The Data Strategy Show

Sanjeev Mohan is the Principal and owner of SanjMo Former Gartner Research Analyst, self-confessed world galivanter, who has 30 years of the data bug and showing no signs of abating. He's always evolving, always innovating, and is a chronic learner.

Ben Steele is currently Head of Data and Analytics at the BMS Group. His focus is on strategic business enablement and unlocking the value in data assets across an organisation.

Mark Stouse is currently CEO of ProofAnalytics.ai, as well as a historian, philosopher and mathematician.

Sanjeevan Bala is currently Group Chief Data & AI Officer @ ITV, FTSE NED at Bakkavor and "The Most Influential Person in Data in the UK" as voted by DataIQ.

Robert Vane is an Enterprise Data Architect and creator of Federated Subject Areas (FSA) and the G-TEA Domain Architect platform.

Rachel Keane is the Chief Data Inspirer at The Data Inspiration Group Ltd, Digdata.

Bill Schmarzo is The Dean of Big Data, author of four books, and currently Customer Advocate, Data Management Incubation at Dell Technologies.

The final episode of Season 2 and my guest is none other than Scott Taylor - the data whisperer! Yep this is the final episode of Season 2 of 66 questions. Scott and I had a lot of fun making this episode as the season finale! I've had a hoot doing this season and finishing it with much laughter and comedy moments was probably the best way to go!

So enjoy listening to Scott do his thing and please do like, share, and comment. Tell everyone you know! Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Scott unplugged.

Abel has an energy that oozes from him, and he says that he was “born in Nigeria and made in the UK” He defines himself as trustworthy and being a loveable soul! The first time a data leader has talked about how we need to love more and hate less! An avid documentary watcher and lifelong learner he’s always looking at how to do things differently from a perspective of diversity and understanding of people. He has a suitcase of ambition and a lust for life, family and music! 

Abel is currently the External Engagement Lead -Transforming Data Collection (TDC) Programme at the Bank of England - part of the Data Management team, responsible for developing, embedding & delivering the Bank’s Data and Analytic (D&A) strategy in a rapidly changing world. 

He is a Board member in one of the leading Colleges in Scotland. Is passionate about Data, Technology, AI, Social Mobility, Education, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), Diversity and Inclusion.

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Abel. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Abel unplugged.

We have been connected for some time, and I think I met Susan for the first time at Big Data London 2022 and we recorded 4 questions as a mini 66. So here she is elaborating further on 62 questions! :-)

Susan needs no real introductions from me! We had a great conversation, had a lot of fun and of course you can’t see it, but in the background, there was her favourite icon – Robbie!

She even remembers when she broke her leg at 18 months old! She’s a self-confessed southern softie but still has her roots in Scotland!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Susan. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Susan unplugged.

Gareth is a super passionate and purposeful leader. He is currently Head of Data & Analytics for Sir Robert McAlpine logo and Board Member for SEM 1/1 Energy Management Systems and Energy Audits Committee.

He describes himself as enthusiastic, compassionate, and tenacious about all things data! He’s influencing the world of construction to embed better working practices in projects as he says 1 in 200 fail to be delivered on time, on budget and with ROI. So, he’s super excited about changing that in the industry with his colleagues across the sector.

I think you will love this episode! Gareth shoots from the heart and is an explorer of culture, people, countries and is super inspirational! Some great responses to 66 questions!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Gareth. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Gareth unplugged.

Jez and I have known each other for quite a long time, since 2017. We met when we were more or less fresh faces in the data industry and still finding our place.

Well, we have both come a long way since then and Jez is Co-founder and CEO at Eden Smith: a specialist data staffing, consulting & education company based in the UK and operating worldwide.

With over 20 years’ of experience in the staffing industry, Jez has helped many businesses adopt innovative strategies to attract, retain and develop niche data talent whilst helping job seekers position themselves for hire. He has a collaborative mentality, is always smiling, optimistic, and super positive about the industry!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Jez. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Jez unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 data podcasts by onlydatajobs and voted in the top 40 strategy podcasts by Feedspot in 2022. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

On today's episode I'm delighted to have Karen Jean-Francois! I was bowled over when I heard that Karen started out as an athlete and so I decided to look her up! Amazing! She ran for Harrow and France! In 15/16 she was pretty much in position 1 for many competitions in the heptathlon! She’s super focused and I loved her passion, positive energy and found her incredibly inspirational!

So moving on from athletics she branched into data analyst/data scientist. She is currently Analytics Manager – Operations at Monzo Bank.

She often talks about her fears and how she had to face head-on into impostor syndrome early on in her career as she was labeled too shy to succeed in a client-facing role, and she struggled to find her space and voice. But she is relentless in pursuit of self-help and says she’s a little bit of a self-help addict. By Overcoming these challenges she is now helping analysts in their development, improving their performance, and retelling her story so that they can be hugely effective in their roles.

She’s also a fellow podcaster and is the host of the Women in Data podcast. As well as this you can find her on thethrivinganalyst.com where she helps data analytics professionals ace their careers.

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Karen. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Karen unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 data podcasts by onlydatajobs and voted in the top 40 strategy podcasts by Feedspot in 2022. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

On today's episode I'm delighted to have not one but two data leaders: Jasper Hegarty-Ditton & Divya Selva Prabhu.

Jasper is the Director of Digital and Data and Divya who is the Data Analytics Coordinator and the first hire in his team, and are both from Leeds University Union.

What I admire about both is their openness, tenacity, and their diverse backgrounds, which made the conversation even more compelling. Both are extremely passionate about how data will be used for good in the future, and are extremely motivated to building community. 

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Jasper and Divya. Behind every data leader there is a person and here are Jasper and Divya unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 data podcasts by onlydatajobs and voted in the top 40 strategy podcasts by Feedspot in 2022. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

My guest today is Malcolm Hawker. His opening gambit is about walking on the beach and right there was my connection with Malcolm. What a wonderful conversation and I love the fact that his biggest learning experience was “failure”! Half of the battle in life is showing up and that’s been a mantra of his for years.

