Gareth Powell is Group Data Officer and Partner at Irwin Mitchell, leading the firm’s data strategy and transformation agenda, focused on delivering measurable business value.
He brings more than 25 years’ experience in data leadership across retail, financial services, telecommunications and professional services. Throughout his career, Gareth has maintained a consistent focus on ensuring data initiatives translate into clear commercial and operational outcomes.
At N Brown, he led the implementation of personalisation strategies and optimisation of promotional spend, delivering significant margin improvements and multi-million-pound savings in direct mail with minimal impact on turnover. At TalkTalk, he spearheaded a major data transformation, introducing churn diagnostics and predictive models that enabled more effective customer strategies and contributed to industry-leading churn performance. He later joined Studio Retail, where he secured enterprise-wide backing to establish a centralised data function and build a data platform alongside the launch of value-add products.
In his current role at Irwin Mitchell, Gareth has implemented a new target operating model that is delivering core data products, supporting the development of a modern data platform and strengthening data governance foundations to underpin wider business transformation.
Beyond his executive role, Gareth is an active contributor to the data leadership community. He regularly speaks at industry conferences, participates in data-focused panels and roundtables, and recently helped launch the UK’s first Legal Data Leaders forum. He also co-chairs Boycott Your Bed, supporting Action for Children, reflecting a commitment to purposeful leadership alongside commercial impact.
As a data and AI leader, which traits and skills do you think matter most, and which of those have been most influential for you in your current position?
“For me, effective data and AI leadership is about blending strategic vision, influence, and adaptability. Yes, technical knowledge matters, but the real skill is turning complexity into something that the business understands and values.
“Storytelling and commercial acumen go hand in glove. It’s not about tech for tech’s sake; it’s about framing initiatives in terms of outcomes. Understanding the business P&L and how it makes or loses money is a fundamental.
“Resilience and curiosity are equally important. Things move fast, whether that is regulatory changes or new AI capabilities appearing overnight, so you need to embrace ambiguity, learn quickly, and pivot without losing sight of the bigger picture.
“Empathy and collaboration are non-negotiable. Success comes from trust and shared understanding. I spend a lot of time with stakeholders because that’s where adoption starts. Getting data teams fluent in business and processes is just as critical as improving data literacy across the organisation.
“At Irwin Mitchell, clarity and influence have been key. Implementing a new operating model and governance meant aligning senior leaders, securing investment, and energising teams. Explaining benefits in plain language from risk reduction to client experience resulted in advocacy and laid the foundations for accelerating the data agenda and responsible AI.”
Reflecting on your career, what is one non-traditional piece of advice (outside of technical skills) you would give to an aspiring data or AI leader aiming for the C-suite?
“Be relentlessly curious about the business, not just the data. Too many aspiring data leaders chase technical mastery, but the C-suite cares about impact. My advice? Spend as much time understanding commercial drivers, what drives customer experience, and the culture you’re operating in as you do on models and platforms. Always ask ‘why does this matter?’ before ‘how do we build it?’.
“When you can frame data initiatives in terms of margin, risk, engagement, or customer outcomes, you earn trust and influence. It also helps you prioritise. Not every dataset, business ask or AI use case deserves investment.
“I would always recommend an executive coach as there is a degree of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable which has helped me enormously in the last ten years of my career.
“Leadership is about people. Aligning diverse stakeholders, inspiring teams, and navigating ambiguity are what make the difference, and it is important to cultivate empathy. Technical skills open doors, but curiosity and human connection keep them open. Combining those skills are key.”