This is a profile from the 2022 version of the DataIQ 100.
The latest list is available here.
David Hayes, chief data officer, The Open University
What has been your path to power?
I started my career on the amazing graduate scheme at Anglian Water, before moving into telecoms and then banking with Santander UK. During my time at Santander I qualified as an accountant, which led me into analytics and then naturally into data. My eyes were opened to the importance of data as an essential business ingredient when I took part in, and then subsequently led, teams that successfully migrated data from legacy to new systems. Data has been my home ever since.
Initially leading various operational data teams, I was then asked to take on the new role of CDO for Santander UK – first to lead on data compliance under BCBS239 and then to develop a full end-to-end data capability. In 2019, I took the decision to follow my passion into education, becoming the first CDO at The Open University (OU) - where I am now continuing my data journey and privileged to be building a new and exciting data chapter in support of our staff and students.
What impact has the pandemic had on the role of data in your company/organisation?
The OU has seen a large surge in student numbers during the pandemic, and whilst numbers are levelling out, they’re still up. As the largest university in the UK by some distance, we’re well placed to deal with this large increase but the challenge is to find ways to cope whilst maintaining and improving the quality of teaching and learning. At the same time, dealing with the pandemic wasn’t easy.
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