Customer Insight Leader podcast

In episode 32, I'm joined by James Dunlop. James is the Head of Decisioning and Digital for the Wealth division in NatWest Group. Before joining Natwest, James has worked for financial services brands including AXA and Lloyds in various data and analytics roles. Plus, like two of my previous guests (Andy Sutton & Harry Wilkes) James previously worked as part of my leadership team at Lloyds Banking Group.

As well as exploring James' career history & why working in Financial Services is far from dull, we explore his focus on decisioning . James shares why this branch of data work appeals & the biggest challenges he sees today for decisioning (or database marketing) leaders. Along the way there are also tips for leadership development & for those newer in their careers.

So, sit back and enjoy this data leader wisdom from the West Country (with some very well behaved guinea pigs in the background). It might just persuade you to either work for a Bank or focus your career on decisoning.

For episode 31, I'm in conversation with Steve White who is the Fundraising, Data Strategy & Insight Manager for the leading UK cancer charity Marie Curie. During our time together we explore Steve's career from British Airways to agency side roles (including founding an agency) and then deciding to move into the charity sector. 

We also explore why making a difference matters more to Steve than job titles & how to have a successful leadership career as a hands-on introverted leader who drives change through influencing. I hope it helps many others seeking such an approach.

At this milestone of episode 30, I have the pleasure of talking with Harry Powell, Director of Data & Analytics for Jaguar Land Rover. As well as hearing Harry's career journey, we explore a wide range of topics from graph databases to better thinking & team productivity to generating profit. Harry's wealth of hands-on experience shines through as we explore both technical challenges & the greater need for what Harry calls "imaginative thinking". 

Lots of useful advice for data leaders & analysts. Lessons learnt about the need to prioritise skills in problem scoping (simplification & achieving clarity) as well why a more commercial focus may help your team. Harry ends with the benefits of putting yourself under pressure & takes the opportunity to be controversial a few times before then. A great opportunity to pick Harry's considerable brain, which I hope you find helpful. Apologies for the poor sound quality at times, but the practical wisdom Harry shares makes it worth persisting. Enjoy!

For our 29th episode, our thoughts turn to food, as I interview Rob Barham who is Data Director at the recipe & ingredients online retailer Gousto. Rob's role covers Data Science, Analytics & Data Engineering, so we discuss topics relevant to leading all 3. 

After hearing Rob's career history, we learn more about what has worked for him at Gusto. We explore data products & analytics support for rapidly scaling factories, as well as optimising recipes for production & CX. We talk about the importance of domain knowledge, influencing, communication & career paths for your team members. We even touch on the benefits of growing the external profile of your data team.

Rob shares a lot of his leadership experience & I hope this episode gives other data leaders the opportunity to reflect on what could work for their teams. Happy Listening & try not to get too hungry!

In episode 28, I interview Graeme McDermott who is CDO for the insurer Tempcover. Graeme's another experienced data & analytics leader to join us for this series of practitioner conversations. With over 15 years experience of leading data & analytics teams, he shares his tips for other leaders & those earlier on in their careers. Along the way we discuss agile working, AI, questioning & the importance of cheating as a leader! Listen to understand why that's not as bad as it sounds.

For episode 27, I am joined by Rob Kellaway who is Head of Data Ops at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM). Rob has held a variety of IT & Data leadership roles within Financial Services. In this conversation we explore some of the lessons learnt during his varied career. We focus on data roles inside and outside IT. We also explore the rise of Data Ops as a function & the long view of the reality behind the hype surrounding Big Data & Data Science. Rob shares plenty of pragmatic advice from his experience as a hands on leader as well as tips for less experienced analysts. Enjoy.

For episode 26, I talk with Ben Salmon co-founder of the marketing agency We are Crank. We chat about his career across marketing & analytics. We focus on an article that Ben has published with the provocative title "Why analytics in Marketing never gets you anywhere".  Together exploring the skills, resourcing & culture that can help marketing analytics be more effective. Ben also critiques those businesses who have ignored the need for digital transformation and so are now struggling in lockdowns. Lots to learn from Ben's outspoken advice & lessons learnt from experience - especially for those working in marketing analytics. I hope you enjoy, are informed & entertained.

In episode 25 we travel to Scotland for my conversation with Firas Khnaisser. He is Head of Decisioning for Standard Life Aberdeen & Chair of DMA Scotland. In this interview, we explore his career history (starting in a Dubai DM agency) and how he was challenged to not be afraid of data. From there we confront the limiting belief that you can't effectively lead data teams without a data background. We also explore the reality of 'Decisioning' work & the difference that the DMA still makes as a force for change today. Finally, we explore the benefit of being different & being yourself, with an encouragement to listen to Firas' other passion, his music. My thanks to Firas for being so open.

For episode 24, our attention turns to the practical realities of managing data & delivering Business Intelligence (BI). My guest this time is Kevin Crowley, Head of Business Intelligence at Hodge Bank. Kevin's a very experienced data leader, so we chat about his career history (including how starting in customer service helped). We also explore what BI means at Hodge Bank, how Kevin created his Data Strategy & how to engage business leaders about the need for active data ownership.  A great practical & honest conversation about the reality of managing a BI team in business today.

In episode 23, I talk with Elizabeth Hollinger, Director of Insight for Aggreko. A great conversation as Elizabeth is one of the most eloquent leaders I've had the pleasure of interviewing. As with other guests, we explore her career history (across Insurance, Management Consultancy & now working in Manufacturing). We also focus on how Elizabeth developed their Data Vision. She shares lots of proven tips to secure engagement & achieve progress on challenges like data governance, innovation & collaborative working. You can also learn how she is still developing as a leader. Well worth a listen, especially if you have responsibility for data leadership or transforming your organisation to embrace insight-led decision making.