ThoughtSpot's Cindi Howson on the new role of the CDO

Avnet's Max Chan on digital transformation and IT innovation: Today’s guest is Max Chan. Max is the CIO of Avnet where he is responsible for the delivery of all strategic business IT and digital transformation initiatives. Max sits down with Cindi to discuss Avnet’s long history, digital transformation and innovation in IT, and why the companies that leverage data to find valuable insights are miles ahead of the pack. Plus, Max shares some of the strategies he’s used to keep his team sharp in today’s fast-paced technology landscape. Key Discussion Points: A Little About Avnet. Avnet may not be a household name, but it’s a company that’s about to celebrate its 100th anniversary — and the technological components it distributes are in everything from your iPhone’s charging connector to various IoT devices. From Collected Data to Insightful Data. How the technological leaps of the past five to eight years have allowed Avnet to truly leverage the wealth of data it has at its disposal. Com by The Data Chief

32 min listen

The Hartford's Sully McConnell on Data Infrastructure Innovation: Sully McConnell serves as the Chief Data Officer of The Hartford, where he has been since 2018. In this episode, Sully discusses the challenges he faced as a new data chief trying to innovate the infrastructure of an established company. He shares what worked, what hasn’t, and how he’s helped shift the team’s mindset so they can all make the changes needed to modernize the company. Key Discussion Points: How an established company stays modern. The challenges a 21st-century data chief faces when trying to innovate and modernize the infrastructure of a 210-year-old insurance company that tends to err on the side of risk-aversion. Countering one big reason transformation efforts fail. Tips for getting an entrenched team on board with the changes that need to be made in order to move forward. Is the cost of cloud worth it? Weighing the cost of cloud versus the agility it brings, and the ethics of AI technology when it adds by The Data Chief

35 min listen

Medibanks' Craig Rowlands on Saving Lives with Data Literacy: Today's guest is Craig Rowlands, the General Manager of Medibank. Craig is an ambitious leader with a proven track record for delivering major projects including data management, production, and business intelligence solutions. On this episode, Craig and Cindi discuss the life- and cost-saving benefits of leveraging data to improve decision making in healthcare, how moving from financial services to healthcare has given Craig a more holistic view of what's possible with data, why an individual should never stop learning and broadening their skills at any age, and establishing beneficial relationships with vendors that make you partners in each others' success. Key Takeaways: There's nothing like a life-changing event to demonstrate how data from the patient's perspective can be used. Craig demonstrated how he was able to research options for his own heart bypass surgery informed by the available data. Always broaden your s by The Data Chief

60 min listen

Just Eat's Alberto Rey Villaverde on Machine Learning, A.I., and Bridging the Imagination Gap (pt. 1): This is Part 1 of Cindi's interview with Alberto Rey Villaverde, the Chief Data Officer at British online food order and delivery service Just Eat. On this episode, Alberto and Cindi discuss how machine learning allows data to speak for itself, why artificial intelligence is more effective when it's led with the guiding hand of a human than without, three components crucial to the success of data products and services, adjusting business practices and expectations during pandemics and economic downturns, the talent gap versus the imagination gap in the data industry from a European perspective, data lakes versus data warehouses, and much more. Key Takeaways: AI allows the data to speak for itself. Alberto's application of simple neural networking algorithms to massive sets of data efficiently and consistently optimized price points and saved his company money, justifying an expanded by The Data Chief

30 min listen

Alight Analytics' Michelle Jacobs on Data-Driven Marketing and Respecting Customer Privacy (pt. 1): This is Part 1 of Cindi's interview with Michelle Jacobs, President and co-founder of marketing measurement agency Alight Analytics. On this episode, Michelle and Cindi discuss how data can turn marketing from a regretful expense to a worthwhile investment, the benefits of learning to ask the right questions of your data, and how to determine a customer's wants and needs without invading their privacy. Plus, they talk about how to flip the 80 percent of the time we spend preparing data with the 20 percent of the time we spend analyzing it, share tips for adapting to the rapid pace of change in technology, and much more. Key Discussion Points: Avoid the Data Death March. Like single-use plastics, individually prepping massive amounts of data using yesterday's methods (like Excel and PowerPoint) for each and every meeting, presentation, and report is wasteful. The right technology can fr by The Data Chief

