Path to power
I started my career working in consultancy, designing and delivering data strategies and then I was head of data at The Pensions Regulator and chief data officer at Southern Water before taking up my current role.
What is the proudest achievement of your career to date?
To be the co-author of two best-selling books: The Chief Data Officers’ Playbook and Data Driven Business Transformation.
Who is your role model or the person you look to for inspiration?
Pele, the perfect combination of talent, focus and hard work.
Did 2019 turn out the way you expected? If not, in what ways was it different?
No. 2019 was my first full year at L&G and we achieved far more than I expected; the culture shift was significant in its pace. Also, the success of the second book, Data Driven Business Transformation; we certainly didn’t expect it to become a best-seller within hours of its publication.
What do you expect 2020 to be like for the data and analytics industry?
It’s going to be interesting. Already commentators are talking about the ‘AI Winter’. What will be the new buzz phrase? We’ve already ditched big data.
Data and technology are changing business, the economy and society – what do you see as the biggest opportunity emerging from this?
Embedding data and analytics into the heart of the business and effecting true business transformation.
What is the biggest tech challenge you face in ensuring data is at the heart of your digital transformation strategy?
It will remain two-fold for quite a while: legacy data ecosystem and applications; and finding the right skills and experience.
