Driven by Data: The Podcast

In Episode 19 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Simon Hayter, Partner & Group Head of Data at Knight Frank, where they discuss some of the major problems the Data & Analytics industry is currently facing.

In a world where most organisations require data professionals to be many things to many people, Simon outlines some of his concerns and the role which academia plays, which includes:

• Why you should be customer-driven, not data-driven
• Why you need to understand what you need from your data function
• The importance of "pulling" and not "pushing"
• How all data roles are equal
• Why most organisations put "big-tech" companies on a pedestal
• Why you should view data as you do money
• That the grass isn't always greener
• Why you'll never have a finished product
• How the lines have become blurred in regards to skill-sets
• Why the same person can't own Analytics & Compliance
• The need to bring data literacy to all academic subjects
• Why "data courses" are setting up the future generations for failure
• How consultancies instigated the data hype

In Episode 18 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Annie Hou, SVP of Data Science at GroupM, where they discuss bias in data science; which includes:

• Why data isn't a commodity
• Where bias comes from and how to mitigate it
• Why we need a call to arms of critical modelling
• How data is not the sole answer to all our questions, nor can it ever be
• The importance of human judgement & critical thinking
• The need for better design of data collection
• Real-life use cases of bias
• The commercial impact of bias within an organisation
• The importance of understanding the context by which the data exists
• Why ML/DS degrees aren't helping
• How we are starting to understanding the impacts of Data Ethics
• Why we shouldn't automate everything

In Episode 17 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Robert Bond, Senior Counsel at Bristows Law, where they discuss what really happens when Privacy, Compliance and Ethics issues arise within an organisation.

Robert is not our atypical guest, but with over 20 years of experience in working within Data Protection law, Robert is able to give us some truly unique insights into the consequences of getting this wrong. This includes:

• How being kept awake by his next-door neighbour at 3am resulted in his career to date
• How companies have been collecting data since the early 80's
• The importance of being able to articulate to your customers what the value exchange is of having their data
• Why recent breaches have made the public more aware of the value of their data
• How the sum of the fine doesn’t come close to the damage to brand and reputation
• Why the “I Accept” button is built on lies
• That a single notice on your website won’t suffice
• Why you don’t necessarily require consent to legally collect and use peoples data
• Why your data in the public domain (social media) is fair game
• The impacts your data estate can have on investment
• Real-life examples of the common mistakes and the consequences they caused
• How to translate compliance into ROI
• Why there will be increasingly more focus on governance and ethics over the next 5 years

In Episode 16 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Roberto Maranca, VP of Data Excellence at Schneider Electric where they discuss what is required for organisations to achieve Data Excellence.

Roberto is one of the most influential people in Data (Data IQ 100 Top 10) and provides fantastic insight and an abundance of metaphors to outline what it takes to truly win with Data, which includes:

• Why achieving Data Excellence is exactly the same as working out
• Why the traditional way of doing things isn’t delivering 
• How organisations have become subject to peer-pressure
• Why as a data professional you’re a change agent & disruptor 
• The importance of the element of faith to believe in something better 
• Why Data has to go viral to change the DNA of a company 
• The 3 "M’s" you need to address to achieve Data Excellence
• Why tribal data is; inconsistent, unmeasurable and unmanageable
• How to erode a portion of the “data debt”
• Why we are on the second wave on failed digital transformation
• How data accessibility is an issue but why no one wants ownership
• Why quality can only be measured through the eye of the consumer
• The importance of agreed Data Meanings
• How you'll know you’re moving in the right direction

Happy New Year! We wish you all a very prosperous and safe 2021!

In Episode 15 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Peggy Tsai, VP of Data Solutions at BigID, where we discuss how Artificial Intelligence is being used to drive governance, management and privacy initiatives.

Having spent 18 years working for some of the biggest names in the financial services industry, Peggy decided she wanted to join a business where she could build products which would have solved a lot of the problems which she encountered throughout her career.

In this episodes she highlights:

• How they have built a product which;

1. Uses AI to discover all data that an organisation has
2. How it can classify data automatically
3. How it provides a single source of reference

• Why every business wants to know:

1. what data they have
2. where it is
3. the quality of it

• Why everyone's version of the truth is different
• How 80% of your data is below the surface and not visible
• Why every business is trying to create a complete asset inventory
• How AI/ML is being used to expedite that process
• The relationship between technology and data governance
• Why focusing on building your data assets allows you to drive more value
• How doing things right from the start allows organisations to be more scalable, flexible and agile
• Why analytics often duplicate a lot of work that’s already been done
• How Privacy and Governance should work together

In Episode 14 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru.

