CDO Matters Podcast

Are you a data professional interested in better understanding what the top trends that could affect your work will be in 2024? What is the future of data products? How will AI influence data governance and data management?

Malcolm covers these topics and many, many more as he shares his perspectives on the direction of the industry of data and analytics in the coming year.

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In this live episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Malcolm welcomes Erik Zwiefel, the CDAO of Microsoft Americas. Malcolm and Erik go deep on many of the biggest topics front-of-mind for many CDOs today, including Artificial Intelligence – especially how CDOs can best position themselves and their organizations to be more AI ready, and some practical tips on how to operationalize LLMs within their organizations - today.

Other timely topics for CDOs include the Microsoft Fabric and the concept of ‘One Lake’, a single environment for enterprise data management, persistence, and compute.

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It’s the end of yet another incredibly busy and exciting year in the world of data and analytics, and CDOs looking for an energetic and entertaining perspective on the top trends of the year should put this episode at the top of their podcast playlist.

From the growth of AI to the demise of the data mesh, Malcolm provides his perspectives on the last year in data in a way that only he can – with a witty combination of passion and provocation that will surely leave you wanting more.

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Many CDOs believe that transitioning their companies to a data-driven culture is the #1 roadblock to fulfilling their data strategies. In this episode of CDO Matters, Malcolm provides his insights on what behaviors and mindsets are needed from CDOs to model the culture they wish others outside the data and analytics function to embrace.

Malcolm posits that meaningful culture change must necessarily start within data teams and that until CDOs themselves embrace being more data-driven, they can’t realistically ask others to do the same.

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In this 38th episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Malcolm interviews Mark Stouse, the Founder and CEO of Proof Analytics. An accomplished business leader with decades of experience in leading data science initiatives, Mark shares his perspectives on the growing frustration that many organizations are experiencing because of an inability to realize significant benefits from investments in data management and data science.

The risks of CDOs saying they aren’t ‘ready’ to provide business value from AI and data science are real and increasingly unwelcome from companies looking for more immediate returns from their data teams. This is producing an immediate need for CDOs to be unabashedly lean, with an unrelenting focus on a very limited number of specific business needs and outcomes.

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Many CDOs are hired with the expectation they’ll become the ‘Chief Change Agent’ for their companies – helping to transform old and outdated approaches to data and business management to more digital, efficient, and scalable ones. On this mission many CDOs will most certainly encounter resistance at every level, requiring a deeper understanding of what makes change so difficult.

In this 37th episode of the CDO Matters podcast, join Dan Everett as he helps to explain why people are uncomfortable with change, and how modern data leaders can better lead their organizations through it.

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In the 36th episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Malcolm speaks with Wendy Turner Williams, the ex-CDO of Tableau and VP of Data Strategy for Salesforce. A proven leader in the world of data and analytics, Wendy shares exciting details into her most recent venture, The Association: a community of data and AI practitioners dedicated to helping each other overcome their biggest challenges.

Wendy shares her vision for how this new community will help data leaders finally achieve more influence, more value, and more trust at a time when these things are needed more than ever before.

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In the 35th episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Malcolm speaks to Veronika Durgin, the VP of Data with Saks. As a data leader with more of a technical background, Veronika shares her insights on how she's applied the '30% rule' to learn the foreign language of business - a critical key to her success in data leadership.

Throughout the conversation, Veronika shares other practical lessons she's learned that make her such a learned and inspiring member of the data leadership community. Her story shows that with plenty of hard work, a dedication to learning, and plenty of self-awareness, a successful career in data is possible regardless of your background. 

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We live in a world of constant change and massive technical and social disruption, yet the way we manage data has largely remained the same.  A continued focus on the same old and tired approaches to data management are no longer serving the needs of data leaders and they must be revisited.  In this episode of the CDO Matters podcast, Malcolm explores what it takes to break free of old mindsets that limit the growth and tenure of data leaders, and to embrace more modern forms of data leadership. 

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Data Engineers play a critical role in enabling the success of any data and analytics function. In this episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Malcolm interviews Joe Reis, the co-author of the bestselling O’Reilly book, “Fundamentals of Data Engineering”. In the discussion, Joe gives a sneak peek into the minds of data engineers and what makes them tick. Data leaders, particularly those with less technical backgrounds, should find this discussion a helpful tool to improve their relationships with the people critical to the success of their data and analytics operation.

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