Sanjeevan Bala, group chief data and AI officer, ITV (NED Bakkavor, NED Scholars’ Education Trust)

What has been your path to power?

I first realised the power of data when I started in investment banking in Australia. Seeing the value that could be created was both eye opening and terrifying. I wanted to get a broader understanding of how other businesses worked, so I moved to New York to join PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant. I was fortunate to work with really progressive companies that were shifting from being product to customer centric and were launching direct-to-consumer digital experiences.

As the internet bubble was taking shape, I built a number of start-up digital businesses in Silicon Valley. In 2001, I moved back to the UK and acquired expert understanding of data and analytics at dunnhumby, where I was responsible for developing customer-centric strategies for clients in the media, online and financial services verticals. At Channel 4, we developed and delivered an offensive data strategy and built a multi-award winning team who successfully created a number of patents. I’m now at ITV with a group-wide role and have developed a strategy for using data to drive revenue and EBIT growth spanning our studios, broadcast and media and entertainment divisions. I have complemented my executive role with non-executive director roles at Bakkavor and Scholars’ Education Trust.