26 min listen

14 West's Grace Epperson on using data to improve customer experience: On this episode of The Data Chief, Cindi is joined by Grace Epperson, the Chief Analytics Officer at 14 West, an Agora Company. They discuss what Grace's learned in that role, and how her and her team’s mindsets have evolved over the years. Grace also shares her take on why a liberal arts education is valuable in technology industries, plus how data can help marketers create personalized and impactful customer experiences. Key Takeaways: Include your customers in the design process. Changing the design process to be consultative, collaborative, and more of a conversation with the customer ensures that the end result meets their needs. Such a minor mindset shift can lead to exceptional results. Critical thinking matters. In such a rapidly changing field as marketing, being able to intuitively bridge the gap between knowledge and expertise has become an even more valuable skill. With some simple tips, you can cultiva by The Data Chief

41 min listen

About The Data Chief: Data is transforming how we think about life, work, business, healthcare, education, and everything in between. Meet the world’s top data and analytics leaders bringing this data revolution to life. In each episode of The Data Chief, host Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, sits down with data and analytics leaders to discuss the trends, technologies, and cultures transforming fact-driven companies around the globe. -- The Data Chief is presented by our friends at ThoughtSpot. Searching through your company’s data for insights doesn’t have to be complicated. With ThoughtSpot, anyone in your organization can easily answer their own data questions, find the facts, and make better, faster decisions. Learn more at thoughtspot.com. -- For full show notes and more, go to thedatachief.com. by The Data Chief

2 min listen

PwC's Scott Peck on data storytelling and creating a culture of leadership: Joining Cindi today is Scott Peck, the Senior Director of the Data & Analytics Center of Excellence at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he’s worked for the past 13 years. In that time, he’s played a vital role in revolutionizing reporting systems, as well as helped revolutionize the role of the data analyst. In today’s episode, Cindi and Scott discuss what it means to be an ‘Analyst of the Future’, their thoughts on leadership, and why data storytelling is a must-have skill. Key Takeaways: Analyst of the Future. How Scott and his team transformed a report factory into proactive, business partners and analytics rock stars. What is Your Customer Really Asking? Why design thinking and including every level of an organization in problem-solving is the key to finding answers to the questions that customers are really asking. Creating a Culture of Leadership. How Scott empowers everyone on his team to be a leade by The Data Chief

46 min listen

Alight Analytics' Michelle Jacobs on Data-Driven Marketing and Respecting Customer Privacy (pt. 2): This is Part 2 of Cindi's interview with Michelle Jacobs, President and co-founder of marketing measurement agency Alight Analytics. In Part 1, Michelle shared tips for keeping up with the rapid pace of change in the industry and explained in what ways data can transform marketing departments for the better. In this episode, Michelle and Cindi discuss how to bring more women into analytics, why messy data tends to be directionally accurate, and what Michelle predicts for the future of analytics.” Key Discussion Points: Avoid the Data Death March. Like single-use plastics, individually prepping massive amounts of data using yesterday's methods (like Excel and PowerPoint) for each and every meeting, presentation, and report is wasteful. The right technology can free up time and resources by centralizing this data and allowing it to be multi-purposed on-demand across all departments. Form by The Data Chief

29 min listen

Vertafore's Chad Hawkinson on Cloud Data Security and Streamlining Workflows: Joining Cindi today is Chad Hawkinson, the Chief Product and Data Officer at Vertafore, the leader in creating modern insurance technology. A seasoned data and analytics guru, Chad has seen first-hand the profound impact data-driven insights can have on customers’ success. On this episode, Chad and Cindi discuss how the cloud makes it safer to use sensitive data, when it was long-feared it might do just the opposite. They cover everything from alleviating client concerns about the use of this data and securing this data from cyberattacks, to the value of streamlining data collection into everyday workflows rather than making it an additional headache for the client to manage. Plus, Chad shares the three components responsible for the 38 percent failure rate of analytics investments in insurance and what can be done to fix them. Key Discussion Points: The cloud gives us more power over our data, not less. Qu by The Data Chief

