Nicola Askham, The Data Governance Coach

What has been your path to power?

I got into data governance by accident while I was working for a major bank. It was my lightbulb moment, I realised I had found my thing, and that having well understood, good quality data is the foundation of so many things. I went on to work for two consultancies as their data governance expert, which I absolutely loved. Both consultancies were great and developed me as a person in different ways. I kept thinking about how I could help more companies with their data governance. I got brave enough to set up my own business, having realised I could fast track others using all the experience I had gained.

I started offering training courses. The first time I did one I was really nervous, but I suddenly realised how, instead of just me being really passionate about the data, I lit up a whole room of people who were ready to go and do the same across their whole organisation. Now I spend most of my time training and coaching. I’ve worked a lot in the financial sector, publishing, higher education, and the public sector. I’ve made it my mission to help as many people as possible be successful with data governance.