Catalogs
* Carrefour Links
* Generative AI
* ChatGPT
Bio
Sebastien Roznes is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Carrefour, a top 10 global retailer serving 80 million customers across more than 40 countries, including 8 countries with direct operations. Prior to joining Carrefour, Sebastien served as a Principal and Associate Director with the Boston Consulting Group with a focus in Digital, AI, and Data-Driven Transformations for Multinational Consumer Goods and Industrial Goods businesses. His educational background focuses on both Computer Science and Business providing him with unique insights on how data can serve the business.
Learn more from Sebastien and how data is transforming retail on The Data Chief.
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Sep 13, 2023
Three Must-Read Data and Analytics Books with Dr. Barb Wixom, Vin Vashishta, and Asha Saxena
It’s that time of year again. On this episode of The Data Chief, Cindi dives into three of the hottest book recommendations for data and analytics leaders and sits down with Dr. Barb Wixom, author of Data is Everybody’s Business, Vin Vashishta, author of From Data to Profit, and Asha Saxena, author of The AI Factor.
Key Moments:
* Introducing Dr. Barb Wixom (2:10)
* Barb’s desire to continue helping people in the data industry (2:57) (Barb)
* The different types of organizational leaders (8:21) (Barb)
* Creating value from data (10:50) (Barb)
* The selling framework (16:42) (Barb)
* A financial services case study (21:56) (Barb)
* Introducing Vin Vashishta (27:18) (Vin)
* The importance of companies having a single playbook (28:08) (Vin)
* Benefits of a value-based approach (32:52) (Vin)
* Starting with a problem statement (34:58) (Vin)
* When a lack of data literacy becomes problematic (38:46) (Vin)
* Driving culture change (40:30) (Vin)
* Introducing Asha Saxena (46:12)
* What is Women Leaders in Data and AI? (48:27) (Asha)
* The four-quadrant framework for deploying AI (52:11) (Asha)
* Case Study: How an Animal Shelter leveraged AI (55:44) (Asha)
* How to use AI ethically and responsibly (59:32) (Asha)
Mentions:
* _From Data to Profit_
* _Data is Everybody’s Business: The Fundamentals of Data Monetization_
* _The AI Factor: How to Apply Artificial Intelligence and Use Big Data to Grow Your Business Exponentially_
* Rita McGrath, Professor at Columbia University
* Satya Nadal
* Google PaLM
* OpenAI
* Jack Rockart
* Capital One
* Bill Schmarzo (former guest on The Data Chief)
* Lyft
* BBVA
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like these on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
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Aug 30, 2023
Reimagining the banking experience with CDO of Singapore's GXS Bank
Not many CDOs get to enter a new role with a clean slate. But Geraldine Wong, CDO for GXS Bank in Singapore did just that. In this episode of The Data Chief, she explains how the bank has built a foundation of data literacy by providing employees the right tools, access, and knowledge to put data at the forefront of their workflow. This culture of education and understanding establishes trust, empowers departments to “self-serve” data for better productivity, and ultimately leads to stronger understanding of data for customers and employees alike.
Tune in to learn:
* Starting from a “clean slate” as a CDO (1:32)
* GXS’s role and purpose as a new bank (3:49)
* Data security and consumer privacy (9:47)
* The GXS Bank data strategy (14:46)
* Using generative AI to improve data fluency (20:27)
* Advantages and disadvantages of being fully in the cloud (26:48)
* How higher education can better prepare workers for digital transformation (29:32)
* Why Singapore is a global leader in data literacy (37:24)
Mentions:
* Data Protection Trustmark
* Syntel
* Grab
* Personal Data Protection Commission
* IMDA Certification Body
* Google PaLM 2
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Geraldine on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
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Aug 16, 2023
How to find and retain data team talent with the VP of Analytics at the Milwaukee Bucks
In this episode of The Data Chief, hosts Cindi Howson and Sonny Rivera interview Sumathi Thiyagarajan, the VP of Business Strategy and Analytics for the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum. Sumathi discusses being a data leader in professional sports, building a data team from the ground up, and leveraging insights to continually provide the best fan experience.
Tune in to learn:
* Making the transition to a professional sports team (2:42)
* The evolution of Sumathi’s role and team (4:58)
* The growing importance of data across the NBA (10:02)
* Unique challenges Sumathi faces in her role with the Bucks (12:01)
* Creating personalized fan experiences (14:38)
* Using data to increase the team’s visibility in the marketplace (18:12)
* Finding (and keeping) strong data team talent (22:31)
* Building a talent pool through a successful hackathon (26:20)
* Coaching and developing a diverse data team (29:07)
* Addressing the challenges of fragmented data (33:50)
* Driving innovation for the Bucks (and across the NBA) (37:35)
Mentions:
* Fiserv
* Marquette University
* Randy Bean
* Giannis Antetokounmpo
* Medical College of Wisconsin
* Deer District
* HBR podcasts
* Rakuten
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Sumathi on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
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Aug 2, 2023
Balancing long-term vision with near-term action with Vercel’s VP of Data
Alex Viana, VP of Data at Vercel, has had a truly unique career. Starting with a role at the Hubble Space Telescope, Alex found his way into the data space by way of data security and searching for leaked data assets. Today, he leads the data organization at Vercel, where he views building – teams, technology processes, and metrics – as his primary responsibility. In this episode Alex shares his thoughts on leading data teams at different (but fast-growing) tech companies, the importance of building scalable data platforms, delivering value through stakeholder engagement, and balancing long-term vision with short-term action as a key to success.
Tune in to learn:
* The origins of Alex’s data journey with the Hubble Space Telescope (4:29)
* Alex’s unique approach to data leadership (6:12)
* About Vercel (8:25)
* Transitioning from growth-stage to more mature companies (10:38)
* The biggest challenges Alex faces at Vercel (14:12)
* Creating synchronicity across departments (16:59)
* Having vision as a data executive (21:54)
* The role of the data team in scaling a company (24:45)
* Determining your value as an executive (27:31)
* Building a positive data culture (33:10)
* The growth of generative AI in data (39:20)
Mentions:
* Space Telescope Science Institute
* Hubble Space Telescope
* Next.js React
* Postgres
* Anderson Horowitz
* Richard Hamming
* HealthJoy
* Camille Fournier - _The Manager's Path_
Bio:
Alex Viana is the VP of Data at Vercel. Alex has over 15 years of experience in data management and analysis, and has led teams of data scientists, engineers, and analysts in their previous positions. Alex is an expert in Python and SQL, and has used these skills to develop software platforms for managing and analyzing large datasets. Alex has also created databases of astronomical observations and predicted moon positions. In their current role, they are responsible for providing accurate data and insights to the organization and promoting data-driven decision making.
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Alex on The Data Chief.
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Jul 19, 2023
How healthcare data can save lives with Truveta CEO Terry Myerson
Each day, valuable patient data collected by healthcare systems. When used properly as part of healthcare analytics, this can help drive better outcomes for both patients and providers. However, when data management is not effectively implemented, organizations lose out on these benefits. Terry Myerson, CEO of Truveta, saw the need to unlock data’s potential while still ensuring privacy and security. In this episode, he discusses his company’s unique approach, the urgent need for better data insights for treatment protocols, and how AI is creating both efficiencies and concerns when making sense of data.
Tune in to learn:
* The origin of Truveta [6:28]
* Pulling data from the provider, not the patient [9:47]
* Fragmentation, privacy, and unstructured data [11:58]
* Healthcare data trends [15:50]
* Population-level data [17:49]
* Bringing in data from multiple systems [23:08]
* Why transparency earns trust [26:10]
* Language models and generative AI [28:10]
* Terry’s career journey [35:29]
Mentions:
* Providence Healthcare
* CNN
* Rogaine
* Ozempic
* Boston Scientific
* National Library of Medicine
* Bloomberg
* Microsoft
* World Health Organization
* Common Spirit
* Trinity Health
* _The Emperor of All Maladies_
* Macklemore
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Terry on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
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Jul 5, 2023
How data is transforming commercial real estate at JLL
It’s one thing for a company to invest in new technology. It’s another for a company to become _invested_ in technology. In this episode, Yao Morin, CTO of JLL explains how she isn’t just adding data to the company workflow, but is instead fostering a culture of innovation and data-driven mindsets across the 240-year-old company through education, and by demonstrating data’s business value across departments.
Key Moments:
* Yao’s rapid rise at JLL [4:01]
* Energy efficiency data in commercial real estate [13:26]
* Fostering creativity and imagination in data teams [16:29]
* Better understanding of B2B customer pain points [21:24]
* Yao’s approach to startup investment [23:45]
* Generative AI and the data/analytics workflow [28:58]
* Delegating to better manage large data teams [32:27]
* The underrepresentation of women in data and tech leadership roles [36:02]
Mentions:
* Intuit
* StubHub
* Jira / Confluence
* _Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men_ by Caroline Criado Perez
* Tom Davenport
* Diablo IV (video game)
* “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Yao on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
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Jun 21, 2023
How to build a data culture with purpose
The role of data teams continues to evolve across industries. But in mission-driven fields such as healthcare, data creates efficiencies that could potentially save lives. In this episode of The Data Chief, Cindi is joined by Jeremy Forman of Seagen to discuss the pivotal role his data team plays in driving insights-informed decision-making, and how they successfully collaborate with other departments to improve patient outcomes.