54 min listen

VMWare's Stephen Harris on navigating imperfect data: Today’s guest is Stephen Harris, the CDO of VMware. Stephen has more than 20 years in the data, analytics, and professional services fields. He and Cindi discuss growth, diversity in tech, being a change agent within your organization, bias in AI, data for good, the talent gap, data fluency, and more! Key Takeaways: The importance of understanding the role of data and its potential impact when there is an absence of fact or misinterpretation of data. How Stephen and his team at VMware are using data to navigate the current COVID-19 coronavirus crisis -- internally and externally. What a flawed facial recognition demo tells us about AI and the risk of bias at scale. More About Stephen: Stephen Harris is the CDO and VP Head of Enterprise Data & Analytics of VMware, reporting directly to the company's CFO. His team takes a customer-centric approach to evolving VMware's data and analytic insight capabilities; these capabilities are an by The Data Chief

44 min listen

Moffitt Cancer Center's Dr. Dana Rollison on Accelerating Scientific Discovery with Data: Joining Cindi today is Dr. Dana Rollison, Vice President, Chief Data Officer, and Associate Center Director of Data Science at Moffitt Cancer Center. Dana has been with Moffitt for over 16 years in varying capacities since earning her PhD in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. In this episode, she and Cindi discuss her work at Moffitt, how data is accelerating scientific discovery, and what leveraging data from the lab to the clinic looks like in practice. Key Discussion Points: What makes Moffitt Cancer Center unique? Moffitt is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the state of Florida, and its level of data and analytics maturity leads in healthcare, a field that traditionally lags. Moffitt's Total Cancer Care protocol seeks to enroll every one of the center's patients in a research study to find new prevention and treatment strategies th by The Data Chief

50 min listen

Wunderman Thompson Data's Jacques van Niekerk on Culture, Innovation, and Diversity: Joining Cindi today is Jacques van Niekerk, the Global CEO of Wunderman Thompson Data. On this episode, Jacques and Cindi discuss why data is not the new oil, as many in the industry have proclaimed, but instead should be thought of as ‘the new oxygen’ for businesses. They also explore what it means to focus on your customers' terms over your own, how fostering a culture of curiosity inspires innovation and keeps you ahead of competition, and how encouraging diversity of thought within your organization can lead to unexplored and untapped markets. Key Takeaways: Data is not the new oil -- it's oxygen. If you don't take your first-party customer data seriously, your organization runs the risk of asphyxiating before you're even aware of the danger. Foster diversity of thought and a culture of curiosity. You never know what potential markets you're leaving untapped by excluding unexplored, overlooked, a by The Data Chief

53 min listen

Just Eat's Alberto Rey Villaverde on Machine Learning, A.I., and Bridging the Imagination Gap (pt. 2): This is Part 2 of Cindi's interview with Alberto Rey Villaverde, the Chief Data Officer at British online food order and delivery service Just Eat. Listen to Part 1 of their interview here. On this episode, Alberto and Cindi discuss how machine learning allows data to speak for itself, why artificial intelligence is more effective when it's led with the guiding hand of a human than without, three components crucial to the success of data products and services, adjusting business practices and expectations during pandemics and economic downturns, the talent gap versus the imagination gap in the data industry from a European perspective, data lakes versus data warehouses, and much more. Key Takeaways: AI allows the data to speak for itself. Alberto's application of simple neural networking algorithms to massive sets of data efficiently and consistently optimized price points and saved by The Data Chief

23 min listen

Credit Karma’s Ryan Graciano on Data Marts, Data Models, and Disrupting the Credit Landscape: Ryan Graciano, CTO of Credit Karma, discusses the importance of data hygiene, explainable AI and why data literacy is something you have to continuously work at. by The Data Chief

40 min listen

ThoughtSpot's Cindi Howson on the new role of the CDO: Cindi Howson is the Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot and our host of The Data Chief. To kick off this new podcast, we wanted to switch the roles… today, Cindi is our guest! Tune in for a discussion between Cindi and Ian Faison, Executive Producer of The Data Chief, about culture, leadership, innovation, data for good, and what you can expect from future episodes of The Data Chief. Key Takeaways: How being an aspiring writer – but a lousy typist – got Cindi into technology. The biggest changes Cindi has witnessed over the last 20 years. Where the new role of CDO (Chief Data Officer) fits into the hierarchy among the CIO and CAO, the barriers someone in this position can expect to face, and the ways we can expect this role to evolve in the months and years to come. More About Cindi: Cindi Howson is the Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, formerly a Gartner Research Vice President in Data and Analytics, and the Fo by The Data Chief