Malcolm is currently Head of Data Strategy for Profisee, his mission is to raise awareness of the value of MDM and Data Governance among senior data leaders at companies across the globe.

He has a passion for many things, the environment, sustainability, and blockchain for data. He profoundly states he could chew your ear off waxing about blockchain all day! 😊 Don’t get him started on data literacy!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Malcolm. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Malcom unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 podcasts in 2022 by onlydatajobs and was voted in the top 40 strategy podcasts for 2022 by Feedspot. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

I was referred to James by Itoro Liney and I am super pleased that I took her advice and invited James on! Great to speak to him and apparently, he had the best legs in the 3rd year and no I didn’t ask to see his legs! He’s a kung fu fighter well more from a spiritual and meditative aspect and he showed off some of his Sinhalese which was incredible!

James is Head of Data at Principality Building Society leading on data & analytics strategy, architecture, governance, and privacy. He has extensive experience across a range of Data Capability areas, from Strategy & Architecture to Data Management, Governance, Engineering, and Insight Generation. He is super focused on working to embed data into the organisational culture and has a proven track record in delivering transformational and business-critical change.

A blues guitarist of 20 years, he enjoys life with his family, a creative at heart and wants to get back to his creative self, a person who loves to understand others and their cultures, and the first person I know to have done the Inca trail!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to James. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is James unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 podcasts in 2022 by onlydatajobs and was voted in at number 11 in the top 40 strategy podcasts for 2022 by Feedspot. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

On today's show I'm delighted to have Aaron Wilkerson with me. 

Aaron and I connected on LinkedIn approx. 3 years ago and what I loved about him was his curiosity. It’s something that has been with him for a long time ever since he was a child, he would take toys apart and then reassemble them with good and bad results. But what I found in our conversation was a man of faith and deep thinking.

Aaron is currently Sr. Manager Data Strategy & Governance at Carhartt the industrial clothing label that has now become quite the fashion in Europe! He enjoys collaborating with people to find out how he can best use his skills to help them be successful in what they are attempting to achieve. The common theme that is pervasive across his experiences is leveraging technology to drive value. Technology is such a powerful tool to bring about innovation and transform those who are able to interact with it.

He claims to be a professional nerd and lifelong learner and the mantra he believes in is this "If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate." A wordle fan and is fiercely competitive with his wife and Aaron I’m still waiting for those dashboards and analysis! Also a collector of T-shirts to remember his life from school, college, university and onwards!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Aaron. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Aaron unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 podcasts in 2022 by onlydatajobs and was voted in at number 11 in the top 40 strategy podcasts for 2022 by Feedspot. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

On today's episode, I'm delighted to have Piyush Malik with me. 

Piyush and I spoke on the day of Diwali which is for those who don’t know what it is, it’s the Hindu festival that celebrates good over evil and is often referred to as the festival of lights. Another cricket lover his mantra is “never give up” which has been his view since he was about 10 whether it was in the sports arena, in school and life in general.

Piyush is currently Chief Digital & Transformation Officer at Veridic Solutions. He specializes in harnessing the power of data-driven innovations driving adoption of cloud-first technologies and rapidly accelerating AI/ML and automation journeys in the enterprise. As an organizational transformation agent, he believes in combining the power of people, culture, and technology to generate outsized returns for the stakeholders.

I would describe him as a spiritual technologist, well at least that’s what I thought from our conversation. A keen artist who has now given up fine art and painting landscapes for doodling while in meetings! I’ve got to see some of those doodles! As well as this he loves banging his drum, no seriously, he’s a drummer of sorts and loves music!

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Piyush. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Piyush unplugged.

The Data Strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 podcasts in 2022 by onlydatajobs and was voted in at number 11 in the top 40 strategy podcasts for 2022 by Feedspot. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

On today's episode, I'm delighted to have Mir Ali with me. Mir is super passionate about data and what the future holds and how organisations will evolve using this asset. A believer in continual learning in all that he does, and he also believes that nothing must be taken for granted. Deeply moved by his faith and continuously looking for mentors to guide him both through his faith and career.

Currently, Mir is Head of Platform Engineering at The Kraft Heinz Company. He has 20+ years of experience leading technology teams across industries. His role includes focusing on building a robust platform that supports KHC’s growth strategies, improves analytics-driven decision-making, and much more.

A HUGE cricket fanatic and player, he loves Indian food and attempts to cook when he gets the chance, although his wife doesn’t think he’s very good! Keep going Mir! He attempts to live his life with focus and purpose, doing his best at everything he does both at work and at home every day. He lives by the mantra of doing things with sincerity and bringing positivity to all those around him.

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Mir. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Mir unplugged.

The data strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 podcasts in 2022 by onlydatajobs and was voted in at number 11 in the top 40 strategy podcasts for 2022 by Feedspot. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

Now on to today’s episode, I’m delighted to have the very determined and goal focused Ranil Boteju on as my guest!

Ranil is super passionate about all things people and looks at the world of data and analytics through the lens of diversity in skill, thought, background and not necessarily just from a tech perspective. He believes in being your authentic self in the workplace and not being a corporate automaton. His first aha moment in data was the moment he felt like a data detective and hunting down the insights made him feel at home.

Ranil is currently the Group Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Lloyds Banking Group. Helping Britain Prosper is our Bank’s Purpose and enabling this very inspiring mission with Data and A.I is his goal. He is the accountable Executive for delivering the Bank's Data Strategy.

I loved the conversation with Ranil and his spiritual side shone through, not only the fact he wants to go and spend a year in an ashram, but also would love to teach “how to be happy” at school to remind children that it’s not just about facts and figures, but true happiness. He’s never afraid to try new things and loves to have people around him who challenge him and keep him on his toes! I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Ranil. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Ranil unplugged.

