This is a profile from the 2022 version of the DataIQ 100.
The latest list is available here.
Gary Goldberg, chief data office, trading and shipping, BP
What has been your path to power?
I started my career on a trading desk in the City of London. Over time, I started writing our trading applications and eventually moved into technology full time. As my career progressed, I found myself delivering solutions that increasingly focused on data and business transformation. Generally, this meant improving data, business processes and culture. I was fortunate to deliver change across trading desks, operations, risk management and analytics functions. I learned that data was what linked our business and that a clear data strategy empowered our staff and enabled innovation.
In 2015, much of my IT work required significant changes to how the business used and managed data and I transitioned to a new role as chief data officer (CDO). In September 2019, I joined bp as the chief data officer for our trading and shipping business. Looking back, my move to CDO seems a natural progression.
Data is essential for our business to grow, safely and efficiently. My team works across our business - front to back. I’m grateful for a background that gave me a strong understanding of the commercial and technical aspects of our business.
What impact has the pandemic had on the role of data in your company/organisation?
The pandemic arrived not long after bp announced its net zero ambitions and our change to an integrated energy company. The pandemic led to signification changes to energy demand across the world and, as an integrated energy company, there was a growing need for data that spanned our historic business silos. The two together significantly increased the recognition of the importance of data and helped to accelerate the work on our data foundations and our long-term data strategy.
Does data now have a seat at the table during strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get it there?
Yes, data is an important focus during strategic discussions. There has been a massive change in awareness about the importance of data. I promote a “data-first” approach and work to see that data is a primary business consideration. There is still more to do, but I think that will happen organically over time. It’s not just about getting a seat at the table, .it’s about keeping it. That happens from delivering benefits.
DataIQ is a trading name of IQ Data Group Limited
10 York Road, London, SE1 7ND
Phone: +44 020 3821 5665
Registered in England: 9900834
Copyright © IQ Data Group Limited 2024