Simon James Gratton, chief data officer, Three

Describe your career to date

The effective use of data has always been central to what I do. My data journey started in the mid-1990s at what is now IBM Cognos, during a pivotal point in the business intelligence revolution. 

I then worked as an interim across different businesses and vertical sectors in BI, integration, IT consolidation, architecture and ultimately management roles. This period also placed me in numerous data remediation transformations in the run-up to the "Y2K problem".

At Telus, I delivered large-scale IT transformations during periods of group consolidation. At Royal Mail, I joined pre-privatisation on a breath-taking transformation delivered against a backdrop of declining mail revenues. At Zurich UK, I established its first chief data office and digital innovation lab at a time when establishing analytics and data science capabilities became of boardroom interest. 

My time leading data, analytics and CIO advisory at Capgemini Financial Services, followed by numerous portfolio roles across Deloitte, HSBC, BKL, Bletchley Park, Centrica, Schneider Electric and JCB has taught me how to deliver value from data quickly in any scenario.

At Three, I support our data function as we continue to transform customer and network experience with a focus on both revenue growth and operational efficiency.