Andrew Cameron, data and analytics lead partner, PwC
Describe your career to date
I began my career in the City in the late 1990s, trading equities for a start-up that was bought out by a US firm. More by luck than judgement, I got involved in a very early digital project to automate some front-office trading functions. I became fascinated by what tech could do, but realised the biggest challenge to our ambitions was getting the data right.
After this I moved to consulting and PwC, who had a very mature data team back in 2001. I helped write our first data governance methodology - I still have v1.0 at home - in 2002 and have spent the rest of my career working with clients to create value with and from their data assets. I’ve had the privilege of working with many iconic clients and some brilliant people over the years in many industries.
I left in 2008 and spent a number of years leading the UK data and analytics team at Capgemini, but returned to PwC in 2016 and am now privileged to be a leader of the data and analytics capability at the firm.
It’s a great place for a data geek like me - we have remarkable access to our clients and, as a multidisciplinary firm, no shortage of very knowledgeable subject matter experts. Our ability to combine data and analytics capability with deep domain and industry expertise is, in my experience, unparalleled, and at the heart of the value we create for our clients.
What key skills or attributes do you consider have contributed to your success in this role?
I’ve always been fascinated by data. My natural curiosity as to why data didn’t have the profile of people, process or tech in business led to a career looking for the answer. Persistence, sticking to my instincts and willingness to take a risks have helped. And I’m a people person before a data geek and I love building amazing, diverse teams.
What level of data maturity do you typically encounter across your client base and what tends to hold this back?
It still varies widely but has progressed significantly in recent years. I’m delighted to see the growing professionalism of data and analytics and the networks and communities like DataIQ. I’m proud to have been a pioneer of data science apprenticeships way back in 2010 (I hope some of those people are reading this now) and helped bolster that community of specialists, some of those apprentices from back then are becoming true industry leaders now which is making a difference.
Above all, data and analytics is a hot topic in the boardroom these days. PwC’s 2023 CEO survey saw data and analytics as the highest priority capability for investment in people and technology. At PwC’s non-exec director network, deep-dive sessions for board members on data and analytics and also cyber are by far our most oversubscribed topics.
I think the most important maturity step I see my clients taking is building a strong link to business value of their data and analytics strategies, and describing the value and benefits in ways that the business can engage with. It really isn’t a technology problem at its heart, true maturity requires a significant set of cultural and behavioral mindset shifts across the enterprise.
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