Modern data leaders know creating a data-informed culture requires cross-functional partnership and collaboration across the entire business. IT by themselves can’t do it. Nor can individual business departments. Both the IT and business strategy must be in lock step to achieve results.  On this episode of The Data Chief, Dora Boussias, Senior Director of Data Strategy and Architecture at Stryker, discusses the role of modern data executives, three keys to creating a data-informed culture,...

Every month, millions of people start jobs, end jobs, and receive pay for their work, resulting in billions of rows of workforce data. As a leader in HR management services, ADP is not only capturing this data for customers, it’s empowering them to turn their data-driven insights into action. In today’s episode, Chief Data Officer, Jack Berkowitz, shares how the pandemic disproportionately impacted certain industries and workers, findings from the company’s most recent National Employment...

Historically, computers haven’t been particularly good at determining user intent from real-world language inputs.  However, the advancement of natural language processing technologies, like ChatGPT, has led to remarkable improvements in AI systems' accuracy in responding to human queries. In this episode, Amit Prakash, Co-founder of ThoughtSpot, discusses the development of AI and the accountability required to make it ready for daily use.

Everywhere you look, change is redefining the data landscape. From the rise of the analytics engineer to data leaders clamoring to make self service analytics real, it’s clear organizations are looking for new opportunities to put their data to work. But which changes matter? In this episode, we break down some of the data and analytics trends for 2023 that will help you identify key ways to rise above your competitors. Tom Davenport is back for another episode and this time he’s here to...

Today’s digital economy is more competitive than ever, and making smart data decisions can be what sets the leaders apart from the rest of the field. With new technologies now democratizing data at an accelerated pace, how can companies ensure that their data strategy is helping them stay ahead of the curve? As our third season comes to a close, Cindi takes a look back at some of our most insightful conversations to lay out six essential rules that every Data Chief should follow to dominate...

On this episode of The Data Chief, we look back at some of the key themes from season one, including the rise of the CDO, the intricacies of aligning your department’s goals with that of the businesses, and how you coped with accelerated timelines. While we relive these important conversations, we also discuss why culture and data fluency continue to be the biggest hurdles to becoming a truly data-driven business.

Each year, around 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean, killing wildlife and damaging the environment for future generations. Much of this pollution originates from the wasteful packaging used for everyday grocery products. But a greener grocery alternative is making waves from across the pond. Joining us today is John Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer at The Modern Milkman, a UK-based grocery delivery company that brings locally sourced goods directly to customers without any...

Treating data as a treasure is a foundational principle for Jan Sheppard, the Chief Data and Analytics officer at New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR.) This agency leads ongoing research in public health, environmental health, and forensics for the country of New Zealand. Like many other CDAOs, her role is relatively new. But the unique values she applies to data can be traced back many hundreds of years to the indigenous Maori people of her...

At French bank, Société Générale, providing the best customer experience in the modern digital world means rethinking everything about banking, including its corporate structure. Three years ago, Julien Molez, joined the bank’s leadership team to become the first Innovation Data & AI Leader. On this episode of The Data Chief, Julien addresses changes sweeping the banking industry, including higher customer expectations, tougher regulations, and the ESG revolution. He also reminds us that...

It is once again that time of year when our host, Cindi Howson shares her favorite data and analytics book recommendations. In this special annual episode, we feature three of the industry’s top data writers, thinkers, and fellow podcasters. Tim Harford comes to the conversation with his new book, The Data Detective, and big-picture ideas about how traits like curiosity serve data scientists so well. Zhamak Dehghani shares her concept of The Data Mesh, especially as it relates to sharing data...

Who’s hungry? Thanks to delivery apps like DoorDash, it’s never been easier for modern consumers to satisfy almost any craving in just a few taps. At the helm of DoorDash’s data organization is VP of Analytics & Data Science, Jessica Lachs. With metrics guiding every decision at the company, a key part of her decision-making comes down to properly quantifying the value of each possible tradeoff. Learn more about her decision-making framework, plus how her career in finance evolved into...

Swiss RE’s SVP of P&C R&D, Jerry Gupta is a firm believer in the revenue-generating potential and AI and machine learning. On this episode of The Data Chief, Jerry offers his view on innovative data model, frameworks for building and operationalizing these models, what makes a good data scientist, and why it will always be more challenging for data teams to maintain existing models vs. innovate new ones.

What keeps a data pro at one company for almost thirty years? On this episode of The Data Chief, Pascale Hutz, the Chief Data Officer and EVP of Enterprise Digital & Data Solutions at American Express, shares how her career at American Express has transformed over the years and what she’s learned along the way. Tune in to hear more about her latest cloud migration journey, why she’s on a  “mission to decommission,” and how she fights imposter syndrome even as a C-level executive in one of...

