Does data now have a seat at the table during strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get it there?
Increasingly, the answer is yes. In our conversations with our owners, as well as with some of the other companies they own, it’s clear that data has become an important factor in evaluating the value of a company, as well as in its operations. If you’re part of a company’s value proposition, you deserve the seat at the table. In universities we see a much more mixed picture. In the Global North, institutions often have well developed data teams, but this is far from universal. In the UK, where we arguably have the richest university data set, we often forget that much of the world has relatively little data on higher education.
What are your key areas of focus for data and analytics in 2022?
2022 is going to be an interesting year in higher education. How will universities shape themselves after the pandemic? Will students start to travel internationally again? Above all, will universities take the challenge of sustainability seriously? Data will help us to understand that.
Tell us what leadership means to you in the context of your role as a senior data leader.
I need to be able to communicate upwards, and outwards, but I also need to be able to help my team members to grow as potential leaders of the future.