Key Moments:
* The key challenges for data leaders in healthcare [3:50]
* How Jeremy’s team supports company-wide initiatives [9:16]
* Fostering cross-team communication and collaboration [12:08]
* An ideal data organizational structure [14:39]
* Driving organizational change [17:09]
* Building an entrepreneurial culture [20:59]
* Setting competing priorities [29:01]
* FAIR data principles [36:34]
* Jeremy’s career path [41:19]
Mentions:
* Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
* Geronimo Restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico
* ChatGPT…
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Jun 7, 2023
How to manage consumption creep in a cloud-based world with TIFIN CPO
When it comes to investing, it’s been said that the biggest risk of all is not taking one. But for many of us, the prospect of figuring out how and where to smartly invest our money is overwhelming if not flat-out confusing. TIFIN is a FinTech company focused on democratizing this process by matching investors to potential investments with AI. In this episode, Raja Musunuru, the Chief Product Officer of financial tech leader TIFIN, covers a wide range of topics, from the importance of understanding customer needs to promoting data fluency across an organization.
Tune in to learn:
* About TIFIN [00:55]
* Raja’s unique perspective on technology, data, and products [12:01]
* The costs of cloud computing [16:04]
* Cloud governance and oversight [20:02]
* Views on FinOps [21:22]
* Optimizing the costs of multi-cloud operations [29:23]
* Promoting data fluency [36:19]
Mentions:
* TIFIN
* Amicus.io
* Dr. Vinay Nair
* KPMG
* Amazon Web Services (AWS)
* Google…
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May 17, 2023
Netflix on Balancing Data with Judgment for Better Insights
Using data to gain customer insights can be difficult. Using data to gain customer insights from an ever-growing, ever-changing entertainment audience presents a much steeper challenge. In this episode, Elizabeth Stone, VP, Data & Insights at Netflix, explains how her dedicated team reflects the larger Netflix culture, balancing hard data with a mindset of learning and experimentation to make decisions that improve the Netflix experience.
Tune in to learn:
* Elizabeth’s role as head of Netflix’s data and insights team (2:46)
* How Netflix is leveraging machine learning (11:13)
* The continued culture of innovation at Netflix (13:44)
* Using data to inform intuition and choice (18:00)
* How the data and insights team engages with other stakeholders (22:30)
* How Elizabeth obtains the resources she needs (25:37)
* The importance of cross-functional understanding and collaboration (32:13)
Mentions:
* Gartner Data and Analytics Conference
* Lyft
* Randy Bean, au…
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May 3, 2023
Why Online Retailer Zalando Was First to Embrace the Data Mesh
Most data professionals aspire to be leaders within a single industry. It’s rare to see professionals establish and re-establish themselves as powerful influencers across multiple verticals. But this is precisely what Dr. Alexander Borek has done, helping some of the world’s most recognizable brands scale tangible value from data, analytics, and AI. In this episode, he covers a wide range of topics, including his personal career journey, creating cultures of innovation, centralized vs. decentralized data products, and the imminent impact of generative AI.
Key Moments:
* Background on Zalando [2:15]
* Dr. Borek’s_ The Ultimate Data and AI Guide _[5:32]
* Becoming a data leader in multiple industries [7:02]
* Germany’s growing data culture [14:30]
* The need for a greater sense of urgency in data understanding [17:07]
* The origins of the data mesh [19:33]
* The benefits of cross-team collaboration [24:44]
* Data mash vs. data fabric [31:30]
* Using data for i…
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Apr 19, 2023
Delek US on Proving Value as the CDO
The role of the CDO is changing, and with these changes come new opportunities to prove business value. On this episode of The Data Chief, Ido Biger, EVP of Data and Technology for Delek US, explains how he’s breaking down data silos and turning insights to actionHe also takes listeners through several analytics use cases including creating operational efficiencies for frontline workers and reducing customer churn.
Tune in to learn:
* Ido’s role at Delek and confronting his biggest challenge (04:23)
* How Ido breaks down data silos (11:53)
* Using data-driven insights to increase operational efficiency - Telco case study (15:15)
* Using data-driven insights to reduce customer churn - Airline case study (20:01)
* Why COVID was a huge opportunity for the airline industry (26:20)
* Turning insights to action - Oil and gas case study (29:08)
* The importance of finding a sponsor for your data project (32:19)
* How to prove value as a CDO (33:04)
* Ido’s work as a…
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Apr 5, 2023
Bill Schmarzo on Why Companies Need to Pivot from Data-Driven to Value-Driven
What is the true value of data? Whether you’ve been collecting data for years or are just getting started, the reality is that data holds zero value on its own. In fact, it’s a huge cost. In this episode of The Data Chief, industry veteran Bill Schmarzo, currently in Customer Data Innovation at Dell Technologies, shares why modern data leaders must let go of the notion of being data-driven and focus on business outcomes. He also discusses how having more data isn’t always the right move, especially when considering larger business goals.
Tune in to learn:
* Demonstrating data’s value in an uncertain economy (7:36)
* Defining data KPIs (16:54)
* The importance of data-driven decision-making (22:43)
* Moving from “data-driven” to “value-driven” (33:24)
* Modern data culture (42:08)
Mentions:
* Data Analytics Recession Playbook
* The top 10 books every data and analytics leader must read
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Bill on…
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Mar 22, 2023
How to Connect Data Strategy to Business Value
Modern data leaders know creating a data-informed culture requires cross-functional partnership and collaboration across the entire business. IT by themselves can’t do it. Nor can individual business departments. Both the IT and business strategy must be in lock step to achieve results. On this episode of The Data Chief, Dora Boussias, Senior Director of Data Strategy and Architecture at Stryker, discusses the role of modern data executives, three keys to creating a data-informed culture, and her approach to breaking down silos based on her own 28 years of experience building effective data strategies across industries.
Tune in to learn:
* How Dora’s diverse experiences have helped her approach to data strategy (6:53)
* How data leaders should be connecting data strategies to business value (10:37)
* How technical strategy and data strategy differ (13:57)
* Dora’s investment in continued learning about business challenges (14:59)
* Why there are no “dumb questions…
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Mar 8, 2023
The Big Data Behind How You Get Paid
The implications of employment shifts have different effects on certain subsets of the population. Understanding these implications in real time helps businesses, governments, and individuals make better decisions about what to do next. ADP serves its customers in more ways than just payroll, taxes, and employment benefits. CDO Jack Berkowitz shares more about these benefits, and the parts of ADP’s business dedicated to reporting and sharing data.
Tune in to learn:
* Managing high data volumes and maintaining data reliability at ADP (03:05)
* Real-time employment data about equity in the workforce (05:33)
* Monetizing data and how that has changed (09:35)
* The end of FTP? (12:06)
* The role of payroll data plays to tell the truth about diversity and inclusion in the workforce. (19:45)
* Jack’s personal career shift from the vendor to end-user (27:08)
* Lightning Round (28:00)
Mentions:
* ADP National Employment Report
* Edward Tufte https://www.edwardtufte.co…
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Feb 22, 2023
How to Harness the Explosive Growth of ChatGPT for AI Innovation
Historically, computers haven’t been particularly good at determining user intent from real-world language inputs. However, the advancement of natural language processing technologies, like ChatGPT, has led to remarkable improvements in AI systems' accuracy in responding to human queries. In this episode, Amit Prakash, Co-founder of ThoughtSpot, discusses the development of AI and the accountability required to make it ready for daily use.
Tune in to learn:
What was the problem Amit was trying to solve when he co-founded ThoughtSpot? (04:48)
When did Amit first start looking at ChatGPT and natural language processing? (08:16)
Why did ChatGPT explode in 2023? (21:00)
Is ChatGPT ready for important work and research? (31:26)
Will ChatGPT spell the end of platforms like ThoughtSpot? (32:41)
Mentions:
* _Elements of Programming Interviews: The Insiders' Guide_, By Adnan Aziz, Tsung-Hsien Lee, Amit Prakash
* _Elements of Programming Interviews in Java: The Insider's Guide_, By Adn…
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Jan 18, 2023
Top Data & AI Industry Trends in 2023 with Tom Davenport, Tony Baer, and Sonny Rivera
Everywhere you look, change is redefining the data landscape. From the rise of the analytics engineer to data leaders clamoring to make self service analytics real, it’s clear organizations are looking for new opportunities to put their data to work.
But which changes matter? In this episode, we break down some of the data and analytics trends for 2023 that will help you identify key ways to rise above your competitors. Tom Davenport is back for another episode and this time he’s here to talk about AI and the relationship that the workforce should start building with it. Tony Baer weighs in on the great data framework debate. And Sonny Rivera points out the need for better education in the analytics industry, particularly when it comes to data modeling techniques.
Tune in to learn:
* The biggest surprise in the survey findings around the role of the CDO (03:13)
* Data governance or data enablement? (05:14)
* CDO’s making a play for CEO in 2023 and beyond (07:27)
* Lega…
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Nov 16, 2022
Six Rules to Dominate the Decade of Data
Today’s digital economy is more competitive than ever, and making smart data decisions can be what sets the leaders apart from the rest of the field. With new technologies now democratizing data at an accelerated pace, how can companies ensure that their data strategy is helping them stay ahead of the curve? As our third season comes to a close, Cindi takes a look back at some of our most insightful conversations to lay out six essential rules that every Data Chief should follow to dominate the decade of data.