The data strategy Show has been voted in the top 10 podcasts in 2022 by onlydatajobs and was voted in at number 11 out of 40 for the top strategy podcasts for 2022 by Feedspot. So, I wanted to say a HUGE BIG thank you to all the listeners out there for your support and I’m hugely excited about where the show will go in the future.

Now to today’s episode, I’m delighted to have the very focused Srini Ramaswamy on as my guest!

Srini is a matter of fact, down to earth no nonsense kind of guy! I don’t think I’ve met anyone as focused and to the point on delivery and success. He doesn’t even listen to music as he doesn’t have time for it! A professor turned industry expert, he decided to go into industry after being reaching the ripe old age of 40 in professordom, and wanted to take his knowledge of strategy and implementation into the big wide world! Nothing bothers him and he tends not to take things seriously! A man after my own heart!

Srini is currently VP Cloud and Emerging Technologies at iWorks Corporation and he has a passion for setting up cross-functional teams delivering innovation through successful project delivery and product development.

A HUGE cricket fan, and traveler and is an educator at heart, mentoring students and making sure they reach their potentials.

I loved the conversation with Srini and he reminded me that you can get through anything if you don’t take life or yourself too seriously! I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Srini. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Srini unplugged.

It was amazing to speak with Melissa and finding out many wonderful insights about her one of which is that she loves writing and has the knack of devouring information, understanding it and then being able to craft and convey the information to people in simple ways! She has a book coming out soon so looking forward to reading that!

Melissa is an Associate Partner at IBM, is the Founding member and Committee Chair of Women Leaders in Data & AI and Board Member at Blended. She’s super passionate about Data & AI and hosts her very own podcast called The Impact of Data & AI, where she speaks to women in the field to gain their insights about their career and their wider impact on the data industry.

She wants to live forever and loves the idea of knowing what the future holds! She invests her time in thinking about how to up the game in education, inclusion and diversity at the executive level and passionate about reducing bias and driving positive organizational change.

I loved the conversation with Melissa and I’m sure you can tell that as we meander through her life and experiences. I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Mellisa. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Melissa unplugged.

It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Joti and I really loved her human-first approach, of getting to know people and understanding their motivations.  She's a singer and is currently being coached by a child prodigy. She also loves the song "Jalebi Baby" - for those who don't know a "jalebi" is the name for an Indian sweet dish made of sugar and flour, then fried into circular form and it results in an orange color. Yummy!  She doesn't interview people she understands their background and their purpose.  That's cool and you tend to get more out of people instead of canned responses.

Joti is the Founder & Managing Director, Freshriver.ai - Creative Architects designing and delivering complex enterprise grade transformations with AI, Data and Social Sciences.

What I loved about our discussion was her openness about the education system that she currently believes is broken and there should be more of an "apprentice style" system in the US.  Her passion is to own a cafe by the beach and get to know all of those people who pass by, buy a coffee and something to eat and get to know their stories.  A powerful story teller Joti looking at data in the same way we look at the blood in our bodies and how it can affect us when diseased, just like the data if it's bad, it's going to give you a bad output.

As you can tell I had a lot of fun with Joti and she loves to be in flow. I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Joti. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Joti unplugged.

Our preamble before the interview was really insightful for me. We talked about our families, our cultures, and our values and it seemed that Ivan and I have had similar experiences in life. He’s super focused and lives with a form of discipline around him that is fantastic, a triathlon athlete and now training for the big Iron Man which he hopes to complete soon!

Here is a little more about Ivan. He’s currently Vice President of Operational Excellence and Business Analytics at KSI Auto Parts.

I loved our discussion for many reasons, Ivan’s passion for the climate and his small way of doing things to help the climate, his huge positivity almost rubs off on you, and his balance between discipline and creativity! Plus his tenacious and almost infectious passion for data and analytics, his lifelong application of learning with his daughters, and his love of Python. What resonated for me is simply this: in the world of data and analytics with all the trends that are amassing, the one piece of advice that he gave which equally supports my values is this: if you are thinking about or are already in a data career – make it your objective to sit, study, and learn everything about what your business does.

As you can tell I had a lot of fun with Ivan and loved his thoughtful, fun, and focus on life. I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment, and enjoy listening to Ivan. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Ivan unplugged.

I’ve known Dan for a few years now and we have been engaged on LinkedIn getting to know each other. When Dan expressed interest on coming onto the show, I was delighted. He calls himself the Techno Optimist and as humanity faces countless challenges in its continuing evolution, he believes that data and tech can be used to make the world a better place.

Here is a little more about Dan. He’s currently Vice President Product and Solution Marketing - MDM, Data Quality, Governance, & Privacy at Informatica.

I loved our discussion and his thought process, he is heavily into Neuroscience and philosophy thinking about some of the difficult subjects in the data and tech world such as bias attempting to bring them to life in human form.

As you can tell I had a lot of fun with Dan and loved his positive and fun-loving approach to life. I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Dan. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Dan unplugged.

The pre-discussion with Vijay was fantastic and we instantly hit it off! We talked about his passion for cooking fusion food, his trips to the Napa valley, his family and the various trips they take to new destinations.

I’m sure you will notice that these and plenty other themes come up in this fantastic episode. Here is a little more about Vijay. He’s currently Director of Quantitative Science, and Head of Data Science at the centre for mathematical sciences for Merck.

What I loved about our discussion was his passion for data strategy and how he loved to drive business value and outcomes solving complex problems, collaborating through data science and advanced analytics.

A few accolades that I can mention he won the 2021 manufacturing leadership award for the best AI/ML driven data product, he led the AI enabled HawkAVI data product that automated vision inspections to reduce drug product false rejects by 25% and he previously won the AstraZeneca innovation award.

