Will Lowe, chief data officer, Transform UK

What key skills or attributes do you consider have contributed to your success in this role? 

The benefit of age and a long(ish) career in data analytics means I’ve got lots of experience from helping lots of different organisations, of different sizes, in different sectors, with different levels of data maturity. I know how to generate value from data, which is partly about what to do and largely about how to get it done.

What level of data maturity do you typically encounter across your client base and what tends to hold this back? 

We have a very broad client base, so the levels of maturity vary. Our clients don’t tend to be data and technology first organisations - they are car brands, retailers or government departments, where data and technology have initially been disrupting influences but are now essential parts of customer/citizen services and experiences. 

Taking automotive, for example, most car brands have been collecting customer data and have run personalised communications to increase sales for decades. But that hasn’t been core to their business or operating model as they’ve tended to operate in siloes with different legal entities (UK brand, dealerships, finance companies) having a partial view of the same customer. As car companies become mobility providers, ownership moves to being a subscription and the role of dealers changes. The cars themselves generate usage data, becoming the channel of communication and creating monetisation opportunities, dramatically increasing the importance of data. 

It’s really exciting to elevate the importance of data, analytics and technology to help clients set the vision, develop new skills and change their business models and/or ways of operating.