Al Mathie, chief data officer, NFU Mutual

Describe your career to date

I’ve spent the majority of my career in the insurance industry, mainly around technology and data, with a focus on strategy and transformation delivery. 

A large part of my career was with Aviva, where I became really interested in how data can drive a business forward. Following my time at Aviva I made a conscious decision to go consulting and joined Baringa, where I spent four years working with insurers on their data strategies and data transformation programmes. 

It was working at Baringa leading a piece of work to develop the data strategy for NFU Mutual that led me to my current role; joining as their first chief data officer. Getting to deliver the vision I helped set out for them was just too good an opportunity to walk past. 

As I reflect on what my team and I have achieved since I joined in October 2021, there are three takeaways that I would like to share. 

- My role is a business role, not a technology role. Understanding what we do as a business is critical as it enables us to focus the conversation on value outcomes not the inputs.

- I’m as much a salesperson as I am a data person. A big part of my role is getting people from the board level down excited about data and bringing people on our data journey. Enabling them to see what we can do with it and the role they will play in delivering our strategy.

- Build a team of passionate data experts around you. Technology is evolving rapidly, so go for a growth mindset and desire to learn rather than specific skills.