As you can tell Vijay loves to succeed and talks about the many times he has and also the many times he’s failed. But dedicated to his craft these are all learning experiences and he’s persistent to get over hurdles and never stops.

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Vijay. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Vijay unplugged.

Gaurav was brilliant to speak to – a big Bollywood and cricket fan with a photographic memory! He’s current the Global Data Governance Lead at The Boston Consulting Group responsible for conceptualizing and driving data management processes within BCG's global data tribe.

An innovative and strategic thinker, motivated to disrupt and ‘make a difference. He gives back to students in the form of career counselling and does this for students in India. His career has taken him from India to Norway, to Belgium and he now lives in London.

Please do like, share, comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Gaurav. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Gaurav unplugged.

Every leader has a different view of the world and how exciting it is for me to understand what makes different data leaders tick!  It was great to speak to Alexander and he was an open soul, not inhibited at all about his true self and what drives him to do the things he does.  Here is a little bit about Alexander:

Alexander is a data science leader who builds and develops world class teams and who delivers scalable data pipelines and data products for companies with a no-nonsense attitude, realistic expectations and practical approach towards data, insight, machine learning and AI.

He currently works as the Head of Data at MindGym.

Now living in the UK, making his way from Bulgaria via Germany where he worked for Nielsen, and made the move to the UK with them. When he’s not doing his day job he enjoys a bit of DIY and is in the midst of creating the perfect house for his family!

Please do like, share, comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Alexander. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Alexander unplugged.

I really loved this conversation and speaking to data leaders I always pick up some good nuggets about what drives them to be who they are. Pete is foremost a data evangelist – he’s always had this monicker and sticks to his guns on it! Dedicated to the cause of data he is deeply passionate about how it is used to drive better, faster decisions. A coffee lover at heart and a trained barista, Pete gives us insights into his life from having the fortune of growing up in different countries, being able to embrace different cultures and ferociously read anything he could get his hands on as a child.

He currently works at the Penguin Random House UK as their Director of Data and Online – building and leading a brilliant data team to make a difference.

When he’s not doing his day job he loves to ride bikes, drink coffee, sit in his garden with a glass of wine and a good book – relaxing and reflecting on life.

Please do like, share, comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Pete. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Pete unplugged.

Itoro is an absolute star and I loved our conversation and learning about Itoro and her journey to data and data science. Her journsy has been an amazing one to where she is now.  She started out as an engineer and through her curiosity embarked on changing her career and getting into data and specifically becoming a data scientist!

She currently works at the Principality Building Society and leads a team of data scientists and data analysts.

When she’s not doing her day job she’s also doing a PhD at Kings and carries out research on such topics as Ethical AI, Machine Learning Fairness, Machine Bias and Explainable AI! Engineering, Statistics and Computer science.

As a Stem Ambassador Itoro is deeply passionate about empowering women in STEM

Please do like, share, comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Itoro. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Itoro unplugged.

Kat is an executive data leader and is passionate about all things people, culture and business. I met Kat about a year ago, over a coffee waxing about data, culture, the world and our post-pandemic hopes.  One thing that stands out with Kat is her passion and heartfelt approach to people and transformation. She wears her heart on her sleeve and what you see is what you get! My kind of person!

When she’s not doing her day job, she’s busy with MenopuaseX providing data insights and recommendations to improve the well-being of all individuals affected by the menopause. which she founded about a year ago.

As always and I'm not biased, I think you will love this episode.  As we get to know more about data leaders we see a vast array of personalities and what motivates them to do what they do.  So, without giving too much away, behind every data leader there is a person and here is Kat unplugged!

Andy and I met back in 2014 on a large transformation programme we were both working on.  We are also Accenture Alumni and one thing that I love about him is that while he's passionate about data, he's super passionate about the business.  I would say we hit it off as we were both thinking about how we could speak in the purist of business languages, while delivering excellence in what we did!  Even though I've known him for so long there are things that I only found out about him on 66 question and one of those is that he's a musician!  A drummer in fact and those genes have been passed down to his son!  Must be a super noisy place! 

I think you will love this episode as I did and I won't give any more information away! Here is Andy, with insights into who he is and what makes him tick! As always, behind every data leader there is a person and here is Andy unplugged!

About Andy:

Data, analytics and commercially focused senior manager and product manager. I have built and led teams to deliver high impact data products for a wide range of business stakeholders. My key focus is to partner with business leaders to identify and unlock value through data, taking ideas from concept to business case and delivery to realise commercial value and data transformation.

I am passionate about improving team and organisation cultures, whether it is through improving data literacy or more broadly about fostering positive and productive workplace environments.

About Samir:

Samir is the CEO and Founder of datazuum, a data strategy and analytics consulting firm. Advising businesses on how to prioritise data activities, identify growth possibilities, and use data to boost revenue and profit. His clients span the UK, Europe, and North America, and range from medium sized firms to major multinational corporations.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Drew and I met in August 2020 through the popular platform that is LinkedIn.  What struck me is the depth of thought almost philosophical that Drew engages in around the topics of business in particular - people, process, data and technology.  

A business minded individual with a flair for driving business goals and outcomes through data, he and I have had many discussions about the industry, how businesses are dealing with this thing called data and what leadership is required.

Well, in today's episode Drew lets us into his own beliefs and values, who he really is and how he sees himself and the world.  I loved this episode as there is a certain ease with which words roll off Drew's tongue.  It's been wonderful to know and learn more from Drew as our conversations are always collaborative learning experiences.

Here are his personal insights and of course, behind every data leader, there is a person.  Here is Drew unplugged!

I first met Kate in 2019 and interviewed her for my data leaders series way back when, which is on YouTube.  Zip to 2022 and Kate has launched her own brand DATAcated.  She's got a great philosophy to life, is an avid reader, watches very little TV and gets up at 5am to get all of the things that she wants to do before the rest of the family awake.  I've watched Kate from a distance since 2019, going from corporate employee to data influencer and her relentless drive to achieve all she can is an absolute inspiration to me and to others.  She is extremely personable and I believe that comes through in the interview.  

