Ghada Richani, Managing Director, Data and Technology Strategy and PMO, Bank of America

Describe your career to date

From the abyss of a civil war and a family struggling to make ends meet, a resilient girl emerged, overcoming adversities to complete a bachelor’s and master’s in software engineering funded by scholarships earned through academic performance. The journey that followed was anything but a straightforward trajectory.  

Initially embarking on a programming career, a revelation struck after just two months – a passion for utilizing technology to solve complex business problems. This realization led to a diverse professional journey spanning various industries, including construction, government, services, waste management, financial services, advertising, marketing, and education. For seven years, the girl, now a professional, dedicated her skills and expertise to organizations in Lebanon. However, a transformative opportunity arose— a chance to relocate to the United States for a position as a Systems and Business Analyst.  

The transition marked the beginning of an upward trajectory on the corporate ladder. Swiftly navigating through different lines of business, my journey reached new heights, culminating a few years ago in a pivotal role within the Bank of America Risk organization. Now, entrusted with leading the data strategy and program office for the consumer business, I continue to invest in my career and contributing significantly to the ever-evolving intersection of technology and business while inspiring young women entering the field. 

How are you developing the data literacy of your organization, including the skills of your data teams and of your business stakeholders?  

In our commitment to advancing data literacy within the organization, we employ a comprehensive strategy that involves several key factors. To initiate this process, we invest in cutting-edge tools that not only ensure the availability of up-to-date metadata and accessible data quality metrics for our data consumers but also facilitate a user-friendly interface for seamless engagement.  

The collaboration between our data teams and business stakeholders extends beyond metadata enhancement to include joint efforts in the interpretation of data insights. Furthermore, we allocate resources for continuous professional development, offering diverse training programs that go beyond the basics.  

These programs incorporate real-life scenarios to deepen the understanding of data, emphasizing its fitness for use and promoting the timely communication of its status, encompassing key performance indicators, data quality metrics, compliance metrics, and more. This holistic approach aims to cultivate a robust data literacy culture across our organization, nurturing the skills of both our data teams and business stakeholders. 

What role do you play in building and delivering conventional AI solutions, including machine learning models? Are you involved in your organization’s adoptions of generative AI? 

My team’s primary function is to guarantee the availability of data essential for constructing or evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) and ML models. This involves ensuring that the data meets acceptable standards in terms of quality, security, and appropriate utilization.  

Additionally, we have been actively evaluating the application of AI and ML across various use cases. Each specific use and model undergo a thorough assessment to ensure its validity and adherence to ethical and compliance standards.  

While my team has been actively engaged in preparing data for potential applications in the generative AI (genAI) domain, we have not yet directly ventured into this specific domain. Nonetheless, our focus remains on meticulous data preparation to support potential use cases in the genAI field. 

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

Our team has been diligently implementing a comprehensive data strategy and vision centered around three core objectives, thus propelling the organization toward a data-driven future. The current objectives are:  

  1. Enhance data accountability, accessibility, and quality across all facets of the organization.  

  1. Expand data literacy, ensuring that every stakeholder possesses the necessary skills to harness the power of data effectively.  

  1. Adopt cutting-edge technology, equipping the organization to navigate future challenges seamlessly.  

This ongoing program and strategy undergo regular reviews and revisions, ensuring that our vision remains aligned with the evolving objectives and priorities of the business and stakeholders. The journey towards our data-driven goals is perpetual, with the target continually evolving. 

The team has consistently achieved significant milestones that contribute to the organization’s advancement, fortifying the data function’s effectiveness. The strides made by the team underscore our commitment to fostering a data-centric culture that yields tangible benefits. 

Ghada Richani
has been included in:
  • 100 Brands 2024 (USA)

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