Tune in to learn:
* Rule 1: Leverage the best-of-breed from the modern data stack (02:30)
* Rule 2: Empower everyone with true self-service analytics (10:58)
* Rule 3: Drive actions with operationalized insights (18:44)
* Rule 4: Build a flexible data foundation (27:26)
* Rule 5: Utilize third-party data to build a 360-degree view (35:07)
* Rule 6: Deliver engaging data-driven UX (38:47)
Mentions
* Gilead Sciences’ Murali Vridhachalam and ZS Associates’ Ma…
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Nov 2, 2022
ThoughtSpot’s Cindi Howson on Best Practices for Driving Impact from Data & Analytics (Ep. 26 Refresh)
On this episode of The Data Chief, we look back at some of the key themes from season one, including the rise of the CDO, the intricacies of aligning your department’s goals with that of the businesses, and how you coped with accelerated timelines. While we relive these important conversations, we also discuss why culture and data fluency continue to be the biggest hurdles to becoming a truly data-driven business.
Tune in to learn:
* The Rise of the Data Chief (02:54)
* Aligning with Your Business Values (08:32)
* Rapid Technical Innovation and the Shift to Cloud (15:52)
* Technology Reflects Culture (23:30)
* Assessing your Data Fluency (31:52)
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders on The Data Chief. https://www.thoughtspot.com/data-chief
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at https://mission.org.
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Oct 19, 2022
The Modern Milkman’s Chief Strategy Officer, John Hughes on Using Data to Save Our Oceans from Plastic
Each year, around 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean, killing wildlife and damaging the environment for future generations. Much of this pollution originates from the wasteful packaging used for everyday grocery products. But a greener grocery alternative is making waves from across the pond. Joining us today is John Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer at The Modern Milkman, a UK-based grocery delivery company that brings locally sourced goods directly to customers without any single-use plastics. From the startup’s early days, John sought to invest heavily in data modernization. Hear how his data-driven approach has helped the company cultivate a shared mission with customers to make the world a cleaner, safer, and better place for all of its creatures.
Tune in to learn:
* About The Modern Milkman and how John became associated with it (04:46)
* How data has helped lead to the company’s growth (12:17)
* The Modern Milkman’s data stack (28:14)
* The benefits of…
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Oct 5, 2022
New Zealand's Crown Research Institute CDAO, Jan Sheppard on Treating Data as a Treasure
Treating data as a treasure is a foundational principle for Jan Sheppard, the Chief Data and Analytics officer at New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR.) This agency leads ongoing research in public health, environmental health, and forensics for the country of New Zealand. Like many other CDAOs, her role is relatively new. But the unique values she applies to data can be traced back many hundreds of years to the indigenous Maori people of her country. Through her work, Jan recognizes the profound impact data can have on people and their environments for generations to come. Learn more about the important climate and health policy challenges that ESR is working to solve with data in this episode, plus her take on data literacy vs. business savviness, and why her data strategy is just two pages long.
Tune in to learn:
* How do you make vastly different data work together at ESR? (07:12)
* Data’s role as a treasure (11:43)
* How do…
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Sep 21, 2022
Société Générale’s Innovation Data & AI Leader Julien Molez on Creating a Value-Driven Data Framework
At French bank, Société Générale, providing the best customer experience in the modern digital world means rethinking everything about banking, including its corporate structure. Three years ago, Julien Molez, joined the bank’s leadership team to become the first Innovation Data & AI Leader. On this episode of The Data Chief, Julien addresses changes sweeping the banking industry, including higher customer expectations, tougher regulations, and the ESG revolution. He also reminds us that at the end of the day, fancy AI models and algorithms will only perform as well as the data that goes into them.
Tune in to learn:
* Creating a value-driven data framework (06:31)
* How do you achieve customer personalization while adhering to GDPR? (15:29)
* How do you truly secure data at all touchpoints? (20:29)
* How is Société Générale leading in ESG reporting? (23:44)
* What were Société Générale’s unique challenges in scaling up AI use cases? (28:55)
* How do you ed…
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Sep 7, 2022
Three Must Read Data and Analytics Books with Tim Harford, Zhamak Dehghani, and Brent Dykes
It is once again that time of year when our host, Cindi Howson shares her favorite data and analytics book recommendations. In this special annual episode, we feature three of the industry’s top data writers, thinkers, and fellow podcasters. Tim Harford comes to the conversation with his new book, _The Data Detective,_ and big-picture ideas about how traits like curiosity serve data scientists so well. Zhamak Dehghani shares her concept of _The Data Mesh,_ especially as it relates to sharing data across business verticals. Finally, in his book, _Effective Data Storytelling,_ Brent Dykes compels readers to think carefully about the way they craft the message or narrative around the data they’re interpreting.
Tune in to learn:
* Making sense of the world through a data lens with Tim Harford (05:18)
* Tim’s favorite of the ten data commandments (07:11)
* Guard against using data as a control mechanism (15:14)
* How does curiosity create a healthier relationship with data?…
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Aug 17, 2022
DoorDash’s VP of Analytics & Data Science, Jessica Lachs on Leveraging Data to Delight Customers Despite a Challenging Supply Chain
Who’s hungry? Thanks to delivery apps like DoorDash, it’s never been easier for modern consumers to satisfy almost any craving in just a few taps. At the helm of DoorDash’s data organization is VP of Analytics & Data Science, Jessica Lachs. With metrics guiding every decision at the company, a key part of her decision-making comes down to properly quantifying the value of each possible tradeoff. Learn more about her decision-making framework, plus how her career in finance evolved into entrepreneurship and ultimately led her to create the data and analytics organization at DoorDash.
Tune in to learn:
* Using data to move levers that balance tradeoffs (09:28)
* Managing an unpredictable and complicated supply chain (12:26)
* The confluence of personalization and consumer privacy (15:08)
* Strategy for data architecting by the DoorDash team (21:00
* Cultivating a creative team that also communicates effectively (26:59)
* Unlikely career journey: Lehman Brothers to ent…
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Jul 27, 2022
Swiss RE’s SVP of P&C R&D, Jerry Gupta on AI Innovation and Building Revenue-Enhacing Data Models
Swiss RE’s SVP of P&C R&D, Jerry Gupta is a firm believer in the revenue-generating potential and AI and machine learning. On this episode of The Data Chief, Jerry offers his view on innovative data model, frameworks for building and operationalizing these models, what makes a good data scientist, and why it will always be more challenging for data teams to maintain existing models vs. innovate new ones.
Tune in to learn:
* The difference between ost cutting versus revenue-enhancing initiatives 03:20
* More about the Data Model framework 07:50
* Why the quality of your output depends on the quality of your input 11:35
* How to address the shortfall of data scientists in the job market 13:48
* How to set more clear value statements for models 27:56
* More about informing the regulation of ethical AI and machine learning 45:33
Mentions:
* McKinsey Global Survey: "The state of AI in 2021"
* "Unreasonable effectiveness of learning neural networks: From accessible stat…
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Jul 13, 2022
American Express CDO and EVP Enterprise Digital & Data Solutions, Pascale Hutz on Managing Data as a Product and Rewarding Creative Destruction
What keeps a data pro at one company for almost thirty years? On this episode of The Data Chief, Pascale Hutz, the Chief Data Officer and EVP of Enterprise Digital & Data Solutions at American Express, shares how her career at American Express has transformed over the years and what she’s learned along the way. Tune in to hear more about her latest cloud migration journey, why she’s on a “mission to decommission,” and how she fights imposter syndrome even as a C-level executive in one of the largest, most impactful financial services firms in the world.
Tune in to learn:
* About Pascale’s career journey (03:41)
* That data should be considered like a product 14:18:
* How to stay tranquil during transformation (17:02)
* The importance of decommissioning tech (21:21)
Mentions:
* "Data Mesh: Delivering Data-Driven Value at Scale" (written by Zhamak Dehghani)
* World50
* “Enterprise Data Platforms, American Express, VP: The Data Landscape is Evolving Continuou…
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Jun 29, 2022
Boehringer Ingelheim’s Dr. Victoria Gamerman on Design Thinking in Healthcare and Creating a Data-Sharing Ecosystem
How can data be activated to create better healthcare outcomes? Dr. Victoria Gamerman, the Global Head of Data Governance and Insights at Boehringer Ingelheim, offers that part of the answer is that data is changing to be thought of as part of the broader healthcare “ecosystem.” Listen in for how some of the philosophical frameworks concerning data can help to improve healthcare.
Tune in to learn:
* Changes in how data is being used in healthcare (07:00)
* How a system could be set up to share health data safely and wisely (13:05)
* How design thinking can apply to healthcare (25:41)
* What data mentality needs to change (28:26)
Mentions:
* HBS Professor Linda Hill Says Leaders Must Engage with Emotions as Never Before
* Clayton Christensen - "Jobs to be Done" theory
* “Coded Bias” (movie)
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Victoria on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more…
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Jun 15, 2022
Prudential Financial’s CDO Kjersten Moody on Continuous Learning & Collaboration to Drive Impact with Data
What does it take to turn a new position that never existed into one that delivers transformation for an entire organization? As the first Chief Data Officer at Prudential Financial and the initial Chief Data Analytics Officer at a prior career stop at State Farm, Kjersten Moody knows the answer. Tune in to learn how being a constant learner has consistently allowed her to see challenges as opportunities for growth.
Tune in to learn:
* How Kjersten’s role model influenced her life and career (04:08)
* How Prudential is thinking differently about its strategy and data (32:28)
* About the role that a good culture can play in supporting transformation (36:19)
* How Kjersten has elevated data science at Prudential (42:33)
* How to meet stakeholders in a place that’s helpful to them (47:38)
Mentions:
* “The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right” by Atul Gawande
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Kjersten on The Data Chief.