We had a lot of laughs and of course behind every data leader, there is a person and here is Kate unplugged!

About Kate:

Founder & Community Manager at the DATAcated Circle - a community for data professionals to network, learn, and have fun! Author of four books:

1. Author of The Disruptors: Data Science Leaders
2. Author of Journey to Data Scientist 
3. Co-Author of Data Literacy for Kids 
4. Co-Author of Mothers of Data Science

Jason and I met in 2018 and it seems that we have known each other for years! I remember one of our earliest conversations that we had and his use of the word "domination" was brilliant! He would use it as a way to say "go do what you have to do and do it with excellence" so I loved that word put into that context.  We both have our own companies and have the scars to prove what the life of an entrepreneur is like and wow does it have it's up and downs!  Hopefully, we can experience more ups than downs!  

What I liked about our chat is the positivity that Jason brings to the table, his innate understanding of people and the tenacity he brings to the table.  It seems that if we lived around the corner from each other we would probably be shouting over the fence with fervour and ticking off our neighbours!  :-)

Well, with that said, I think people will enjoy this episode listening into his approach to life and the purpose behind it.

Of course behind every data leader, there is a person and here is Jason unplugged!

About Jason:

Jason's goal is to help people make better decisions faster and with more confidence. He dos this by helping them leverage the immense power of data and analytics.

With over 10 years of business analytics, data science, and strategic leadership experience in public and private equity owned business, I specialize in creating award winning analytics strategy, capabilities, teams, and solutions that drive tangible revenue and EBITDA improvements.

As you can probably tell from the interview, I've known Bill for a while now and we just click.  He grew up playing the trumpet, so did I, we were both in Jazz Bands and to boot he was into his sport Basketball and I was into Tennis as my sport!  With a lot in common, it was really great to get to know more about Bill, his character and what lies beneath the skin.  We had a great conversation and I'm sure you will hear it and feel it as we meander through the questions.  It's clear to me that Bill is a philosophical soul with wisdom oozing out from every pore.  I really enjoyed speaking to Bill and getting to know the man more intimately.  Thank you for taking the time to listen to this season and when you get a moment please tell everyone about it. :-)

Bill is currently working as Customer Advocate, Data Management Incubation at Dell Technologies.  Professor and Educator. He has developed and teaches the “Big Data MBA” – a course for integrating data and analytics into the operations of the business – at University of San Francisco School of Management and National University of Ireland-Galway School of Business & Economics. He also lectures to numerous universities and organizations worldwide.

As an author he has written 4 books “Big Data: Understanding How Data Powers Big Business,” “Big Data MBA: Driving Business Strategies with Data Science” and the forthcoming “Economics of Data, Analytics and Digital Transformation;” and published over 350 industry-leading articles and educational videos on the application of Big Data, Data Science, AI / ML and IoT to drive data monetization and digital transformation.

I speak to Hywel Benbow to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Hywel:

Hywel is Senior Vice President of Global Data & Analytics at GEMS Education based in Dubai. He joined GEMS Education in 2017 where he oversees the organization’s data and analytics capabilities across both the commercial and education spheres. His role includes working closely with colleagues from across the business supporting the delivery of key priorities by developing insightful and analytical solutions that provide the right people with the right information at the right time.

Prior to joining GEMS, Hywel worked in the UK Civil Service and has 15 years of experience working in data and analytics in both the public and private sectors. Hywel also brings experience in policy and strategy development, project management, and research.

I speak to Arvind Murali to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Arvind:

Arvind is Chief Data Strategist at Perficient and his job is to tell a Business Story using data and technology to solve problems such as Make Money, Save Money, or Innovate with the constraints of time, cost, scope, and quality. He advises executives of large organizations with Data, AI, and Analytics Strategy where Information, Intelligence, and Interaction tell compelling stories and show business value to compete in this Digital Landscape.

I speak to Dylan Clark to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Dylan:

Dylan Clark is the Associate Vice President of Analytics at OU Health, and data enthusiast that believes data analytics and technology can impact the world in positive ways. 

A well-rounded professional with a passion for business intelligence, data science, research, and analytics strategy. He’s also an Adjunct professor at Rockhurst University for various analytics and data science classes. 

Worked collaboratively across business units alongside organizational leaders to develop, enhance and change organizations in the areas of analytical culture, business intelligence, data management, data architecture, data governance and data science. 

Most of his experience has been as a Business Intelligence Developer, which included conducting requirements gathering, data modelling and developing applications to enhance business processes and provide insights to end users in the healthcare, financial services and information technology industries.

I speak to Paul Morley to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Paul:

Paul Morley, is Data Philosopher, Public Speaker and an executive at Nedbank’s Enterprise Data Services, leading a team of world class data professionals, and is responsible for delivering Nedbank’s regulatory commitments that govern the finance sector.

He is also principal in delivering Data Analytical Services to Nedbank’s business clusters. With partners and consumers of the Nedbank data enterprise, being, Retail, Corporate, Finance, Human Resources, Compliance, Forensic Services, Audit, Group Risk and Group Technology.

With almost 30 years of experience in IT and Data, with IBM and Nedbank. He has been recognised locally and internationally for his participation, leadership commitment to innovative thought and leadership in the context of the global data industry and continues to be passionate and controversial about data and changing the status quo.

He also love’s walking around in his funky and colourful socks with no shoes on, as well as showcasing his extensive collection of “loud and colourful” shirts at the office. As you can see he always tries to be different and break the status Quo.

I speak to Graeme McDermott to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Graeme:

Graeme is an experienced senior data leader and is currently the Chief Data Officer at Tempcover with broad data function responsibility for up to 40 people. Throughout his career has completed every stage of data platform realisation from conception to exploitation.

