Data Leaders Doubling Down on Digital Transformation

The UK Chief Data Officer community met to discuss digital transformation in the new era. In this virtual gathering, participants exchanged ideas and shared challenges on how the global crisis has influenced data and analytics ecosystems and opened doors to enable and accelerate digital transformation.

The panel was moderated by Lauren Walker, Chief Operating and Data Officer for Dentsu Aegis Network EMEA with Dan Robertson, Group CDAO of SSE; Vlad Kaltenieks, Global Director of Data and Analytics at William Hill; and Amitabh Apte, Global Director of Digital, Data and Analytics Solutions for Mars, providing perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on digital transformation in their industries.
 

Impact of Current Events on Data & Analytics

The changed global environment is showing itself to be a brilliant stepping-stone for digital acceleration and improvement of organisational agility. CDAOs acknowledge that it is difficult to keep projects afloat with limited resources; one potential solution is capitalising on the current climate to improve data literacy by end users. Resources cannot be used in the same way, and current strategies need to be adjusted to deliver continued business value. 

The nature of utility is to throw people at a problem, but this isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Investments in data and analytics primes organisations for success and in the position to benefit from and leverage opportunities arising from the COVID-19 crisis. Data and analytics will help companies navigate impact on the supply chain, on manufacturing, and other tactical elements. The new challenge is how to pivot the business to understand changes in the short-term and beyond. 
 

Balancing Increased Demand with Current Resources

CDAOs have seen data demands increase substantially over the last few months. One CDAO explained that, in reality, everyone is making this up the best they can with the resources available. The new challenge hinges on the number of demands that need to be turned around in a limited timeframe. 

CDAOs are concentrating on locating quality data that will allow modelling of multiple scenarios to help the business to prepare for the future, such as changes in customer behavior and market forecasts. Finding the balance between inefficiencies and cost savings while recognising and protecting strategic data initiatives to provide a competitive advantage is not a new challenge, but it is more pressing in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. How much is hype versus reality?
 

Team Empowerment & Creative Opportunities

As CDAOs look forward, they are trying to help their teams perform and respond better before the next wave of disruption. Leadership needs to make themselves visible to their teams and emphasise employee well-being. It can get messy, but communication and collaboration reinforces that you’re not alone; having a community at work is critical for employee well-being. There have been serious implications for some employees, and it needs to be put into perspective. It’s no longer about tracking projects alone, but also tracking employee well-being.

It’s the human need to be able to see an end to uncertainty, and if we grasp at things which aren’t so, we run the risk of creating more anxiety both at work and at home.

Community Insight

58% of attendees were surprised that only 3% of executives said business will never return to normal. Over the next few months, organisations will be seeing how reality will be changing. Some businesses were made for this way of work, but others are stuck in legacy and are going to struggle. The enforced disruption may reveal opportunities.

by CDAOs, for CDAOs

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