Mission.or…
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Jun 1, 2022
CarMax AVP of Technology, Data & Analytics, Abhi Bhatt on Upskilling Talent and Using Third Party Data to Build Better Customer Experiences
How do you make innovation truly come alive? For Abhi Bhatt, the AVP, Technology, Data & Analytics at CarMax, innovation is about using data to change “business models.” Abhi also describes the need to train up teammates and others who use the data concerning technological advances. Additionally, he shares his career journey and how his positive experience as a CarMax customer initially activated his interest in the company.
Tune in to learn:
* How did Abhi end up working at CarMax? (13:00)
* How can companies make the most of their internal data? (17:18)
* How do you train up relevant parties concerning new technology? (23:41)
* How does Abhi find talent? (27:56)
* How does Abhi keep up with so much innovation? (37:07)
Mentions:
Top Trends for 2022
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Abhi on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
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May 18, 2022
Fitch Group’s Heidi Lanford on Finding a Voice in the C-Suite and Improving Data Literacy
How has the Chief Data Officer role changed? Heidi Lanford, CDO of Fitch Group, shares that _“it’s gone from stewarding and protecting data to monetization of data.”_ She explains how CDOs can be effective by working together with other company leaders and communicating simply. Learn from Heidi why there can be great career value in being willing to be uncomfortable.
Tune in to learn:
* How does Heidi work with the leadership team? (10:03)
* How does Heidi suggest CDOs communicate to CEOs?(13:05)
* How can a CDO work with the technology side to update the tech stack? (18:58)
* How is Heidi helping her workers become more data literate?(27:50)
* What’s the benefit of choosing to be uncomfortable in one’s career journey? (37:48)
Mentions:
* “Getting to ‘Yes And’: The Art of Business Improv”
* Building CDO Influence in the C-Suite
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Heidi on The Data Chief.
Mission.org is a media studio pr…
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May 4, 2022
Gilead Sciences’ Murali Vridhachalam and ZS Associates’ Mahmood Majeed on the Modern Data Stack and Data Mesh
The data landscape is evolving in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Murali Vridhachalam, the Head of Enterprise Data and Analytics at Gilead Sciences, and Mahmood Majeed, Managing Partner at ZS Associates, offer their compelling perspectives on digital transformation in life sciences and healthcare and how data can be used in these areas to improve patient outcomes. Plus, Mahmood and Murali share their takes on how to effectively reskill data professionals and the role of IT in healthcare and life sciences is evolving.
Tune in to learn:
* How has the pandemic driven digital transformation in healthcare and life sciences? (05:34)
* Why has healthcare and life sciences historically been behind in terms of digital (11:37) transformation?
* Does data mesh add to confusion? (19:59)
* How has modern data and analytics delivered better patient outcomes? (25:21)
* How do you effectively upskill and reskill your people? (30:41)
Mentions:
* _Zhamak Dehghani_
* _Data Mes…
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Apr 20, 2022
Levi Strauss & Co.’s Dr. Katia Walsh on Using AI and Analytics to Create Cutting-Edge Customer Experiences
Your data will never be clean and it will never be perfect. So how do we create meaningful models anyway? As Dr. Katia Walsh puts it, data leaders are facing a “tsunami of data.” But that tsunami shouldn’t stop you from testing, iterating, and moving quickly. Dr. Walsh is the Chief Global Strategy and AI Officer at Levi Strauss & Co. and today she shares how her team has leveraged a mindset of “think big, start small, scale fast” to create cutting-edge data models and digital capabilities quickly.
Tune in to learn:
* (4:22) Why every business is a data business and how building out new digital and AI capabilities is about improving the 3Cs (connections, commerce, and creation.)
* (8:21) How Levi Strauss & Co. leverages data to create custom experiences no matter where a customer engages with them. As Katia says, “It’s not business; it’s personal.”
* (18:43) Why Katia’s motto is “think big, start small, scale fast.”
* (19:43) What do when you don’t ha…
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Apr 6, 2022
LPL Financial's Cara Dailey on Data Enablement and Balancing Data Defense with Offense
With every passing year, a new batch of data tools comes available, and a new crop of data professionals enters the job market. The Chief Data Officer has evolved into a position that acts both on the offensive and defensive sides of these changes. Our guest today, Cara Dailey, the EVP, and CDO at LPL Financial, has helped shape and define the role of data leaders in the C-suite as she’s moved through her career. Her experiences at companies like Nike, Bank of the West, and Silicon Valley Bank have led her to embody a spirit of data-enablement – rather than governance. She also begs the question, “Is all data created equal?” Tune in to find out on this episode of The Data Chief.
Mentions:
* InvestInData
* Tom Davenport
* Randy Bean - Fail Fast, Learn Faster
* Simon Sinek - Start with Why
* Monte Carlo
* Barr Moses
* Harvard Business Review
Key Takeaways
* Great CDOs balance offense and defense. Primarily, the role of the CDO started with the idea that organi…
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Mar 23, 2022
Unilever’s Vandana Khanna and Deeksha Singh on Demystifying Data, Dreaming Bigger, and Inspiring Business Users with The Art of the Possible
If you look around your home, it’s very likely you have at least one item from the Unilever family of brands lying around. From the soap in your shower to the ice cream bars in your freezer, Unilever delivers everyday products that help people get more out of life. And they rely on data to ensure they’re doing so sustainably.
Today’s guests are Unilever Director of Digital Finance Transformation, Vandana Khanna, and Director of Data and Analytics, Deeksha Singh. On this episode, the two leaders join Cindi to share exactly how they’re using data to impact everything from supply chain decisions to employee belonging. They also dive into how they are demystifying data at every level, eliminating manual reporting and data visualization work, and using data and AI to be a more sustainable company. All of this and more in today’s episode with Vandana Khanna and Deeksha Singh.
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Vandana and Deeksha on The Data Chief.
Key T…
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Mar 9, 2022
Afterpay’s Nitish Mathew on Prioritizing Customer Needs, Balancing Governance and Freedom, and Giving Your Team Purpose
Nitish Mathew, the Global Head of Data Engineering and Governance at Afterpay, joins The Data Chief to discuss measuring the impact of analytics, the rise of the analytics engineer, the importance of taking risks, and much more.
Tune in to learn:
* Why you can't take a data center mindset to the cloud (6:30)
* Why stakeholder satisfaction is the ultimate KPI (15:00)
* Inspiring your team through purpose (19:10)
* How to build a “walled garden” for business users (22:40)
* The importance of taking risks and celebrating failures (30:40)
Get even more insights from data and analytics leaders like Nitish on The Data Chief.
Episode mentions:
* Afterpay Blog
* Netezza
* Block
* CashApp
* Christian Idiodi
* _Five Dysfunctions of the Team_
* _Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Lessons in Data-Driven Leadership in an Age of Disruption, Big Data, and AI _
* _Risk: A User's Guide_
* _INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love_
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_The Data Chief is presented…
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Feb 16, 2022
Rakuten’s Takuya Kitagawa on Digital Twins, Getting a CEO to Love Data, and Moonshots
Whether you’ve passed your cursor over their logo on a streaming service, spotted it on the front of a Golden State Warriors jersey, or use their cash-back rebate system, the Rakuten brand is everywhere and actively expanding.
Today’s guest, Takuya Kitagawa is the Managing Executive Officer & CDO at Rakuten. On this episode, Takuya joins Cindi to discuss how the company has found massive, international success across multiple industries by integrating data across lines of business to deliver better customer experiences. He also dives into the importance of data fluency at every level, and elaborates on how Rakuten is leveraging the concept of “digital twins” to better connect with customers. Stick around to hear all of this, plus exciting details regarding Rakuten latest moonshot projects.
Key Takeaways
* Integrated data delivers better customer experiences: Rakuten has seen major success in offering enhanced services and experiences to customers around the world. Their se…
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Feb 2, 2022
Etsy’s Chu-Cheng Hsieh on Using Data to Develop a Thriving Marketplace
As the world continues to fill with impersonal, factory-machined goods, so increases the desire to see and feel more human creativity in the items we use in our lives. Etsy, a community marketplace for creative goods, was designed to help people sell their unique and homemade items online. The company continues to innovate and transform the small-business world, leading by focusing on innovation in their technology.
Today’s guest, Chu-Cheng Hsieh, is the first Chief Data Officer at Etsy. On this episode, Chu-Cheng Hsieh joins Cindi to discuss his unique perspective on helping build a data-driven organization from the ground up and how he’s fostered a culture of experimentation that has led to rapid growth and transformation within the company. He also dives into trends such as machine learning and data observability, and explains some of the most helpful mental frameworks he’s learned in his life and career.
Key Takeaways
* Check human intuition with data: Your gut feeling m…
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Jan 19, 2022
Using Data to Transform the Fan Experience in Football and Basketball: Insights from the Indianapolis Colts and Orlando Magic
There’s nothing like watching your favorite sports team live and in-person. The roar of the crowd. The smell of the concession stand. The suspense of the game clock winding down to its final seconds. But would you have guessed that behind every ticket purchase, box of cracker jacks, and Jumbotron moment, there are teams of data professionals working to make your fan experience even more seamless and engaging?
Joining Cindi today to discuss the data and analytics powering our favorite sports events are Jay Riola, the SVP of Strategy & Innovation for the Orlando Magic, and Charlie Shin, the VP of Data Strategy and Analytics for the Indianapolis Colts.
With perspectives from both the NBA and the NFL, Jay and Charlie explore the evolution of mobile ticketing, challenges with identity management, the importance of building fan trust, and the most surprising insights they’ve ever discovered within their data.