Industry speaker at data events, numerous podcasts and data journalists friend. Industry recognised in the DataIQ Top100 Data professionals since 2015.

I speak to Thom Ives to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Thom:

My guest today is Thom Ives! Tom career spans over 30 years and he’s a passionate data scientist. Among his wide range of data science work, his particular passion is around automating analyses and data visualizations including animation when necessary.

His main language of choice for the past 21+ years has been python! In August 2018, he started Integrated Machine Learning & AI providing services and instruction in the data science arena.

In July of 2019, he joined the very talented and outstanding culture of UL's Prospector team and is their lead data scientist.

In summary, he says he’s an addicted data scientist and dynamic systems modeler and analyst that loves to work with great people to improve the performance of business or products through better processes and design.

I speak to Vanessa Eriksson to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About Vanessa:

Vanessa Eriksson is a pioneer and a leading-edge data practitioner with several years of experience in Data Strategies; including Data Security & Compliance and Innovation.

She served as the Chair of PwC’s CDO Advisory Board and on Gartner’s North America & EMEA Data and CDO Advisory Boards. An active voice in the data and analytics community, Vanessa has spoken at numerous conferences, has been featured in several publications, including invited as a Guest Speaker at Gartner’s CDO Panel in London. She is currently nominated to the Top 100 in Data, Analytics and AI in the Nordics.

Presently, the Chief Digital Officer at Zenseact, Vanessa leads the organization in managing petabytes of data as an asset, protecting its critical systems and sensitive information from cyber-attacks, while simultaneously leading the IT backbone, in pursuing Autonomous Driving. She is also currently a Member of the Board at Fidesmo.

A mother of 3 daughters, Vanessa very feels strongly about encouraging girls in tech and has since 2017 effectively launched GiT (Girls in Tech) events in Sweden in collaboration with 4 international organizations to promote her cause. Women in Leadership and Gender Diversity are topics that are close to her.

I speak to John Thompson to find out more about the person behind the leader.

About John:

John is an international technology executive with over 30 years of experience in the business intelligence and advanced analytics fields. Currently, John is responsible for the global Advanced Analytics & Artificial Intelligence team and efforts at CSL.  Prior to CSL, John was an Executive Partner at Gartner, where he was management consultant to market leading companies in the areas of digital transformation, data monetization and advanced analytics. Before Gartner, John was responsible for the advanced analytics business unit of the Dell Software Group.

John is the author of the new book – Analytics Teams: Leveraging analytics and artificial intelligence for business improvement. The book was published in June 2020 and outlines how to hire and manage high performance advanced analytics teams. The book outlines how to engage with executives and senior managers. How to select and undertake analytics projects that change and improve how a business operates.

John is co-author of the bestselling book – Analytics: How to win with Intelligence, which debuted on Amazon as the #1 new book in Analytics in 2017. Analytics is a book that guides non-technical executives through the journey of creating an analytics function, funding initiatives and driving change in business operations through data and applied analytical applications.

John's technology expertise includes all aspects of advanced analytics and information management including – descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, artificial intelligence, analytical applications, deep learning, cognitive computing, big data, data warehousing, business intelligence systems, and high performance computing.

One of John’s primary areas of focus and interest has been to create innovative technologies to increase the value derived by organizations around the world.  John has built start-up organizations from the ground up and he has reengineered business units of Fortune 500 firms to reach their potential. He has directly managed and run - sales, marketing, consulting, support and product development organizations.

He is a technology leader with expertise and experience spanning all operational areas with a focus on strategy, product innovation, growth and efficient execution.

In my 33rd and final episode of Season 1, I speak to:

1. Leandro Rocha de Andrade - Senior VP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer no Banco de Crédito del Peru
2. Iván Herrero Bartolomé - Chief Data Officer at Grupo Intercorp, and 
3. Erick Jaramillo - Director, Head of Digital Data & Analytics Scotiabank Peru

We talk about:

1) Introductions and backgrounds.

2) Data challenges in the LATAM Region.

3) What type of CDO is required in the LATAM Region - Unicorn or Change.

4) The CDO Trap.

5) Why business ownership is key to driving revenues through data.

6) The first principles of data ideation.

7) High expectations of the CDO and why a data strategy is key to driving value.

8) How to get the board, c-suite adn the operations teams to understand the impact that data has on the culture of the organisation.

9) How to create a common language to drive transformation.

10) How to create and measure monetisation activities.

11) How to ensure analytical debt is reduced.

12) How to manage complexity across a large group of companies.

Iván Herrero Bartolomé is the Chief Data Officer at Grupo Intercorp. He has more than 20 years’ experience in Executive positions and is now responsible for the data strategy across the group (+30 companies in finance, retail, education, and healthcare). Ivan is the co-founder of CDO Latam.

Leandro Rocha de Andrade is the Senior VP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer no Banco de Crédito del Peru BCP. He has more than 20 years’ experience in Executive positions related to Database Marketing, Advanced Analytics, AI, CRM and Business Intelligence, impacting the bottom-line delivering solutions based on customer experience/demands, for consumer and corporate segments. Leandro is a Board Member of CDO Latam.

Erick Jaramillo is the Director, Head of Digital Data & Analytics and has nearly 20 years of professional experience in the financial industry, leading teams, helping to solve business challenges through the use of disruptive technologies, innovation, data, and analytics.

About Samir:

Samir is a data strategy and analytics leader, CEO and Founder of datazuum. He has a history of helping data executives and leaders craft and execute their data strategies. His passion for data strategy led him to launch the Data Strategy & Analytics Coaching Programme, and is host of the Data Strategy Show.  After a career in both private and public sectors Samir launched the datazuum brand in 2012, with a view to working with executives to deliver data strategy at a time when data was not seen as a business asset.

