
What’s one of the biggest challenges your team faced this year, and how did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges has been driving BI and Analytics adoption on global D&A solutions, where markets are evolving their Sales strategies and expected D&A capabilities faster than central enablement teams can adapt. As markets become more data and insights literate, their expectations are growing (and not always in the same direction). We manage the positive intent from our markets by,
a) ensuring our global process and data governance decision authorities are managing and validating market needs, and
b) evolving to a more flexible, federated delivery model, where we are more delivery partner agnostic, but delivery is governed and adheres to global standards and playbooks
What skill do you think every D&A professional should focus on in the coming year?
There is so much access we have now to rich learning paths, whether provided by organisation vendors or free online resources. The access and ability to understand and learn traditionally difficult to navigate subjects such as Machine Learning and Generative AI is easier to come by. I urge all aspiring data and insight enthusiasts to take advantage of the accessibility of these popular and heavily talked about topics.
If you could gift one book or podcast to a fellow D&A leader, what would it be?
12 rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Jordon Peterson: The chapter on managing expectations in a much healthier and pragmatic way is worth the read in itself.
What’s your favourite part of your festive dinner plate?
All of it, even the sprouts!