If you could make one prediction for the future of D&A in 2025, what would it be?
I think (and hope) data literacy and storytelling will become a key priority for D&A in 2025. The growing recognition of data-guided decision making and the trend in recent years of increased data democratisation means building data literacy across organisations is key. There is an equal importance for data teams to improve their data storytelling capabilities, ensuring insights are communicated in a way that drives action. As our friends at the Data Literacy Academy teach, the dream is data literate business teams and a business literate data team.
Looking Back on 2024, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in D&A this year?
For me I feel there has been a real improvement in recognising the importance of data-guided decision making, and therefore the impact and importance of data teams across a business. I’ve seen a real increase in the adoption of a data mindset in teams across our business, especially around testing – problem statements, hypotheses etc; which is really encouraging.
If you could gift one book or podcast to a fellow D&A leader, what would it be?
The Orbition Driven by Data podcast obviously! ? I would recommend Invisible Women to any data professional (in fact even non data professionals). The more we can all understand bias the better – we need to recognise it to address it.
If you could choose any destination to escape to in December or the New Year, where would it be?
Travel = one of my favourite topics! For me, it would be one of two extremes: super snowy wintery scenes in Lapland or Rovaniemi or escaping the cold on a palm-tree lined beach in the Caribbean. Personally, this year I’m heading to New York in December (think Home Alone 2 without being chased by the sticky bandits!) and then celebrating the end of January with a cheeky long weekend in the Canaries.