Today datazuum delivers projects across both private and public sectors including: Charities, Financial Services (Banking & Insurance), Government, Housing & Construction, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Media & Publishing, Outsourcing, Postal, Retail, Telecoms, Transport and Utilities.  Samir has 20 years of international experience across Europe, North America, and Africa.

He is a regular speaker at international conferences, coach / mentor, a charity fundraiser, and youth champion for Working Knowledge - supporting young people to achieve their personal and career goals in life.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Contact: samir@datazuum.com

In my 32nd episode I speak to the awesome Antje Bustamante Director of Data & Analytics at Zoopla!  We talk about:  

1) A little bit about her background.  

2) Her role at Zoopla and how data has been a big influence. 

3) How she started to build and scale a team around data.

4) How the data team was organised within the corporate context.

5) How she and her team started to show value through the data layer, while building the foundational elements.

6) How she persuades / influences the C-Suite to think about ROI through data.

7) How she looks at the monetisation of the market place / eco-system at Zoopla.

8) How she brings teams together to solve a business problem through data.

9) How she aligned the data teams to the Zoopla culture.

10) The different techniques she deploys for data product development.

11) What advise she would give to the up and coming women in data. 

12) The top three skills that she thinks are important to those who are thinking about a data career. 

About Antje:  

Antje is Director of Data & Analytics at Zoopla, where she has been working since September 2019. With over 18 years of experience, Antje has built award-winning teams across analytics, data science and data engineering for market-place companies across Europe such as ImmobilienScout24. 

Her experience lies in building data product teams that drive direct and indirect monetization and in driving a data literate company culture. Antje is passionate about coaching and mentoring young female leaders and wants to empower more women to be successful in the field of data and leadership.

About Samir:  

Samir is a data strategy and analytics leader, CEO and Founder of datazuum. He has a history of helping data executives and leaders craft and execute their data strategies. His passion for data strategy led him to launch the Data Strategy & Analytics Coaching Programme, and is host of the Data Strategy Show.  After a career in both private and public sectors Samir launched the datazuum brand in 2012, with a view to working with executives to deliver data strategy at a time when data was not seen as a business asset.  

Today datazuum delivers projects across both private and public sectors including: Charities, Financial Services (Banking & Insurance), Government, Housing & Construction, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Media & Publishing, Outsourcing, Postal, Retail, Telecoms, Transport and Utilities.  Samir has 20 years of international experience across Europe, North America, and Africa. 

He is a regular speaker at international conferences, coach / mentor, a charity fundraiser, and youth champion for Working Knowledge - supporting young people to achieve their personal and career goals in life.  

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.    

Contact: samir@datazuum.com

In my 31st episode I speak to everyone's favourite data recruiter Kyle Winterbottom!

We talk about:

1) His background in engineering and what he's up to now.

2) What are the market trends that he's seeing in the data and analytics industry.

3) Data Scientists vs. Data Engineers - the coolness of data jobs!

4) Why culture is the biggest area most companies miss out when hiring for data and analytics.

5) Data titles everywhere and not an ounce of standardisation!

6) How to add a dose of reality in the data conversations when hiring.

7) How to shape the JDs for data leaders and veer away from pure tech.

8) Why there is still an obsession with tech at the highest level of data leadership

9) Why the NED is becoming a popular concept in the data space.

10) Top down vs. bottom up recruiting - what's better.

11) Why he is organising data round tables for the data industry

12) What's the next biggest trend in the data market.

About Kyle:

Kyle Winterbottom is the Founder & Managing Director of Orbition, which was established in September 2020 - a specialist recruitment agency within Data & Analytics.  He is hugely passionate about enabling organisations to drive decisions and obtain value from the use of Data, Analytics & AI.

Kyle is also a host of his very own podcast - Driven by Data: The Podcast. Host of the Driven by Data Northern Roundtables and all round nice guy!

About Samir

Samir is a data strategy and analytics leader, CEO and Founder of datazuum. He has a history of helping data executives and leaders craft and execute their data strategies. His passion for data strategy led him to launch the Data Strategy & Analytics Coaching Programme, and is host of the Data Strategy Show.  After a career in both private and public sectors Samir launched the datazuum brand in 2012, with a view to working with executives to deliver data strategy at a time when data was not seen as a business asset.

Today datazuum delivers projects across both private and public sectors including: Charities, Financial Services (Banking & Insurance), Government, Housing & Construction, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Media & Publishing, Outsourcing, Postal, Retail, Telecoms, Transport and Utilities.  Samir has 20 years of international experience across Europe, North America, and Africa. Is a regular speaker at international conferences, coach / mentor, a charity fundraiser, and youth champion for Working Knowledge - supporting young people to achieve their personal and career goals in life.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.  Contact: samir@datazuum.com

In my 30th episode I speak to the the calm and collected Data Evangelist Julian Schwarzenbach! We talk about:

1) His background in engineering and data

2) His strapline "Data Doesn't have to be difficult"

3) Why we are still talking about Data Quality

4) How business functions need to take responsibility for their data and data governance activities

5) His approach to valuing data

6) His book: Managing Data Quality: A Practical Guide and the idea of the "data zoo"

7) The new British Standards he has launched around big data.

8) The work he does at the British Computer Society

About Julian:

Julian Schwarzenbach helps organisations improve their profitability, efficiency and quality through better exploitation of their data, particularly for asset intensive organisations. He works with organisations to improve the skills of staff, refine processes, develop standards and implement governance systems.

He has been the chair of the British Computer Society Data Management Specialist Group for over 10 years now and is a visiting lecturer at Birmingham city delivering lectures on data management, data exploitation and the use of technology.

He believes everything can be improved and develops pragmatic and realistic solutions to burning business problems that deliver sustainable benefits to the organisation.

As a 'Data Evangelist', his motto is "Data does not have to be difficult!"

