Does data now have a seat at the table during strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get it there?
Data, and more generally our digital and technology-led initiatives, absolutely have a seat at the top table. It is a key area of focus at board level, our executive team has personal objectives related to this work, and our company’s strategic growth imperatives reflect them.
The role data can play in improving our operations, our buildings and our customer relationships is widely recognised at all levels in the company. By way of example, we have a corporate sustainability goal of being net-zero carbon by 2030, and data forms a key part to achieving that in ways such as using smart building technologies to measure and optimise energy consumption.
That said, we know we are a two-year-old team inside a 102-year-old company, and there is a lot to do before we can say that we are as embedded as, say, our property management and investment teams are. The company’s use of data and analytics will undoubtedly grow in the coming years, and with it I fully expect that our data operating model and role within the company will change substantially as well.
What are your key areas of focus for data and analytics in 2022?
Firstly, we will be expanding our focus on data and document management, including seeking to standardise our processes, tools and data models across our business units. Without this, we know our business transformation and advanced analytics efforts will be much harder.
Secondly, we will be deploying new tools and approaches that enable easier and more democratised access to data. As a company we have substantial growth plans for the next five years and achieving them is reliant on evolving our data operating model from reliance on a small team of data experts to having self-service tools that all staff are comfortable using.
Thirdly, we will continue our work developing advanced analytics decision support tools that help us to better understand locations, buildings and customers. We believe that augmenting our staff’s deep knowledge with data-driven insights can help us achieve real market differentiation and deliver a leading customer experience.
Finally, we are working hard to empower our customers, as well as our own operational teams, through data from smart building systems so that they can improve their operational efficiency, working environment and employee well-being.
Tell us what leadership means to you in the context of your role as a senior data leader.
For me, the fact that I am a data leader is secondary to the fact that I am in a leadership role. With data and technology, it is easy to get distracted by the detail of the subject and forget that the basics of leadership need to be in place. For me, that is setting a vision, ensuring the people, resources and governance are in place to achieve the vision, and then working to support the team removing obstacles that arise.
On top of that, there are of course areas specific to data and analytics that require greater emphasis, most notably education, demonstration and methodology. With data and analytics being less mature subjects in SEGRO, a large part of leading our work has been showing what is possible, bringing to life previously abstract subjects in ways that people can understand, engage with, and hopefully see the potential from. Building on that, a large amount of my time has been leading on how we deliver work, putting in place more agile and iterative ways of delivering.