Susan is one of the industry's most recognisable faces when it comes to fixing dirty data.

She talks us through the key considerations which allow organisations to drive more value from their data, which includes:

• Why quality is a people issue and not a data issue
• Why you should always start with the end in mind
• The benefits of customised taxonomies
• Why it is an investment and not a cost
• The importance of standardisation
• Why maintenance is one of the biggest issues
• The benefits of classification
• Why data cleansing is viewed as a low-skilled job but isn't
• The importance of making it as easy as possible
• How showing your staff the path of the data and how their input affects the journey
• Why the different data sets need to be the right version of accurate for the people that are using it

In Episode 13 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Scott Taylor, Founder of MetaMeta Consulting, where they discuss the importance of Storytelling for Data Management.

Scott has recently released a book on this subject and consults on how to raise the profile/importance of Data Management within an organisation, which includes:

• How it differs from traditional Data Storytelling
• Why obtaining support for Data Management is a challenge
• Why 60% of business objectives won't happen without better Data Management
• How the vocabulary/terminology needs to change
• The need for Data Science & Data Management to collaborate better
• Why Data isn't useless without Analytics
• How you can SEE Analytics, but FEEL Data Management
• How "scale" immediately brings you into the conversation
• Why customer relationships are the most important thing to your business
• The similarities between the CDO and CMO
• Why your story is a "sales pitch" designed to drive action
• The three V's of Data Management and how to use them

Link to Book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Telling-Your-Data-Story-Storytelling/dp/1634628950/ref=asc_df_1634628950/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=463023885319&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15561163113273700392&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046663&hvtargid=pla-1032186806364&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

In Episode 12 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Bill Schmarzo (The Dean of Big Data) the Former Chief Innovation Officer at Hitachi Vanatara.

Bill is a published author, honorary professor and executive fellow, as well as holding influencer status across a number of industry subject matters.

Bill specialises in the field of Data Monetisation and talks us through the key considerations (plus we chat about a bunch of other things) which includes:

• How "Forest Gump" moments defined his career
• Why he wrote his 4th book
• Why organisations need a Chief Data Monetisation Officer
• That empowerment is the secret to unlocking value in Data Analytics
• Cultural transformation is the key to Data/Digital Transformation
• Why everyone should think like a Data Scientist
• How Data Science is like a game of Final Fantasy II
• Why value created by selling data is minuscule in comparison to the value you get from using it
• How Data is an economics problem, not an accounting one
• Why use cases are the only way to generate value
• Why economies of learning are greater than economies of scale

Link to book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Economics-Data-Analytics-Digital-Transformation/dp/1800561415

In Episode 11 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Andrew Jones, Founder of Data Science Infinity, where they discuss how to be successful with Data Science.

Andrew comes from a non-technical background but established himself as a very credible Data Scientist, eventually taking leadership roles at organisations such as Amazon and Sony where he was responsible for building Data Science teams.

In this episode, Andrew outlines the key considerations of success for both Data Scientists and organisations that are on that Data Science journey, which includes:

• Why he started Data Science Infinity
• The disconnect between DS courses and the needs of the real world
• What skills you need as Data Scientist to land a great job
• Why the tech you use is somewhat irrelevant
• How the real art is learning how to problem solve
• The importance of being able to translate & story tell
• What differentiates a good data scientist and great data scientist
• Why nobody will pay you JUST to code and build ML models
• The “Grey Area” between Data Engineering and Data Science
• What organisations should expect of Data Science
• Why having a minimal viable product is great to manage expectations
• Why you’ll never attract the best talent by advertising solely on technical skills
• The questions you need to ask when interviewing Data Scientists 

Link to the Data Science Infinity page: https://data-science-infinity.teachable.com/

In Episode 10 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Lisa Allen, Head of Data & Analytical Services at Ordnance Survey, where they discuss how to execute upon the data strategy once it's been formulated.

Lisa gives us a fantastic insight into the process she has followed in relation to executing a data strategy and some of the key considerations, which includes:

• Why having a plan is so important
• How to implement your data principles against your data strategy
• Why your data needs to be trustable, accessible and useable
• How to make it as easy as possible for people to "do the right thing"
• Why people are key to executing on the strategy
• The framework of; Data, Process/Policy, People and Technology
• Why our people should be the last line of defence not the first
• Achieving a balance between control and innovation
• How to prioritise where to start
• Identifying what good looks like and a process to do so
• Why it's imperative to show progress quickly
• The major challenges that you'll face
• How to obtain buy-in