About Samir

Samir is a data strategy and analytics leader, CEO and Founder of datazuum. He has a history of helping data executives and leaders craft and execute their data strategies. His passion for data strategy led him to launch the Data Strategy & Analytics Coaching Programme, and is host of the Data Strategy Show.

After a career in both private and public sectors Samir launched the datazuum brand in 2012, with a view to working with executives to deliver data strategy at a time when data was not seen as a business asset.

Today datazuum delivers projects across both private and public sectors including: Charities, Financial Services (Banking & Insurance), Government, Housing & Construction, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Media & Publishing, Outsourcing, Postal, Retail, Telecoms, Transport and Utilities.

Samir has 20 years of international experience across Europe, North America, and Africa. Is a regular speaker at international conferences, coach / mentor, a charity fundraiser, and youth champion for Working Knowledge - supporting young people to achieve their personal and career goals in life.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Contact: samir@datazuum.com

In my 29th episode I speak to the incredible Christopher Bergh CEO & Head Chef at DataKitchen! We talk about:

1) A little bit about his background and bug bears.

2) Why DataOps matters in today's context.

3) How DataOps stitches data teams together.

4) How DataOps can be automate and build a good customer product.

5) Why Data & Analytics is a random walk in the forest.

6) What you need to have in place to drive DataOps.

7) How the collaborative effect works in DataOps.

8) Why people and process are the most important factors for leaders to focus on for Data & Analytics.

9) How culture is a big influence on getting DataOps weaved into the fabric of the organisation.

10) Who typically drives DataOps initiatives.

11) How writing the DataOps manifesto helped to articulate the need.

About Chris:

Chris Bergh is CEO & Head Chef at DataKitchen, a DataOps software & services startup. He has more than 30 years of research, software engineering, data analytics & executive management experience. At various points in his career, he has been a COO, CTO, VP & Director of Engineering. Chris is a recognized expert on DataOps. He is the co-author of The DataOps Cookbook & The DataOps Manifesto & a speaker on DataOps at many industry conferences. You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisBergh.

About Samir

Samir is a data strategy and analytics leader, CEO and Founder of datazuum. He has a history of helping data executives and leaders craft and execute their data strategies. His passion for data strategy led him to launch the Data Strategy & Analytics Coaching Programme, and is host of the Data Strategy Show.

After a career in both private and public sectors Samir launched the datazuum brand in 2012, with a view to working with executives to deliver data strategy at a time when data was not seen as a business asset.

Today datazuum delivers projects across both private and public sectors including: Charities, Financial Services (Banking & Insurance), Government, Housing & Construction, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Media & Publishing, Outsourcing, Postal, Retail, Telecoms, Transport and Utilities.

Samir has 20 years of international experience across Europe, North America, and Africa. Is a regular speaker at international conferences, coach / mentor, a charity fundraiser, and youth champion for Working Knowledge - supporting young people to achieve their personal and career goals in life.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Contact: samir@datazuum.com

In my 28th episode I speak to the cool Moon Javaid Chief Strategy Officer at the 49ers! We talk about:

1) His background and how he got into the Sports world

2) How to ensure you couple Strategy & Analytics

3) His approach to data strategy at the 49ers

4) The main business levers / drivers that drove the data strategy

5) How data and analytics has driven the fan experience / acquisition at the 49ers

6) How surveys have helped the Voice of Fan and satisifaction

7) His simple "Happy or Not" Strategy to collect and analyse data

8) How to collaborate across multi-dimensions of partners through data usage

9) Executive Huddles and why they are successful for real-time decisioning

10) How the pandemic has increased collaboration and transparency through knowledge and data sharing

About Moon:

Moon Javaid is in his eighth season with the 49ers and currently serves as the chief strategy officer. In his role, Javaid oversees business intelligence, CRM and fan feedback; manages retail, mobile app, and concessionaire relationships; works on bids for large scale non-NFL events; supports the drive for local revenue; and aids other business aspects of the organization with strategic and analytical support.

Under Javaid’s guidance, the 49ers built a data warehouse that processes over 3 million records per day, and launched the award-winning Executive Huddle, the first real-time analytics control room on NFL game days. Executive Huddle’s recent awards of note include being named the Leader in Innovation by Leaders in Sports, and Best Venue Tech by TheStadiumBusiness. Executive Huddle is also a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s Best in Sports Technology, to be announced later this year.

Javaid has also collaborated with ticket operations to break NFL records for highest revenue in a regular season game, and secured bids for WrestleMania 31 and the Gold Cup Final. Under his leadership, the organization has acquired Cal-Hi Sports, the Emmy award-winning high school program, launched a sports medicine facility, and started the first conference in sports dedicated to business strategy, the Horizon Summit.

Previously, Javaid worked at Linden LLC, a healthcare-focused private equity fund and L.E.K. Consulting, a global management consulting firm.

A Cleveland native, Javaid graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in Psychology and Economics and later earned his MBA from University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

Javaid currently resides with his wife, Marnie, in Willow Glen, CA.

About Samir

Samir is a data strategy and analytics leader, CEO and Founder of datazuum. He has a history of helping data executives and leaders craft and execute their data strategies. His passion for data strategy led him to launch the Data Strategy & Analytics Coaching Programme, and is host of the Data Strategy Show.

After a career in both private and public sectors Samir launched the datazuum brand in 2012, with a view to working with executives to deliver data strategy at a time when data was not seen as a business asset.

Today datazuum delivers projects across both private and public sectors including: Charities, Financial Services (Banking & Insurance), Government, Housing & Construction, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Media & Publishing, Outsourcing, Postal, Retail, Telecoms, Transport and Utilities.

Samir has 20 years of international experience across Europe, North America, and Africa. Is a regular speaker at international conferences, coach / mentor, a charity fundraiser, and youth champion for Working Knowledge - supporting young people to achieve their personal and career goals in life.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Contact: samir@datazuum.com