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Esther Munyi, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Sasfin Bank

Esther Munyi, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Sasfin Bank

Describe your career to date

I have a proven track record of implementing successful data and analytics solutions across various industries. My passion lies in harnessing the power of data to tell compelling stories and empower individuals.

I am honoured to have received several recognitions, including the 2023 CDO of the Year Award at the Finnovex Southern Africa Awards, and being featured in CDO Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Data Leaders list.

I am also excited to share that I have been nominated for the CXO of the Year award at the AfricaTech Festival Awards.

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

We have launched a data literacy programme, aimed at helping our organisation foster a culture where data literacy is integral to our operations. This aims to achieve the following goals:

Encouraging a shift in mindset towards data-driven decision-making, supplementing gut feelings and experience with data insights;
Clarifying the value of data as an organisational asset, ensuring understanding among all stakeholders;
Addressing data quality as a significant KPI and identifying human error as a key issue;
Promoting effective communication of insights, making reports and dashboards that are story-driven for business audiences;
Enabling self-service analytics while maintaining governance controls and empowering business users;
Recognising data as a catalyst for innovation, enhancing the potential for successful digital transformation;
Overcoming challenges in articulating data requirements to accelerate data initiatives by bridging the gap between business and data teams;
Enhancing client intelligence by studying consumer and market behaviours to anticipate change, risks, and client needs;
Advancing along the data and analytics maturity ladder by embarking on an organisational journey.

What are the key challenges to your data function that you are facing as its leader?

I think number one would be manual processes. Organisations rely heavily on manual data tasks, which consumes resources and introduces errors.

Secondly, demonstrating value; balancing regulatory compliance and the broader value of data insights can be challenging.

Support and collaboration can also be a challenge. Data analytics requires support at all levels, but achieving buy-in can be a significant undertaking.

Finally, there is a huge demand for data skills in the market. It is creating a bidding war, and the organisations with the deeper pockets are throwing money at the problem. We need to address the shortage in the medium- and long-term, not just short-term.

Esther Munyi
has been included in:

100 Brands 2024 (EMEA)

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