{"id":40289,"date":"2026-01-27T16:49:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/?post_type=100-alumni&p=40289"},"modified":"2026-02-04T14:45:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T14:45:52","slug":"cengiz-ucbenli-chief-data-and-analytics-officer-centrica","status":"publish","type":"100-alumni","link":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/dataiq100\/cengiz-ucbenli-chief-data-and-analytics-officer-centrica\/","title":{"rendered":"Cengiz Ucbenli, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Centrica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cengiz\u00a0Ucbenli\u00a0began his career as an engineer, later adding an MBA in\u00a0Turkey\u00a0and a PhD from Columbia University, before finding his professional footing in New York as a senior data scientist at American Express. Working with rich transaction and customer data, he cut his teeth on large-scale personalisation and early AI applications, grounding his approach firmly in commercial outcomes rather than technical novelty.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That pragmatism carried through a move back to\u00a0his home country of\u00a0Turkey\u00a0to lead data science at BBVA during a landmark banking acquisition, and then into telecommunications at Vodafone. There, Cengiz repeatedly built data and AI capabilities from scratch, linking advanced analytics to hard operational decisions. One standout example was reframing network optimisation around customer experience and lifetime value, improving the return on network investment by around 20%.\u00a0This project\u00a0cemented\u00a0what would become\u00a0a recurring theme in his work:\u00a0translating complex data signals into decisions executives are willing to back.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mid-pandemic,\u00a0Cengiz\u00a0relocated to London to take on a group-wide role at Vodafone, overseeing AI strategy across 20 markets. By standardising platforms on Google Cloud and introducing a model\u00a0based on the concept of build once and deploy many,\u00a0he helped cut development cycles and bring consistency to analytics at scale without ignoring local nuance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cengiz\u00a0is now Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Centrica, appointed into the role to tackle fragmented data estates and uneven capability. Two and a half years on, he leads a central team of around 100, alongside a federated network of several hundred embedded data professionals, with a focus on practical AI, improved data literacy, and measurable impact in a fiercely competitive energy market.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As a data and AI leader, which traits and skills do you think matter most, and which of those have been most influential for you in your current position?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For Cengiz, \u201cthe most important trait is strategic thinking. Data is not just data, and AI is not just AI.\u201d What he believes matters is the ability to connect multiple disciplines into something the organisation can act on. \u201cIn any meaningful initiative there\u2019s data, AI, visualisation, narration, storytelling, and then a clear call to action that mobilises people.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cengiz sees this blend as the defining skill set for modern data leaders. \u201cThose are the skills\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0built over the years, and they pay off.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not enough to build a model or surface insight, you\u00a0have to\u00a0shape it into a story that moves the business.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Equally critical\u00a0to Cengiz\u00a0is empathy and stakeholder management. \u201cUnderstanding the other side\u2019s point of view is extremely important.\u201d\u00a0Plus, he emphasises that future leaders should be\u00a0acutely aware of how data initiatives can land badly if handled poorly. \u201cImagine you run a call\u00a0centre\u00a0and someone turns up with data in front of the CEO exposing all your problems. That creates an allergic reaction.\u201d His approach\u00a0advice\u00a0is deliberate: \u201cHelp me help you\u00a0and explain that this is a joint story, not my credit.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That philosophy shapes how\u00a0Cengiz has\u00a0worked successfully\u00a0with\u00a0multiple businesses. \u201cI\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0invent new call reasons, but I\u00a0used the ones they already trusted and applied AI to classify them better.\u201d Building trust and credibility, he argues, is inseparable from technical delivery\u00a0and is an invaluable skill for the future data and AI leaders.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Above all,\u00a0Cengiz\u00a0emphasised that leaders should\u00a0stay anchored to\u00a0real business\u00a0problems. \u201cToo many data leaders chase far-fetched use cases that\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0move the P&L.\u00a0If you tackle problems that really matter, people value you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on your career, what is one non-traditional piece of advice (outside of technical skills) you would give to an aspiring data or AI leader aiming for the C-suite?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cMy one piece of advice\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0be about data or AI at all, because those are hygiene factors. You\u00a0have to\u00a0keep up, otherwise\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0be obsolete in a few years,\u201d said Cengiz.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The real differentiator, in his view, is deep business understanding. \u201cYou need to know the business better than the business itself.\u201d Too many leaders,\u00a0Cengiz\u00a0feels,\u00a0operate\u00a0in functional silos. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0doing my data\u00a0role,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0doing your marketing role:\u00a0everyone focuses on their own bit. But what we do is so interrelated that you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0prove value unless it lands in business operations.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That means sitting with the business and really understanding how work gets done. \u201cFuture leaders\u00a0have to\u00a0keep that scientific, interrogative mindset.\u00a0Someone\u2019s\u00a0been doing a job the same way for ten years and you have data that could help them rethink it. How do you redesign or reimagine their world without alienating them?\u201d\u00a0Cengiz\u00a0describes the role as a blend of consultant and business owner. \u201cYou\u2019re advising, but you\u2019re also accountable for the outcome.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Emotional intelligence is the other overlooked skill. \u201cA lot of resistance to AI comes from fear\u00a0as\u00a0people don\u2019t want to be automated away or lose their teams.\u201d Navigating that requires empathy and shared ownership. \u201cYou have to create a sense that this is their initiative, not something being done to them.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his experience,\u00a0Cengiz thinks\u00a0this is where many data leaders fall short. \u201cOur community is\u00a0very strong\u00a0on IQ\u00a0like\u00a0maths, coding,\u00a0and\u00a0models.\u00a0But\u00a0EQ is often weaker.\u00a0For me,\u00a0high EQ, combined with\u00a0real business\u00a0fluency, is the biggest differentiator if you want to progress.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cengiz\u00a0Ucbenli\u00a0began his career as an engineer, later adding an MBA in\u00a0Turkey\u00a0and a PhD from Columbia University, before finding his professional footing in New York as a senior data scientist at American Express. Working with rich transaction and customer data, he cut his teeth on large-scale personalisation and early AI applications, grounding his approach firmly in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":40835,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"100-designation":[1454],"100-search-term":[1456],"class_list":["post-40289","100-alumni","type-100-alumni","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","100-designation-100-brands-2026-europe","100-search-term-2026-europe-brands"],"acf":{"sort":"","rank":"","forename":"Cengiz","surname":"Ucbenli","fullname":"Cengiz Ucbenli","jobtitle":"Chief Data and Analytics Officer ","organisation":"Centrica ","introduction":"","content_2":"","content_3":"","content_4":"","100_thumbnail_image":40835,"affinoid":""},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-27 07:29:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"100-designation","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/100-alumni\/40289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/100-alumni"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/100-alumni"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40289"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/100-alumni\/40289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40836,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/100-alumni\/40289\/revisions\/40836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"100-designation","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/100-designation?post=40289"},{"taxonomy":"100-search-term","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dataiq.global\/devstage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/100-search-term?post=40289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}