Key Takeaways
* Customers expect more for their data: When customers shar…
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Jan 5, 2022
GM’s Iwao Fusillo on Recruiting Top Talent and Building a Successful Data Literacy Strategy
For years, businesses have prioritized academic background and domain expertise when searching for top talent, matching current skills to job reqs with little regard for candidate aptitude. But according to Iwao Fusillo, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at General Motors, this is an outdated strategy. Iwao has led and developed data and analytics teams across multiple verticals, including finance and sports. In his experience, the secret to building successful and diverse teams is assessing passion, too.
Fusillo, a data and analytics veteran with prior stops in the NFL and American Express, now leads GM’s program for enterprise-wide analytics and data science. In this episode of the Data Chief, Iwao joins Cindi to discuss how data and analytics are fueling the future of General Motors, advice for structuring and scaling data teams, and how GM’s newly founded data and analytics academy is fostering data literacy across the organization.
Key Takeaways
* Presentation is key: As d…
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Dec 22, 2021
ServiceNow’s Vijay Kotu on the Power of Micro-Decisions and Aligning Data Strategy to Business Strategy
Every day we make decisions. Some are as simple as deciding when to leave for work in order to beat traffic or what to eat for breakfast. Others bear much greater importance, such as what new products to launch or what new markets to tackle. Analytics plays an important role in helping your business make these decisions in a smarter, more data-driven way.
_“The purpose of analytics is to help us make decisions, is to create decision-making capabilities across the company. The next step was to find out what those decisions are that we would need to make? When I say decisions, these are not like once in a quarter, boardroom decisions. I'm talking about everyday decisions that many of our colleagues make every single day.”_
Vijay Kotu is the SVP of Data and Analytics for ServiceNow, a company that is helping enterprises manage digital workflows. In this episode of the Data Chief, Vijay discusses how he is building a high-growth “mathematical enterprise” where frontline workers a…
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Dec 8, 2021
The Top Trends in 2022 for Data Leaders from DataRobot, Databricks, and Google
At the end of every year, you’re probably asking the same questions we are. What are the big changes coming next year? How do I stay ahead of them? And what’s separating real trends from the hype?
To answer these questions, we are excited to bring together some of the top minds in the industry. In this special episode, we’ll pick their brains and dig into what you need to know to thrive in the year ahead.
You’ll hear from three incredible guests -- all of whom are building and shaping the future of data and analytics:
* First, Ben Taylor, the Chief AI Evangelist at DataRobot
* Then, the Global Field CTO of Databricks, Chris D’Agostino.
* And finally, Bruno Aziza, the Head of Data & Analytics at Google Cloud.
Nothing is off the table. So whether you want to hear about augmented everything, dig into the debate around different cloud platforms, or learn why analytics has become more impactful than ever, this is the episode for you.
Key Takeaways
* CDOs must deliver…
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Dec 1, 2021
What To Expect on The Data Chief
We are back with more episodes! In the coming months, you’ll hear from executives and data leaders from companies like Databricks, Google, General Motors, Etsy, ServiceNow, and more. Our guests cover topics like cloud acceleration, ethical AI, data fluency, scaling data teams, the trends that matter as we enter 2022, and much more!
You won’t want to miss these upcoming episodes, so be sure to subscribe to The Data Chief on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Plus, you can dive deeper into these subjects at thedatachief.com where we host live events, share industry articles, and you can join a private slack community of like-minded Data Chief listeners.
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_The Data Chief is presented by our friends at ThoughtSpot. Searching through your company’s data for insights doesn’t have to be complicated. With ThoughtSpot, anyone in your organization can easily answer their own data questions, find the facts, and make better, faster decisions._ _Learn more at_ _thoughtsp…
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Aug 25, 2021
Four Must Read Books for Data and Analytics Leaders with Randy Bean, John Thompson, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, and Doug Laney
As we wrap up Season 2 of the Data Chief Podcast, It’s time to once again thank all of our listeners for tuning in and sending Cindi your ideas, and to all of our awesome guests who willingly shared their time and insights along the way.
This season The Data Chief shared stories such as Sol Rashidi, CAO Estèe Lauder Companies, about how she starts every day by reading for an hour. Or from Season one, Alberto Rey Villaverdo, Executive Director of Advanced Analytics at VirginMedia, about how he reads an hour or more every single day. It’s those stories that have inspired this special end-of-season episode.
In this podcast, Cindi is joined by four distinct authors with must-read books, two new that are new to bookshelves, and two that are time-tested. Be sure to check out the companion blog on thedatachief.com for other books Cindi recommends as well.
In this episode you’ll hear from
* Randy Bean, author of _Fail Fast, Learn Faster_.
* John Thompson on _Building Analytics T…
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Aug 11, 2021
Investec’s Daniel Seymore on Change Management, Business Agility, and Developing Domain Expertise
Is the role of a data scientist still a “sexy job” or has it lost a bit of its luster? And what’s more important for successful data leaders, deep data knowledge or business savvy?
Daniel Seymore is the Head of Business Intelligence for Investec, a bank that is delivering out of the ordinary insights in the world of finance to help its customers create and manage wealth. One of Daniel’s career-guiding principles is to question the conventional, and on this episode of The Data Chief, he sheds light on some of these questions and shares how he is continuing to live by this principle to help Investec modernize its data capabilities.
Daniel and Cindi also discuss why the only constant in life is change, which means businesses must place a larger emphasis on upskilling workforces. Lastly, the two dive into why domain expertise might be the most important skill for any data leader.
Main Takeaways
* Domain expertise matters: The hardest pivot for most technical professionals is…
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Jul 28, 2021
Mastercard’s JoAnn Stonier on Responsible AI and Applying Human-Centric Design Principles to Data Problems
JoAnn Stonier loves her role. After all, when you’re the Chief Data Officer for Mastercard, the opportunities to create real change are plentiful. But Stonier knows her work is about more than just data privacy and governance, it’s about aligning the company’s data strategy to business goals and impacting the organization in a positive way. And of course, making sure that all 725 million of Mastercard’s credit card holders are protected.
With a career rooted in privacy, a degree in law, and a background in interior design, Stonier is not just a well-rounded CDO, she’s a visionary. On this episode of The Data Chief, JoAnn joins Cindi for an inside look at data’s impact on people, data ethics, and the importance of building trustworthy models.
Main Takeaways
* The CDO is an enabler of the business: In Joann’s own words, “the role of the CDO is to engage the business in tomorrow’s business.” This means CDOs must consistently be aligned with the company's goals, an…
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Jul 14, 2021
Estée Lauder’s Sol Rashidi on Treating Data as a Product, Turning Failures into Success, and the Unique Position of the CDO
Every data professional will gladly discuss their big wins — but what about their big losses? How have career hiccups molded them into the leaders they are today and put them on a path to transform entire industries?
Sol Rashidi is the Chief Analytics Officer at the Estée Lauder Company. Throughout her personal and professional life, Sol has used moments of uncertainty as opportunities for growth. Today she is recognized as one of the top 50 most powerful women in tech. On this episode of The Data Chief, Sol joins Cindi for a candid conversation about how she uses challenging circumstances as fuel for further innovation, and how she turns failures into valuable learning moments. Sol also takes a deep dive into the unique position of the CDO as both a business and a tech partner, why data as a service for internal stakeholders is just as important as when designing consumer-facing data products, and why knowing your shelf life is one of the most valuable professional skills you can…
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Jun 30, 2021
Pilot Flying J’s Ameet Shetty on Cloud Data Infrastructure, Governance, Analytics Talent
Data governance. It’s a “dirty word” in business often associated with being told “no,” but from the perspective of the CDO it’s a crucial part of managing data quality and trust. How are employees being held accountable? Do people have the right access to insights? And is your own business’ data infrastructure and governance policies fostering innovation or stifling it?
Ameet Shetty is Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Pilot Flying J, a company that serves more than 1.3 million consumers daily while operating more than 750 locations stateside. On this episode of The Data Chief, Ameet joins Cindi for a conversation on data governance and how to organize your analytics team. Ameet explains why governance gets a bad rap while also touching on the importance of balancing accountability with innovation, having the right technology foundation in place, and the most successful CDOs are natural connectors.
Main Takeaways
* Lean on data as a driver for customer insights an…
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Jun 16, 2021
Credit Karma’s Ryan Graciano on Data Marts, Data Models, and Disrupting the Credit Landscape
No journey to the cloud is the same. While some will encounter similar obstacles, each journey has its own unique challenges. But what happens when a company born in the midst of a crisis and changing technology, has to innovate just as fast as the changing landscape to keep up?
Ryan Graciano is the co-founder and CTO of Credit Karma, a company that is aligning technology and data to help bring transparency to the credit lending process. On this episode of The Data Chief, Ryan explains how Credit Karma survived early struggles such as the financial crisis of 2008. Ryan also touches on how Credit Karma navigated it’s journey to the cloud, stepping away from the comfort of on-premises data centers to the elasticity of the cloud, and the importance of grooming outside data sources to keep insights consistent. That and more on today’s episode with Ryan Graciano.
Main Takeaways
* Explainable algorithms drive success: As third party datasets become more readily available, there is a…
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Jun 2, 2021
First Command’s Darren Pedroza on Being a Data Activist and Leading your Company Through Digital Transformation
The role of the Chief Data Officer is an evolving one. Today, data professionals are expected to be champions for their business – aligning data goals with business values – while also leading their company’s digital transformation. It’s a position best suited for visionaries, advocates, and change agents.
