Lee Fulmer has been awarded The Professor Derek Holder Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 DataIQ Awards.
The Professor Derek Holder Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to a data leader that has exemplified what it means to be a dedicated data practitioner across a career, making great strides forward as a specialism, and inspiring the next generation. Named in honour of Professor Derek Holder, the founder of IDM – the foundation of data and analytics as an industry – this award is a crowning achievement for data leaders.
David Reed, Chief Knowledge Officer and Evangelist, DataIQ, and the Master of Ceremonies for the Awards said: “Before AI there was big data. Before big data there was digital data. And before all of those, there was direct marketing. What each of these waves of fresh innovation have required are skilled practitioners capable of applying new solutions to commercial goals. When Professor Derek Holder founded what was then the Institute of Direct Marketing, later the Institute of Data and Marketing, it was to upskill incumbent practitioners and build a talent pipeline.
“Many professionals think about creating a legacy – Professor Holder literally did it by gifting funds in his will to ensure the work of the IDM could continue to evolve in line with changing needs and opportunities in data. It is in that spirit that DataIQ is proud to recognise his ongoing contribution to the growth and success of the data profession by naming our Lifetime Achievement Award in his honour.”
Lee Fulmer has been pivotal to the transformation of the data landscape for three decades through his proactive approach to new technologies, industry events, and forward-thinking solutions. It is because of this that Fulmer is presented with the 2024 Professor Derek Holder Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been in the DataIQ 100 listing twice, and has held numerous positions, including: computer programmer, an engineer, a graphic designer, a commercial fisherman, a project manager, a journalist, a business architect, and more. This diverse history has allowed Fulmer to learn some incredibly unique and transferrable skills when it comes to data and analysis.
With a career starting in the 1980s and spanning positions across television, banking, and online services, there is a strong chance you have been impacted by Fulmer’s contribution to these industries. As one nomination explained: “If your first point of call for news is BBC Online, if you use internet banking for faster payments, in fact if you use the internet, then the person in the background who was delivering these was Lee.”
As a design researcher and lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology in the 1990s, Fulmer transformed the architectural design process by viewing data visually in three dimensions. As an Internet Engineering Task Force contributor, he helped develop standards designed to share data and collaborate; first working with the gopher specification and later the HTTP and VRML specifications.
In 1997, Lee joined the BBC to help establish a third broadcast medium using digital technologies. Lee established a knowledge network giving all staff the opportunity to contribute ideas for these new platforms and with BBC Gateway he provided access to crucial data to accelerate programme making and facilitate collaboration. The BBC Digital Media Archive created a single system all for text, graphic, audio, and video data enabling the launch of BBC Online and OnDigital – the world’s first digital television channel.
Fulmer has advised the Information Office of 10 Downing Street and the EU’s Information Directorate as digital data expert, laying the groundwork for changes in data legislation – much of which now acts as the foundations for the new regulations being seen.
When the turn of the millennium came, HM Treasury pressured banks to make it easier for people to transfer money and proposed building a new technology platform to do so. While at HBOS, Fulmer used the government’s own data to highlight the high cost and lack of economic benefit in the government’s proposed approach; putting forward a counter proposal that became the UK Faster Payments service, laying the groundwork for Open Banking.
In 2017, regulatory pressures meant that a data function was needed at UBS Investment Bank. Fulmer became CDO and, with no budget or staff, was tasked with delivering a data function that surpassed the regulatory requirements. By collaborating with business heads on a strategy and policy, he implemented a federated operating model focused on traceability rather than lineage of business-critical data.
Ultimately, Fulmer has been involved with some of the most monumental and far-reaching data developments of the last quarter century, and he has done so in a manner befitting of a role model for future data leaders. His approach to teamwork, regulation, and ingenuity has marked him as a truly worth recipient of the DataIQ Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nominations noted:
“We are blessed in the data profession to have diverse characters who help to push our discipline on, but I wanted to formally recognise Lee who brings a great richness to the data community.”
“Lee is a presence, personality and role model in the data industry, which is hard to achieve in a sea of amazing talent.”
“Throughout his career, Lee has seen opportunities where others have not. He strives to improve in everything he does and is extremely generous with sharing his knowledge so we can all benefit and grow.”
“Lee’s multifaceted contributions across diverse industries demonstrate a rare blend of vision and execution. By viewing data not just as a tool but as a means to drive business outcomes, Lee embodies servant leadership, fostering collaboration and innovation within his teams.”
“Lee’s leadership style embodies the ethos of servant leadership; he has demonstrated a great example of fostering a collaborative environment where every team member plays a crucial role in achieving collective success.”
“One of the things I personally admire about Lee is the focus on creating diverse and inclusive teams to generate truly incredible results by bringing together different ways of working and thinking to find solutions to complex business challenges.”
“Lee is a consummate professional and approaches his work to help the business derive value from data, he has a meticulous approach that is disciplined and structured, but always focused on how data can support improvement to business value.”
“Lee’s career epitomises the transformative potential of data management and utilisation across various industries, including government, finance, technology, and media. His visionary leadership has reshaped operational strategies and fostered an environment conducive to substantial growth and innovation.”
“Lee’s legacy is defined by the broad societal impacts of his work and his indelible mark on the business world, positioning him as an exemplary figure in data leadership.”