31 min listen

San Francisco County's Jason Lally on Clarity and Better Serving People with Data (pt. 1): Joining Cindi today is Jason Lally, the Chief Data Officer for the City and County of San Francisco. On this episode, Jason and Cindi discuss the kindness of data clarity, why open data is just the tip of the iceberg, and the power of a declarative mission statement. Plus, they dive into Jason’s 10+ years of experience and unique career trajectory that brought him to his current role. This is Part 1 of our interview with Jason Lally. Stay tuned for Part 2 (releasing on Friday) where Jason discusses making the government's data work for the people it serves, the key gateway to better communication, and how to turn problems into opportunities. Key Takeaways: As Brené Brown would say: clarity is kindness. A declarative mission statement outlining your department's intentions can act as a powerful liaison between the work you're doing and the people you're serving. Open data is really just the tip by The Data Chief

24 min listen

Ensemble Health Partners' Jon Osborn and Snowflake's Todd Crosslin on Cloud Innovation in Healthcare: Joining Cindi today are two guests: Jon Osborn, Software Technology Executive and former SVP, Chief Technical and Data Officer at Ensemble Health Partners, and Todd Crosslin, the Global Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Snowflake. On this episode, Jon, Todd, and Cindi discuss how people in the healthcare chain of command can collaborate with one another more freely than ever before thanks to cloud innovations that make sensitive data safely and instantly available to all parties, why the countless benefits of moving to the cloud far outweigh the seemingly hefty upfront price tag (provided you adapt your strategy to fit your budget), and how a data chief can build a case to make these points evident to the stakeholders and higher-ups responsible for paying the bills. by The Data Chief

52 min listen

Four Must Read Books for Data and Analytics Leaders with Randy Bean, John Thompson, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, and Doug Laney: The data and analytics field is evolving rapidly. As is the role of the modern data and analytics leader. To keep pace with new trends, organizational best practices, and technologies, leaders need to make learning a priority, whether that’s reading or podcasting — or both! In this episode, Cindi is joined by four authors and thought leaders who are writing the next chapter of our industry. Randy Bean, Founder and CEO of New Vantage Partners, shares the value of experimentation and failure. John Thompson, Global Head of Advanced Analytics and AI at CSL Behring, shares insights into building successful analytics teams; Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, Founder and CEO of storytelling with data, shares how leaders can better connect with audiences through story; and Doug Laney, Data and Analytics Innovation Fellow at West Monroe, shares how to monetize, manage and measure by The Data Chief

72 min listen

Schneider Electric's Gustavo Canton on optimizing human potential with AI and automation: Joining Cindi today is Gustavo Canton, VP of People Analytics at Schneider Electric. Gustavo has been with Schneider Electric for nearly three years, where he’s been a change agent driving innovation across Schneider’s growing data initiatives. In today's episode, Cindi and Gustavo discuss using automation to augment (not replace) humans, rebranding HR, scaling pandemic adaptation, the impact of staff well-being on performance, intuiting what customers really need, and team-building. Key Takeaways: People aren't machines (and vice versa). Organize the structure so people are doing the work that only humans can do, and allow algorithms to take care of repetitive, mundane, report-driven tasks. Monitor employee well-being and the impact on performance. We now have the technology to monitor and adjust the variables -- such as workplace air quality -- that contribute to (or detract from) staff well-be by The Data Chief

56 min listen

San Francisco County's Jason Lally on Clarity and Better Serving People with Data (pt. 1): This is Part 2 of our interview with Jason Lally, the Chief Data Officer for the City and County of San Francisco. [Listen to Part 1 here.] In Part 1, Cindi and Jason talked about the kindness of data clarity and the power of a declarative mission statement. In this episode, Jason discusses making the government's data work for the people it serves, the key gateway to better communication, and how to turn problems into opportunities. Key Takeaways: Improving communication. Part of becoming a better communicator is just listening to what people don't understand and then figuring out a different way to explain it. And if you're trying to turn problems into opportunities, communicating one on one or in smaller groups allows everyone present to contribute to solving the problem which builds trust between them for the success of future efforts. Making data work for the people: Government data has th by The Data Chief

28 min listen

Donald Farmer, Wayne Eckerson, and Tom Davenport on Data and Analytics Trends to Watch in 2021: This week we have a very special episode featuring insights from three data and analytics leaders on what to expect in 2021. You’ll hear from Donald Farmer, Wayne Eckerson, and Tom Davenport. They discuss everything from how to remain relevant in the rapidly evolving data and analytics industry, what technologies will have the biggest impact on our lives, and what the future of the workplace will look like and what those changes mean for your business. Plus, enjoy the lightning rounds on Super Bowl predictions, snow, and best books to read! by The Data Chief