Darren Pedroza is the Vice President of Enterprise Data and Analytics at First Command Financial Services, with a mission of helping military families reach their financial goals. In addition to being a data and analytics savant, a major part of his success in this role is his acute understanding of how to transform a data strategy to keep pace with changing times and business needs.
On this episode of The Data Chief, Darren explains how First Command transformed its data and cloud strategy to be more flexible, agile, and democratized. Darren also touches on a host of topics, including Databricks, what routinely leads to bad data, and leadership best practices.
Main Takeaw…
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May 19, 2021
Kraft Heinz’s Serena Huang on Retaining Top Talent with People Analytics
In the age of data-driven decision making, an adage still bears true: People are a company's most valuable asset. No matter how technologically advanced and forward thinking your company is, it cannot operate without the individuals that make the organization go. So how are companies using data and analytics to not only make better decisions at the company level, but also improve the employee experience? And how are data and analytics predicting trends for the future of work that includes employee well-being and greater inclusivity?
Serena Huang is the Global Head of People Analytics at the Kraft Heinz Company. On this episode of The Data Chief she shares insights into her work and why companies are turning to this important function to design more thoughtful employee experiences. Enjoy!
Main Takeaways
* Start with the problem, not the data: When solving a problem, don’t start with your data. Instead, understand what solution you are trying to solve for and then design your expe…
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May 5, 2021
OpenTable’s Grant Parsamyan on How Data and Analytics is Helping the Restaurant Industry Rebound from COVID-19
The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit industries over the last year. Amid countless closures and reopenings, restaurants have overcome many obstacles in an effort to survive. Through these struggles, restaurant professionals have turned to data to optimize everything from takeout orders to new layouts, all the way to analyzing market recovery.
Grant Parsamyan is the Senior Vice President for Data and Analytics at OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation service that is empowering restaurants of all sizes to operate more efficiently through the use of technology.
On this episode of The Data Chief, Grant dives into OpenTable’s State of the Industry site, designed to illustrate how COVID-19 has impacted restaurants through powerful data storytelling. Grant and Cindi also discuss the importance of data literacy, and picking the right analytics tools to match business use cases. Enjoy!
Main Takeaways
* Measuring success and proving value: Measuring success or me…
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Apr 21, 2021
Daily Harvest’s Brad Klingenberg on How Data-Driven Personalization is Driving Food Creation
Data and the power it wields has made its way into every industry over the last decade. From entertainment to real estate, all the way to the fashion industry, companies leading their industries are using data to create uniquely personalized digital experiences.
Brad Klingenberg is the Chief Algorithms Officer at Daily Harvest, the direct-to-consumer brand that helps stock your home with fresh, plant-based foods. Brad leads the data team and is charged with using data and algorithms to create meals Daily Harvest customers will enjoy and keep coming back for.
On this episode of The Data Chief, Brad and Cindi discuss the importance of aligning your customers’ wants with business value to create unique experiences, and how to go about sourcing data to get the desired outcomes. Brad also dives into his previous work at Stitch Fix, and provides insights on how to scale data teams and foster a data culture. Enjoy!
Main Takeaways
* The personalization promise to customers: Customers a…
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Apr 7, 2021
Opendoor’s Ian Wong on Disrupting the Real Estate Industry with Data-Driven Digital Transformation
“Garbage in, garbage out.” It’s a philosophy every data leader is familiar with. Your algorithms and models are only as good as the data you put in them -- so how do you ensure the data you are leveraging is reliable and trustworthy?
Joining Cindi today is Opendoor Co-founder and CTO, Ian Wong. Opendoor is on a mission to remove the guesswork from homebuying, and in this episode, Ian details how the company’s algorithms provide future homebuyers peace of mind about getting the best possible offer for their home. Ian explains how the team harnesses multiple data sources and uses machine learning to maintain a competitive advantage. Plus, Ian and Cindi discuss how to turn those valuable data insights into measurable business results.
All that and more on today’s episode with Opendoor’s Ian Wong.
Main Takeaways
* Trust in the numbers: All great algorithms start with great data, but having a high fidelity of data is one of the key differentiators for any high-performing m…
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Mar 10, 2021
ThoughtSpot’s Ajeet Singh on Designing Disruption for Analytics
Ajeet Singh is a risk taker. There’s no other way to describe someone who's done the things he has and accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. An immigrant, entrepreneur, and and most importantly a disruptor, Singh has constructed two multi-billion dollar entities from the ground up. Throughout his journey, he’s been guided by two principles: his out-of-the-box thinking and curiosity about how he can improve people’s lives.
As a young entrepreneur working in Silicon Valley during the big data days, Singh noticed the data and analytics space was ripe for disruption. So he did something about it. First with Nutranix and now with ThoughtSpot, where he's working to solve some of the world's biggest problems by democratizing data for all. On this episode of The Data Chief, Singh, Co-founder and Executive Chairman at ThoughtSpot, dives into some of the biggest challenges facing CDOs in 2021, why organizations must empower their leadership teams to drive meaningful change,…
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Feb 24, 2021
ThoughtSpot’s Cindi Howson on Chief Data Officer Success Strategies
Much like a roller coaster, 2020 was full of many loops, twists, and turns. From accelerated digital transformations to expedited migrations to the cloud, you were asked to do it all— often with far less time and resources. Through it all, _The Data Chief_ was right there with you, along for the unprecedented ride.
From the beginning this podcast had a vision: To bring you learnings and best practices from the brightest minds in our industry to help you all become better data stewards. On this episode of The Data Chief, we look back at some of the key themes from season one, including the rise of the CDO, the intricacies of aligning your department’s goals with that of the businesses, and how you coped with accelerated timelines. While we relive these important conversations, we also discuss why culture and data fluency continue to be the biggest hurdles to becoming a truly data-driven business.
Main Takeaways
* The Rise of the Data Chief: The role of the CDO now goes beyond g…
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Feb 3, 2021
Princeton University's Ruja Benjamin on Bias in Data and A.I.
Joining Cindi today is Ruha Benjamin, a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the founding director of the IDA B. WELLS Just Data Lab. She has studied the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine for over 15 years and speaks widely on issues of innovation, equity, health, and justice in the U.S. and globally. Ruha is the author of _Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code_ and _People's Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier_, and the editor of _Captivating Technology: Race, Carceral Technoscience, and Liberatory Imagination in Everyday Life_.
In this episode, Ruha and Cindi discuss how flawed data can have disastrous, real-world consequences for women and people of color. Ruha also describes a multidisciplinary approach to recognizing and refurbishing the processes for gathering and governing data.
Key Takeaways:
* The least apparent bias is often the most dangerous. We can't prevent the consequences of…
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Jan 20, 2021
Verizon's Radha Sankaran on Personalizing Customer Experiences and Improving Frontline Decision-Making with Data
Joining Cindi today is Radha Sankaran, the Executive Director of Advanced Analytics/AI and ML at Verizon. Radha is a technology executive with more than 24 years of hands-on leadership experience with a proven track record in fast-paced and quality-driven product delivery. She has led and managed high-performance teams in the telecom and wireless industry for 4G LTE, IoT, and 5G technologies.
Today, Radha and Cindi discuss the benefits of personalizing customer experience - including why personalization is Verizon's number one priority moving forward. Radha also shares her strategies for empowering frontline decision makers with data in a way that helps rather than overwhelms, how to protect customers’ privacy while putting their data to best use, and what women in tech aspiring to excel in this field should know to succeed and break the glass ceiling.
Key Takeaways:
* Get personal. Leverage data to view your customer’s journey from their perspective. Whether it’s email, SMS…
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Jan 13, 2021
Donald Farmer, Wayne Eckerson, and Tom Davenport on Data and Analytics Trends to Watch in 2021
This week we have a very special episode featuring insights from three data and analytics leaders on what to expect in 2021. You’ll hear from:
* Donald Farmer, a principal at TreeHive Strategy
* Wayne Eckerson, the Founder and Principal Consultant at Eckerson Group
* Tom Davenport, Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College
They discuss everything from how to remain relevant in the rapidly evolving data and analytics industry, what technologies will have the biggest impact on our lives, and what the future of the workplace will look like and what those changes mean for your business. Enjoy the lightning rounds on Super Bowl predictions, snow, and best books to read!
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_The Data Chief is presented by our friends at ThoughtSpot. Searching through your company’s data for insights doesn’t have to be complicated. With ThoughtSpot, anyone in your organization can easily answer their own data questions, find the facts, and make better,…
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Jan 6, 2021
Citigroup's Chris Powers on Data Literacy
Joining Cindi today is Chris Powers, Senior Vice President and Global Product Manager of Business Data Analytics & Digital Innovations at Citigroup.
On this episode, Chris and Cindi discuss data literacy as a thought process that is nurtured by a good old-fashioned willingness to take things apart and put them back together again, what common data sense is and how it can be taught to people without shaming them, and why "the five whys" are an invaluable technique for solving almost any problem.
They also examine the real -- and counterintuitive -- purpose of self-service analytics. Plus, Cindi and Chris explain why data's role as the new oil is only as good as knowing what engine can use it.
Key Takeaways:
* If data is the new oil, you need to make sure it gets to the engine that can use it. Data, like oil, doesn't do anything on its own. In order for it to be of use, you need to have processes in place to contextualize that data and ensure it gets to the right experts and busine…
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Dec 2, 2020
Nationwide's Jim Tyo on Data Governance Best Practices
Joining Cindi today is Jim Tyo, CDO at investment management firm Invesco, and the former CDO at Nationwide, where he was responsible for overall strategic vision, planning, execution, and management of all activities related to the operation of the Enterprise Data Office (EDO).
