Does data now have a seat at the table during strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get it there?
The data agenda does indeed now have a seat at the table during strategic discussions and is widely recognised as of fundamental importance to achieving any and all successful change. We do, however,r suffer with the common and well recognised industry-wide skills shortage in digital and data skills to ensure that we have a depth of data expertise throughout all levels in the organisation. The challenge it presents is in the ability to translate strategy and policy decisions and make the right trade-offs to ensure the balance between demands, delivery and long-term success.
What are your key areas of focus for data and analytics in 2022?
At the centre of such a large organisation, we are driving a few initiatives that all intertwine: a data literacy programme (to support the skills challenge); a data compliance programme (to enable the right and appropriate sharing and acceptable usage); an information management practice (enabling information exploitation AI); a data management programme (to make a step change in maturity through measuring compliance to new policy); and our data insights and science platform which will continue to make use of our other representative programmes and enable further consolidation of business projects to provide the next transition state of the Cabinet Office data architecture.
Tell us what leadership means to you in the context of your role as a senior data leader.
My role as a data leader within this organisation is a combination of upward, outward, internal and external focus. From upward education and counsel to support strategic change and direction; to outward partnering and business outcome enablement for our business partners; through to responsible leadership for all data experts, practitioners and the newly-qualified to ensure practice, education, career and progression. With the latter being interestingly one of the most rewarding at present.
What key skills or attributes do you consider have contributed to your success in this role?
Making change in any organisation can be interesting and each organisation requires you to draw on different skills. Within this role, it has been one of language and education alongside being lase- focused on the right things, even when the organisation doesn’t necessarily understand or recognise its immediate or future benefit.
How did you develop – and continue to develop – these skills or attributes?
The time spent over the last 12 months with the Forward Fellowship Institute challenged an important phase of development of responsible leadership. The work to think deeper about “legacy” has driven much more than a transactional approach to work. It has enabled a challenge on the credit and a curse of group-think and while it continued to drive improvements in standard compliance practices, it has enabled the breaking of that trend with innovative change. The addition of new diversity recruitment pipelines enabling different socially representative groups has enabled the acquisition of emerging talent and a blend of fresh ideas and focus which has become addictive to all.