58 min listen

Princeton University's Ruja Benjamin on Bias in Data and A.I.: Joining Cindi today is Ruha Benjamin, a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the founding director of the IDA B. WELLS Just Data Lab. Ruha and Cindi uncover how flawed data can have disastrous, real-world consequences for women and people of color, and discuss a multidisciplinary approach to recognizing and refurbishing the processes for gathering and governing data. by The Data Chief

40 min listen

Nationwide's Jim Tyo on Data Governance Best Practices: Today's guest is Jim Tyo, CDO at investment management firm Invesco. On this episode, Jim and Cindi discuss best practices and the evolution of data governance and information quality over the past decade, taking the 'digital twin' approach from the world of manufacturing and applying it to the world of data, and the ethical nuances of navigating privacy laws and nontraditional inputs for complete datasets without introducing undue biases. Plus, Cindi and Jim share their best advice for people aspiring to pursue a career in data. by The Data Chief

54 min listen

OpenTable’s Grant Parsamyan on How Data and Analytics is Helping the Restaurant Industry Rebound from COVID-19: Grant Parsamyan, Senior Vice President of Data and Analytics at OpenTable, discusses how the team is using data to capture a 360-degree view of the restaurant industry and why organization-wide data literacy is fundamental for success. by The Data Chief

47 min listen

What To Expect on The Data Chief: We are back with more episodes! In the coming months, you’ll hear from executives and data leaders from companies like Databricks, Google, General Motors, Etsy, ServiceNow, and more. Our guests cover topics like cloud acceleration, ethical AI, data fluency, scaling data teams, the trends that matter as we enter 2022, and much more! You won’t want to miss these upcoming episodes, so be sure to subscribe to The Data Chief on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Plus, you can dive deeper into these subjects at thedatachief.com where we host live events, share industry articles, and you can join a private slack community of like-minded Data Chief listeners. by The Data Chief

2 min listen

Opendoor’s Ian Wong on Disrupting the Real Estate Industry with Data-Driven Digital Transformation: Ian Wong, co-founder and CTO of Opendoor, discusses how Opendoor uses data and machine learning to streamline the process of buying and selling your home, disrupting an entire industry. by The Data Chief

38 min listen

Citigroup's Chris Powers on Data Literacy: Today's guest is Chris Powers, Senior Vice President and Global Product Manager of Business Data Analytics & Digital Innovations at Citigroup. Chris and Cindi discuss data literacy as a thought process, what common data sense is and how it can be taught to people without shaming them, and why "the five whys" are an invaluable technique for solving almost any problem. They also examine the real -- and counterintuitive -- purpose of self-service analytics. Plus, Cindi and Chris explain why data's role as the new oil is only as good as knowing what engine can use it. by The Data Chief

58 min listen

Federal Government's Suzette Kent on Federal Data Strategy and IT Modernization: Joining Cindi today is Suzette Kent, the former US Federal Chief Information Officer. Suzette and Cindi discuss the creative friction between the public and private sector, the pros and cons of how the public and private sectors operate and what they can gain by collaborating with one another, and the challenges of avoiding minutiae and focusing on the big picture when working with massive datasets. Plus, Suzette shares the origin story of the federal data strategy and how she hopes it can be used to solve the problems we face today. by The Data Chief

57 min listen

Rakuten’s Takuya Kitagawa on Digital Twins, Getting a CEO to Love Data, and Moonshots: As the Managing Executive Officer & CDO at Rakuten, Takuya Kitagawa’s charter is both varied and complex. For the past four years, he has guided the digital native through accelerated expansion into multiple industries, including online banking, shopping, mobile communications, and travel, in order to deliver customers a more integrated and affordable service experience. Takuya dives into the concept of ‘digital twins’ and how the company is using tight data integrations to enhance customer experiences. He also gives a behind-the-scenes look at several moonshot ideas that the company is investing in, including a revolutionary technology that seeks to cure cancer. by The Data Chief

47 min listen

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ThoughtSpot's Cindi Howson on the new role of the CDO

ThoughtSpot's Cindi Howson on the new role of the CDO

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