How do you make cloud data costs transparent and actionable when thousands of users share the same platform?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Oliver Milke from TD, who shares how he built a Data FinOps practice from the ground up inside a large financial institution, starting as a team of one and scaling into a dedicated function.

Coming from a background in economics and finance, Oliver offers a unique perspective on cloud cost optimization. Rather than focusing solely on infrastructure, his team goes one level deeper: tracking and allocating costs at the data layer, down to individual tables, workloads, and user groups.

The conversation explores why traditional FinOps models fall short for shared data platforms, how transparency drives accountability, and what it takes to operationalize cost awareness across thousands of users. Oliver also breaks down the role of education, chargeback, and engineering collaboration in building a sustainable FinOps practice.

Here’s what we talked about:

• What “Data FinOps” is and how it differs from traditional FinOps
• Why shared data platforms require a fundamentally different cost model
• Building cost visibility down to the table and workload level
• Moving from showback to chargeback and how it shifts user behavior
• Platform vs. workload-level optimization strategies
• The role of education and change management in FinOps success

Chapters:

00:00 - Data FinOps Origins

00:20 - Show Intro Guest Setup

01:40 - What Is Data FinOps

03:37 - Cloud Migration Spark

05:03 - Finance Mindset Meets Engineering

06:22 - FinOps Hub Cost Transparency

07:59 - Monthly Reviews And Chargeback

10:09 - Optimization Strategy Overview

12:17 - Databricks Efficiency Playbook

17:31 - Spot Instances Adoption

19:45 - Education As A Pillar

23:24 - Building The FinOps Team

25:59 - Advice For New Practitioners

28:06 - AI In FinOps Next Wave

30:55 - Running For Campfire Circle

33:03 - Closing And Where To Connect

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Quote of the Show:
“We recognized that this cannot be a one-off, but it needs to be a permanent ongoing thing.” - Oliver Milke

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-milke/ 
• Website: https://www.td.com/us/en/personal-banking 

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