• Home
  • >
  • Alex Sidgreaves, Chief Data Officer, Zurich Insurance

Alex Sidgreaves, Chief Data Officer, Zurich Insurance

Describe your career to date

As Chief Data Officer for Zurich Insurance, I have a strong background in data management, analytics, and a deep commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. I am responsible for leading the data management, automation, and analytics efforts within my organisation, ensuring that data is effectively utilised to drive innovation, strategic decision-making, and business growth.

I also serve as the Cultural Awareness Network Co-Chair, where I actively promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace. I firmly believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce fosters innovation, creativity, and better decision-making. This commitment to diversity extends beyond my organisation to the broader data industry, where I advocate for diverse representation and the recognition of the value that diverse perspectives bring to the field.

Throughout my career, I have gained extensive experience in various roles, including Lead Domain Architect, DataOps Lead, and Head of Data. These positions have equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of the data ecosystem, data architecture, and data operations. I have successfully led award winning teams, run large data and organisational transformations, implemented innovative solutions that have improved data management practices, streamlined operations, and optimised data-driven decision-making.

I am an active member of industry boards, such as Evanta (Co-Chair) and DataIQ (Data Literacy), where I collaborate with industry experts to advance initiatives in the data industry.

Through my roles and experiences, I have demonstrated the value of diverse teams and have successfully led data management and analytics efforts that drive strategic decision-making and business growth.

Data literacy is a key enabler of the value and impact from data. How are you approaching this within your organisation?

Within our organisation, we recognise the crucial role of data literacy in unlocking the value and impact from data. Data fluency is one of the four pillars of our data strategy, highlighting its continued importance in our organisation over the next strategic cycle. We have taken significant steps to approach data literacy within our organisation.

Firstly, we have appointed an individual specifically in charge of data fluency and data culture. This emphasises the importance of data literacy and ensures it is a key priority rather than a side-of-the-desk activity.

To support the development of foundational knowledge and demystify the fear around data, we have established an in-house data academy. This academy provides training and education to employees across the organisation, laying the foundation of governance and promoting good data practices. We have piloted this programme with 75 individuals, receiving positive feedback and engagement.

In addition, we have partnered with an external organisation to build a comprehensive data literacy programme that will be launched next year. This programme will focus on gaining senior stakeholder buy-in and conducting a UK-wide data maturity assessment to identify key areas for focus in 2024.

To ensure widespread data literacy, we have undertaken key stakeholder mapping across our UK business.  This has allowed us to understand the landscape of federated data teams and partner with various teams in key functions to provide enablement on data basics and technical knowledge. Approximately 250 individuals in these functions have benefited from these initiatives.

We also drafted an internal data obligation policy aimed at increasing the focus on the importance of data and fostering a sense of responsibility for ethical data practices across the organisation.

Lastly, we have developed a new data apprenticeship programme, targeting individuals who heavily utilise data in their roles or those who can benefit from basic data training for career growth. This programme aims to enhance data literacy and support individuals in utilising data effectively.

Overall, our approach to data literacy includes the establishment of a dedicated role, the development of internal training programmes, partnerships with external organisations, stakeholder engagement, policy development, and apprenticeship programmes. These efforts collectively contribute to fostering a data-literate culture within our organisation, enabling us to harness the value and impact from data effectively.

Have you set out a vision for data? If so, what is it aiming for and does it embrace the whole organisation or just the data function?

My vision is to create an organisation that puts data at the centre of the decision-making process, driving increased efficiency, improved customer experiences, and better business outcomes. I believe in creating a strong partnership between data and the business, where data becomes a valuable asset in driving success. A data strategy must underpin the business strategy and move the organisation forward.

To achieve this vision, the strategy encompasses four key pillars:

  1. Trustworthy information. Provide timely, accessible, consistent, and trusted data to enable a data-driven business. By establishing a common data ecosystem, that ensures sound decision-making and reliable insights across the organisation;
  2. Value from data. Focus on turbocharging our data offering for the UK business, industrialising our capabilities to generate insights and drive automation. My aim is to prioritise must-win activities and data products that deliver the most significant value;
  3. Data fluency. Fostering a cultural shift within the organisation, aiming to improve employee comfort in reading, understanding, creating, and communicating with data as information. By driving innovation and building a data-centric organisation, we will empower our workforce to leverage data effectively;
  4. Democratise and empower. Providing the right tools and technologies to drive data consumption and usage. By offering data as a self-service tool, embedded in the wider business, and federated to empowered teams, we can ensure clear supportive guardrails and auditable governance controls.

 

A key aspect of the strategy is the implementation of capability pods. These pods position data at the heart of our business units, resulting in significant changes in value creation and relationships.

Our retail business leaders have expressed their satisfaction with the capability squad model, highlighting the shift towards a true partnership between data and the business. This collaborative way of working has driven more beneficial outcomes, ensuring that our focus is on the right activities that drive value and support our overall business plan.

Alex Sidgreaves
has been included in:
  • 100 Brands 2023 (EMEA)
  • No. 1 100 Brands 2024 (EMEA)

Join our membership network of over 250
global senior data and AI leaders.