Does data now have a seat at the table during strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get it there?
Definitely – data has always been at the heart of decision making at Bloom & Wild. I’ve been fortunate to report to our CEO for most of my time at the company, which creates a unique opportunity to understand the key decisions we are looking to make and allows us to tailor our work to ensure it supports this decision-making.
Everyone in the company, including the C-level, regularly engages with data and insight and uses this to inform big decisions. For example, when planning to invest millions of pounds in brand media or decide whether we will acquire another brand such as bloomon, data has always been a key input in the process. Being able to draw on the insight and data that exists to support the team with the bigger questions is one of the most rewarding parts of the role.
What are your key areas of focus for data and analytics in 2022?
Our primary focus is always around driving impact on business decisions and so that will continue to be the key focus for us this year. To achieve this, we will focus on growing our team, investing in the right tooling and processes, and scaling our ways of working to ensure that data will continue to sit at the heart of decision-making this year and beyond.
Tell us what leadership means to you in the context of your role as a senior data leader.
Again, I think this one is all about driving impact. Being a leader to me means pushing to create a space that allows BI team members to do their best work to drive impact for the business. We want to create a great team environment where everyone is motivated by our ambitions and has the skills, tools and support to succeed.
A key part of my role is to ask the right questions for the business and connect that to what is possible. I work with decision-makers to ensure that data is fully integrated. Part of leadership is also about looking forward to where the business is going to be in the next few years, and ensuring we make strategic investments now to ensure that data-driven decisions remain at the core of the business.
What key skills or attributes do you consider have contributed to your success in this role?
I think open mindedness has been a big contributor to my success. We’ve had amazing people join Bloom & Wild from all backgrounds/industries, and everyone brings fresh ideas and challenges our ways of thinking, which always helps push forward our approach. I don’t believe there is a single right way of doing things and being fully open to the idea that someone could have a better idea, a new perspective, or a better way of doing something has been essential. For example, we are continually revising the way we measure experiments, approach marketing analytics, or even how we operate within our function. This open-mindedness allows us to absorb new thinking into our methods and push ourselves to continually evolve.
How did you develop – and continue to develop – these skills or attributes? And what about the skills of your data teams and of your business stakeholders?
I think it’s about continuing to challenge ourselves on the status quo. Things can always be improved and it’s important to keep that mindset. I think it’s also about creating the space for people to share ideas and drive the agenda forward.