On this episode, Jim and Cindi discuss best practices and the evolution of data governance and information quality over the past decade, taking the 'digital twin' approach from the world of manufacturing and applying it to the world of data, the ethical nuances of navigating privacy laws and nontraditional inputs for complete datasets without introducing undue biases, advice for people aspiring to pursue a career in data, and much more.
Key Takeaways:
* Strategies Jim has leveraged to properly balance data governance and information quality (for which his team has won awards), and how the conversation around data governance has changed during his decade in the field.
* How the concept of the digital twin…
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Nov 11, 2020
Federal Government's Suzette Kent on Federal Data Strategy and IT Modernization
Joining Cindi today is Suzette Kent, the former US Federal Chief Information Officer. Suzette joined the Federal Government in 2018 from the financial services industry with two key goals: drive IT modernization and overcome the challenges in federal IT budgeting and funding alignment.
On this episode, Suzette and Cindi discuss the creative friction between the public and private sector, the pros and cons of how the public and private sectors operate and what they can gain by collaborating with one another, and the challenges of avoiding minutiae and focusing on the big picture when working with massive datasets. Plus, Suzette shares the origin story of the federal data strategy and how she hopes it can be used to solve the problems we face today.
Key Takeaways & Discussion Points:
* Creative friction happens when private and public sectors collaborate and each side benefits from the experience.
* You can't drive change only from a technology side; people need to be involved in…
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Oct 28, 2020
Ensemble Health Partners' Jon Osborn and Snowflake's Todd Crosslin on Cloud Innovation in Healthcare
Joining Cindi today are two guests: Jon Osborn, Software Technology Executive and former SVP, Chief Technical and Data Officer at Ensemble Health Partners, and Todd Crosslin, the Global Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Snowflake.
On this episode, Jon, Todd, and Cindi discuss how people in the healthcare chain of command can collaborate with one another more freely than ever before thanks to cloud innovations that make sensitive data safely and instantly available to all parties, why the countless benefits of moving to the cloud far outweigh the seemingly hefty upfront price tag (provided you adapt your strategy to fit your budget), and how a data chief can build a case to make these points evident to the stakeholders and higher-ups responsible for paying the bills.
Key Takeaways:
* Experiment with internal and external stakeholders. The level of collaboration between people involved in the chain of providing healthcare is enhanced by the cloud in ways that have only recentl…
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Oct 14, 2020
Medibanks' Craig Rowlands on Saving Lives with Data Literacy
Today's guest is Craig Rowlands, the General Manager of Medibank. Craig is an ambitious leader with a proven track record for delivering major projects including data management, production, and business intelligence solutions.
On this episode, Craig and Cindi discuss the life- and cost-saving benefits of leveraging data to improve decision making in healthcare, how moving from financial services to healthcare has given Craig a more holistic view of what's possible with data, why an individual should never stop learning and broadening their skills at any age, and establishing beneficial relationships with vendors that make you partners in each others' success.
Key Takeaways:
* There's nothing like a life-changing event to demonstrate how data from the patient's perspective can be used. Craig demonstrated how he was able to research options for his own heart bypass surgery informed by the available data.
* Always broaden your skills. In Craig's case, this has meant moving across…
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Sep 30, 2020
Bernard Marr on A.I. Strategy and Change Management
Joining Cindi today is Bernard Marr, internationally bestselling author, futurist, and keynote speaker. He advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organizations and was voted by LinkedIn as one of the top five business influencers in the world and the number-one influencer in the UK.
On this episode, Bernard and Cindi discuss why businesses should treat AI as a focused strategy rather than a resource-draining experiment, five ways to determine how to implement AI as a strategy that addresses the needs of your business, and overcoming a company culture's resistance to change. They also talk about how to ensure that AI augments rather than replaces humans and what it means to nowcast versus forecast in a post-pandemic world.
Key Takeaways:
* Use AI as a strategy, not an experiment. AI should be applied strategically to the needs of your business, not treated as an experiment. Here, Bernard presents five lenses that will help you determine how AI can be focused appropria…
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Sep 16, 2020
Vertafore's Chad Hawkinson on Cloud Data Security and Streamlining Workflows
Joining Cindi today is Chad Hawkinson, the Chief Product and Data Officer at Vertafore, the leader in creating modern insurance technology. A seasoned data and analytics guru, Chad has seen first-hand the profound impact data-driven insights can have on customers’ success.
On this episode, Chad and Cindi discuss how the cloud makes it safer to use sensitive data, when it was long-feared it might do just the opposite. They cover everything from alleviating client concerns about the use of this data and securing this data from cyberattacks, to the value of streamlining data collection into everyday workflows rather than making it an additional headache for the client to manage. Plus, Chad shares the three components responsible for the 38 percent failure rate of analytics investments in insurance and what can be done to fix them.
Key Discussion Points:
* The cloud gives us more power over our data, not less. Qualified availability unlocks a level of control over that data that wou…
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Sep 4, 2020
San Francisco County's Jason Lally on Clarity and Better Serving People with Data (pt. 1)
This is Part 2 of our interview with Jason Lally, the Chief Data Officer for the City and County of San Francisco.
[Listen to Part 1 here.]
In Part 1, Cindi and Jason talked about the kindness of data clarity and the power of a declarative mission statement. In this episode, Jason discusses making the government's data work for the people it serves, the key gateway to better communication, and how to turn problems into opportunities.
Key Takeaways:
* Improving communication. Part of becoming a better communicator is just listening to what people don't understand and then figuring out a different way to explain it. And if you're trying to turn problems into opportunities, communicating one on one or in smaller groups allows everyone present to contribute to solving the problem which builds trust between them for the success of future efforts.
* Making data work for the people: Government data has the power to transform the services citizens experience, and can improve numerous…
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Sep 2, 2020
San Francisco County's Jason Lally on Clarity and Better Serving People with Data (pt. 1)
Joining Cindi today is Jason Lally, the Chief Data Officer for the City and County of San Francisco. On this episode, Jason and Cindi discuss the kindness of data clarity, why open data is just the tip of the iceberg, and the power of a declarative mission statement. Plus, they dive into Jason’s 10+ years of experience and unique career trajectory that brought him to his current role.
This is Part 1 of our interview with Jason Lally. Stay tuned for Part 2 (releasing on Friday) where Jason discusses making the government's data work for the people it serves, the key gateway to better communication, and how to turn problems into opportunities.
Key Takeaways:
* As Brené Brown would say: clarity is kindness. A declarative mission statement outlining your department's intentions can act as a powerful liaison between the work you're doing and the people you're serving.
* Open data is really just the tip of the iceberg. This is what people in the outside world see; what they don't s…
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Aug 19, 2020
Alight Analytics' Michelle Jacobs on Data-Driven Marketing and Respecting Customer Privacy (pt. 2)
This is Part 2 of Cindi's interview with Michelle Jacobs, President and co-founder of marketing measurement agency Alight Analytics.
In Part 1, Michelle shared tips for keeping up with the rapid pace of change in the industry and explained in what ways data can transform marketing departments for the better. In this episode, Michelle and Cindi discuss how to bring more women into analytics, why messy data tends to be directionally accurate, and what Michelle predicts for the future of analytics.”
Key Discussion Points:
* Avoid the Data Death March. Like single-use plastics, individually prepping massive amounts of data using yesterday's methods (like Excel and PowerPoint) for each and every meeting, presentation, and report is wasteful. The right technology can free up time and resources by centralizing this data and allowing it to be multi-purposed on-demand across all departments.
* Form top-to-down best practices. Think about the question you want to answer first, then loo…
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Aug 19, 2020
Alight Analytics' Michelle Jacobs on Data-Driven Marketing and Respecting Customer Privacy (pt. 1)
This is Part 1 of Cindi's interview with Michelle Jacobs, President and co-founder of marketing measurement agency Alight Analytics.
On this episode, Michelle and Cindi discuss how data can turn marketing from a regretful expense to a worthwhile investment, the benefits of learning to ask the right questions of your data, and how to determine a customer's wants and needs without invading their privacy. Plus, they talk about how to flip the 80 percent of the time we spend preparing data with the 20 percent of the time we spend analyzing it, share tips for adapting to the rapid pace of change in technology, and much more.
Key Discussion Points:
* Avoid the Data Death March. Like single-use plastics, individually prepping massive amounts of data using yesterday's methods (like Excel and PowerPoint) for each and every meeting, presentation, and report is wasteful. The right technology can free up time and resources by centralizing this data and allowing it to be multi-purposed on-dem…
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Aug 5, 2020
Just Eat's Alberto Rey Villaverde on Machine Learning, A.I., and Bridging the Imagination Gap (pt. 2)
This is Part 2 of Cindi's interview with Alberto Rey Villaverde, the Chief Data Officer at British online food order and delivery service Just Eat.
Listen to Part 1 of their interview here.
On this episode, Alberto and Cindi discuss how machine learning allows data to speak for itself, why artificial intelligence is more effective when it's led with the guiding hand of a human than without, three components crucial to the success of data products and services, adjusting business practices and expectations during pandemics and economic downturns, the talent gap versus the imagination gap in the data industry from a European perspective, data lakes versus data warehouses, and much more.
Key Takeaways:
* AI allows the data to speak for itself. Alberto's application of simple neural networking algorithms to massive sets of data efficiently and consistently optimized price points and saved his company money, justifying an expanded budget for AI adoption and development.
