Waseem Ali, chief executive officer, Rockborne
Describe your career to date
First and foremost, I am a data person. I studied mathematics and statistics in university, and I worked as a data practitioner for several years before becoming a data leader. Because of this, I have a deep understanding of the data industry, its value, and some of the most common challenges that companies face when trying to realise that value. In my experience, data challenges across every industry are quite similar. However, the way that companies deal with those challenges varies greatly, depending on their unique needs.
Before becoming CEO of Rockborne, the provider of specialist data and analytics consultants, I was the chief analytics and research officer at Lloyd’s of London. There, I managed a team of more than 100 people and revamped its entire data ecosystem, making it more secure, accessible, and aligned with the company’s overall business goals.
Prior to Lloyd’s, I ran (and eventually sold) my own data consultancy, working with global organisations to set up their data teams and strategies. I’ve worked with clients across a range of industries, from banking and finance to sports and healthcare.
Before entering the world of data, I was a fully qualified and licenced tennis coach, responsible for setting up and running the adult and elite coaching programmes for my local club; coaching and running my own tennis business has been fundamental to the progression I’ve made in my career so far.
What level of data maturity do you typically encounter across your client base and what tends to hold this back?
When it comes to data maturity among our client base, I don’t see a consistent trend. It really differs from client to client.
And because the data space is transforming at such a rapid pace, the reality is that what we now consider data mature is very different to what we thought it was five years ago. Because of this, the definition of a data mature organisation is in constant flux (as it should be).
Typically, what tends to hold companies back from reaching their full data potential is a lack of investment, or a lack of commitment. An appetite for data maturity is usually there, but without a plan or adequate budget, companies won’t be able to bring their data visions to life. And without a long-term commitment, or willingness to constantly learn and adapt their strategies, a company’s data efforts, no matter how robust, will eventually become obsolete.
Of course, in order to maintain data maturity and secure budget for their data efforts, data leaders need buy-in from the right people within their organisations. To do this, data leaders need to sell the value of a data mature organisation and try to quantify these benefits whenever possible.
What trends are you seeing in terms of the data and analytics resources your clients are demanding from you?
Overall, we’re seeing a greater demand for diversity, and an interest in hiring consultants that are either recent graduates or relatively early on in their careers.
Typically, our clients come to us because they need help resourcing recent graduates to help augment their already established graduate data programmes. This plays nicely into what we offer as an organisation.
One of our core missions at Rockborne is to bring more diversity to the data space. In 2022, our consultants were 50% female, 21% LGBTQ+, and 22% were living with a disability.
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