Simon James Gratton, chief data officer, Three

What has been your path to power?

The smart use of data has always been central to what I do. My data journey started in the mid-1990s at what is now IBM Cognos during a pivotal point in the business intelligence (BI) revolution.I then worked as an interim across different businesses and vertical sectors in BI, integration, IT consolidation, architecture and ultimately management roles. This period also placed me in numerous data remediation transformations in the run-up to the "Y2K problem".

At Telus, I delivered large-scale IT transformations during periods of group consolidation. At Royal Mail, I joined pre-privatisation on a breath-taking transformation delivered against a backdrop of declining mail revenues. At Zurich UK, I established its first chief data office and digital innovation lab at a time when establishing analytics and data science capabilities became of boardroom interest. My time leading data, analytics and CIO advisory at Capgemini Financial Services, followed by numerous portfolio roles across Deloitte, HSBC, BKL, Bletchley Park, Centrica, Schneider Electric and JCB has taught me how to deliver value from data quickly in any scenario.

At Three, I lead the data function as we transform our B2B, B2C and 5G network experience with a laser-focus on revenue growth and operational efficiency.