* AI + human…
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Aug 5, 2020
Just Eat's Alberto Rey Villaverde on Machine Learning, A.I., and Bridging the Imagination Gap (pt. 1)
This is Part 1 of Cindi's interview with Alberto Rey Villaverde, the Chief Data Officer at British online food order and delivery service Just Eat.
On this episode, Alberto and Cindi discuss how machine learning allows data to speak for itself, why artificial intelligence is more effective when it's led with the guiding hand of a human than without, three components crucial to the success of data products and services, adjusting business practices and expectations during pandemics and economic downturns, the talent gap versus the imagination gap in the data industry from a European perspective, data lakes versus data warehouses, and much more.
Key Takeaways:
* AI allows the data to speak for itself. Alberto's application of simple neural networking algorithms to massive sets of data efficiently and consistently optimized price points and saved his company money, justifying an expanded budget for AI adoption and development.
* AI + humans is better than AI alone. AI augments huma…
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Jul 22, 2020
Moffitt Cancer Center's Dr. Dana Rollison on Accelerating Scientific Discovery with Data
Joining Cindi today is Dr. Dana Rollison, Vice President, Chief Data Officer, and Associate Center Director of Data Science at Moffitt Cancer Center. Dana has been with Moffitt for over 16 years in varying capacities since earning her PhD in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. In this episode, she and Cindi discuss her work at Moffitt, how data is accelerating scientific discovery, and what leveraging data from the lab to the clinic looks like in practice.
Key Discussion Points:
* What makes Moffitt Cancer Center unique? Moffitt is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the state of Florida, and its level of data and analytics maturity leads in healthcare, a field that traditionally lags.
* Moffitt's Total Cancer Care protocol seeks to enroll every one of the center's patients in a research study to find new prevention and treatment strategies through collection of unique data sets.
* Trust matters. Dana's win/win approach…
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Jul 8, 2020
The Hartford's Sully McConnell on Data Infrastructure Innovation
Sully McConnell serves as the Chief Data Officer of The Hartford, where he has been since 2018. In this episode, Sully discusses the challenges he faced as a new data chief trying to innovate the infrastructure of an established company. He shares what worked, what hasn’t, and how he’s helped shift the team’s mindset so they can all make the changes needed to modernize the company.
Key Discussion Points:
* How an established company stays modern. The challenges a 21st-century data chief faces when trying to innovate and modernize the infrastructure of a 210-year-old insurance company that tends to err on the side of risk-aversion.
* Countering one big reason transformation efforts fail. Tips for getting an entrenched team on board with the changes that need to be made in order to move forward.
* Is the cost of cloud worth it? Weighing the cost of cloud versus the agility it brings, and the ethics of AI technology when it adds unintentional bias to the results.
More About…
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Jul 1, 2020
Wunderman Thompson Data's Jacques van Niekerk on Culture, Innovation, and Diversity
Joining Cindi today is Jacques van Niekerk, the Global CEO of Wunderman Thompson Data. On this episode, Jacques and Cindi discuss why data is not the new oil, as many in the industry have proclaimed, but instead should be thought of as ‘the new oxygen’ for businesses. They also explore what it means to focus on your customers' terms over your own, how fostering a culture of curiosity inspires innovation and keeps you ahead of competition, and how encouraging diversity of thought within your organization can lead to unexplored and untapped markets.
Key Takeaways:
* Data is not the new oil -- it's oxygen. If you don't take your first-party customer data seriously, your organization runs the risk of asphyxiating before you're even aware of the danger.
* Foster diversity of thought and a culture of curiosity. You never know what potential markets you're leaving untapped by excluding unexplored, overlooked, and neglected demographics you could otherwise be serving, or the new ways…
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Jun 24, 2020
14 West's Grace Epperson on using data to improve customer experience
On this episode of The Data Chief, Cindi is joined by Grace Epperson, the Chief Analytics Officer at 14 West, an Agora Company. They discuss what Grace's learned in that role, and how her and her team’s mindsets have evolved over the years. Grace also shares her take on why a liberal arts education is valuable in technology industries, plus how data can help marketers create personalized and impactful customer experiences.
Key Takeaways:
* Include your customers in the design process. Changing the design process to be consultative, collaborative, and more of a conversation with the customer ensures that the end result meets their needs. Such a minor mindset shift can lead to exceptional results.
* Critical thinking matters. In such a rapidly changing field as marketing, being able to intuitively bridge the gap between knowledge and expertise has become an even more valuable skill. With some simple tips, you can cultivate that type of thinking in your team.
* How art compleme…
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Jun 10, 2020
Schneider Electric's Gustavo Canton on optimizing human potential with AI and automation
Joining Cindi today is Gustavo Canton, VP of People Analytics at Schneider Electric. Gustavo has been with Schneider Electric for nearly three years, where he’s been a change agent driving innovation across Schneider’s growing data initiatives. In today's episode, Cindi and Gustavo discuss using automation to augment (not replace) humans, rebranding HR, scaling pandemic adaptation, the impact of staff well-being on performance, intuiting what customers really need, and team-building.
Key Takeaways:
* People aren't machines (and vice versa). Organize the structure so people are doing the work that only humans can do, and allow algorithms to take care of repetitive, mundane, report-driven tasks.
* Monitor employee well-being and the impact on performance. We now have the technology to monitor and adjust the variables -- such as workplace air quality -- that contribute to (or detract from) staff well-being and overall performance.
* Give the customer what they need (even if th…
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May 27, 2020
Avnet's Max Chan on digital transformation and IT innovation
Today’s guest is Max Chan. Max is the CIO of Avnet where he is responsible for the delivery of all strategic business IT and digital transformation initiatives.
Max sits down with Cindi to discuss Avnet’s long history, digital transformation and innovation in IT, and why the companies that leverage data to find valuable insights are miles ahead of the pack. Plus, Max shares some of the strategies he’s used to keep his team sharp in today’s fast-paced technology landscape.
Key Discussion Points:
* A Little About Avnet. Avnet may not be a household name, but it’s a company that’s about to celebrate its 100th anniversary — and the technological components it distributes are in everything from your iPhone’s charging connector to various IoT devices.
* From Collected Data to Insightful Data. How the technological leaps of the past five to eight years have allowed Avnet to truly leverage the wealth of data it has at its disposal.
* Complimenting Your Internal Team wi…
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May 13, 2020
PwC's Scott Peck on data storytelling and creating a culture of leadership
Joining Cindi today is Scott Peck, the Senior Director of the Data & Analytics Center of Excellence at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he’s worked for the past 13 years. In that time, he’s played a vital role in revolutionizing reporting systems, as well as helped revolutionize the role of the data analyst.
In today’s episode, Cindi and Scott discuss what it means to be an ‘Analyst of the Future’, their thoughts on leadership, and why data storytelling is a must-have skill.
Key Takeaways:
* Analyst of the Future. How Scott and his team transformed a report factory into proactive, business partners and analytics rock stars.
* What is Your Customer Really Asking? Why design thinking and including every level of an organization in problem-solving is the key to finding answers to the questions that customers are really asking.
* Creating a Culture of Leadership. How Scott empowers everyone on his team to be a leader and why he thinks cross-training employees in diffe…
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Apr 29, 2020
VMWare's Stephen Harris on navigating imperfect data
Today’s guest is Stephen Harris, the CDO of VMware. Stephen has more than 20 years in the data, analytics, and professional services fields.
He and Cindi discuss growth, diversity in tech, being a change agent within your organization, bias in AI, data for good, the talent gap, data fluency, and more!
Key Takeaways:
* The importance of understanding the role of data and its potential impact when there is an absence of fact or misinterpretation of data.
* How Stephen and his team at VMware are using data to navigate the current COVID-19 coronavirus crisis -- internally and externally.
* What a flawed facial recognition demo tells us about AI and the risk of bias at scale.
More About Stephen:
Stephen Harris is the CDO and VP Head of Enterprise Data & Analytics of VMware, reporting directly to the company's CFO. His team takes a customer-centric approach to evolving VMware's data and analytic insight capabilities; these capabilities are anchored around four strategic pillars…
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Apr 22, 2020
ThoughtSpot's Cindi Howson on the new role of the CDO
Cindi Howson is the Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot and our host of The Data Chief. To kick off this new podcast, we wanted to switch the roles… today, Cindi is our guest!
Tune in for a discussion between Cindi and Ian Faison, Executive Producer of The Data Chief, about culture, leadership, innovation, data for good, and what you can expect from future episodes of The Data Chief.
Key Takeaways:
* How being an aspiring writer – but a lousy typist – got Cindi into technology.
* The biggest changes Cindi has witnessed over the last 20 years.
* Where the new role of CDO (Chief Data Officer) fits into the hierarchy among the CIO and CAO, the barriers someone in this position can expect to face, and the ways we can expect this role to evolve in the months and years to come.
More About Cindi:
Cindi Howson is the Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, formerly a Gartner Research Vice President in Data and Analytics, and the Founder of BI Scorecard, an independ…
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Apr 22, 2020
About The Data Chief
Data is transforming how we think about life, work, business, healthcare, education, and everything in between. Meet the world’s top data and analytics leaders bringing this data revolution to life.
In each episode of The Data Chief, host Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, sits down with data and analytics leaders to discuss the trends, technologies, and cultures transforming fact-driven companies around the globe.
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The Data Chief is presented by our friends at ThoughtSpot. Searching through your company’s data for insights doesn’t have to be complicated. With ThoughtSpot, anyone in your organization can easily answer their own data questions, find the facts, and make better, faster decisions. Learn more at thoughtspot.com.
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For full show notes and more, go to thedatachief.com.
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