How can data be activated to create better healthcare outcomes? Dr. Victoria Gamerman, the Global Head of Data Governance and Insights at Boehringer Ingelheim, offers that part of the answer is that data is changing to be thought of as part of the broader healthcare “ecosystem.”  Listen in for how some of the philosophical frameworks concerning data can help to improve healthcare.

What does it take to turn a new position that never existed into one that delivers transformation for an entire organization? As the first Chief Data Officer at Prudential Financial and the initial Chief Data Analytics Officer at a prior career stop at State Farm, Kjersten Moody knows the answer. Tune in to learn how being a constant learner has consistently allowed her to see challenges as opportunities for growth.

How do you make innovation truly come alive at your organization? For Abhi Bhatt, the AVP, Technology, Data & Analytics at CarMax, innovation is about taking risks, seizing opportunities, and challenging yourself to get a little better each day . Abhi also describes his approach to upskilling teammates across the business, the role of third-party data in delivering better customer experiences, and how culture is helping companies win the war on talent.

Since the business relationship to data has changed, it definitely makes sense that the role of a Chief Data Officer has developed too. Our guest today, Heidi Lanford, CDO of Fitch Group, is seeing that evolution firsthand. She shares with us how CDOs can work effectively with other company leaders; in part, by communicating in simple, clear terms. Tune in to learn from Heidi why there can be considerable career value in choosing to be uncomfortable.

The data landscape is evolving in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Murali Vridhachalam, the Head of Enterprise Data and Analytics at Gilead Sciences, and Mahmood Majeed, Managing Partner at ZS Associates, offer their compelling perspectives on digital transformation in life sciences and healthcare and how data can be used in these areas to improve patient outcomes. Plus, Mahmood and Murali share their takes on how to effectively reskill data professionals and the role of IT in...

Your data will never be clean and it will never be perfect. So how do we create meaningful models anyway? As Dr. Katia Walsh puts it, data leaders are facing a “tsunami of data.” But that tsunami shouldn’t stop you from testing, iterating, and moving quickly. Dr. Walsh is the Chief Global Strategy and AI Officer at Levi Strauss & Co. and today she shares how her team has leveraged a mindset of “think big, start small, scale fast” to create cutting-edge data models and digital capabilities...

It takes a multi-pronged approach to be a Chief Data Officer in the modern day, and its trailblazers like Cara Dailey who have helped mold the position into what it is today. Cara is the EVP and CDO for LPL Financial with previous roles at companies like Nike, Bank of the West, and Silicon Valley Bank. A veteran in the world of data, she joins The Data Chief to discuss data governance vs. data enablement, how to balance data defense with offense, the role of technology in data-driven...

Data is a key asset for any organization undergoing transformation. Together, Vandana Khanna, Deeksha Singh and their teams work across continents, brands, and cultures to infuse data into every decision at Unilever. But like any major business initiative, digital transformation is a journey. The challenges and opportunities that exist are vast, varied, and endless. Tune in to hear how this dynamic duo are improving data literacy at every level, eliminating manual reporting and data...

Over the last two years, Afterpay has more than doubled its consumer base from 7 million to 19 million by giving consumers more opportunities to make big-ticket purchases using its simple, pay-over-time platform. Their ever-growing success in the crowded payments market is what led the company to be acquired by Block, the parent company for such brands as Cash App, Square, and TIDAL. Now, as part of the Block family, Afterpay Senior Director of Data Engineering & Governance, Nitish Mathew...

As the Managing Executive Officer & CDO at Rakuten, Takuya Kitagawa’s charter is both varied and complex. For the past four years, he has guided the digital native through accelerated expansion into multiple industries, including online banking, shopping, mobile communications, and travel, in order to deliver customers a more integrated and affordable service experience. Takuya dives into the concept of ‘digital twins’ and how the company is using tight data integrations to enhance...

As the first CDO at Etsy, Chu-Cheng Hsieh offers a unique perspective on helping build a data-driven organization from the ground up. Chu-Cheng shares how he’s fostered a culture of experimentation that has led to rapid growth and transformation within the company. He also dives into trends such as machine learning and data observability, and explains some of the most helpful mental frameworks he’s learned in his life and career.

Jay Riola, SVP of Strategy and Innovation for the Orlando Magic, and Charlie Shin, VP of Data Strategy and Analytics for the Indianapolis Colts share how they’re using data and analytics to enhance fan experiences. With perspectives from both the NBA and the NFL, Jay and Charlie explore the evolution of mobile ticketing, challenges with identity management, the importance of building fan trust, and the most surprising insights they’ve ever discovered within their data.