James Morgan
Chief Data Officer
The Crown Estate
James Morgan, Chief Data Officer at The Crown Estate, has spent 25 years leading data, AI and analytics teams as well as data strategy and transformation in the media, telco, utility, retail, supermarket, financial services, real estate and aerospace sectors. Previously, he led analytics, business intelligence, reporting, AI and modelling teams at Sky, Hutchison 3G and O2.
James gained extensive B2B and B2C data and analytics experience in customer, marketing, strategy, finance, commercial, supply chain, operations, product and asset management. He also led the information strategy and data transformation programmes at Telefonica O2, British Gas, Sainsbury’s and Asda, while also leading and running the BAU data, reporting and analytics teams.
James is a fellow committee member of WiD, DMA, Evanta and IDM. He was named in the DataIQ top 100 nine times, and he is a mentor, awards judge and a regular speaker at industry events.
Learn more about the UK & Ireland CDAO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
It's been a superb journey over the last 25 years covering all aspects of data, analysis, AI , leadership and transformation that has culminated in my current role as Chief Data Officer at The Crown Estate.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Empowerment.
What is the greatest challenge CDAOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
In any data and analytics role, it's always a challenge to balance supporting the immediate needs of the organisation while developing longer-term strategic solutions for the organisation, particularly when there is an ever evolving swathe of new technologies. Communication and engagement is key.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CDAO?
Connect with your colleagues across the business and understand what they are trying to achieve and what's keeping them awake at night.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Seeing a confident team working seamlessly with colleagues across the organisation, delivering business value and outcomes.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
Speaking openly with like-minded peers in the data, analytics and AI industry about real use cases, including both success stories and challenges, is really valuable.
Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
by CDAOs, for CDAOs
Join the conversation with peers in your local CDAO community.