S5 | Ep 14 | The Secret to Data Democratisation with Bhagya Reddy, Executive Director of Empowerment and Collaboration at Virgin Media O2

10 snips

Mar 4, 2025

Bhagya Reddy, Executive Director of Empowerment and Collaboration at Virgin Media O2, shares her journey from a technical role to driving data democratization within the organization. She discusses the importance of making data accessible and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration. Reddy emphasizes the role of a 'Data University' in enhancing data literacy and the need for skills-based hiring to champion diversity in data teams. She also addresses overcoming cultural barriers and the significance of timely, actionable insights in driving innovation.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Keys to Effective Data Democratization

Successful data democratization requires accessible, usable, and trusted data.
Key indicators include data-driven decisions, a culture of data responsibility, and confident data usage.

ADVICE

Overcoming Cultural Barriers

Address resistance to change by highlighting the benefits of open data access and strong governance.
Build employee confidence through data training and upskilling to mitigate fear of misuse.

INSIGHT

Building Trust in Data

Building trust in data involves a clear data strategy, vision, and a stable, integrated data architecture.
This ensures consistent, reliable data and enables confident decision-making across the organization.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In Episode 14, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Bhagya Reddy, Executive Director of Empowerment and Collaboration at Virgin Media O2, where they discuss how having a role focused on empowerment and collaboration is the secret to data democratisation, which includes:

Having a passion of making data accessible
Coming from a deep technical background and moving into a business facing role
How you know when you're doing data democratisation correctly
The importance of trust and confidence in data democratisation
The key KPIs of data democratisation
The role of data literacy within data democratisation
The benefits of building the Data University at VMO2 entailed
Using engagement as a measure the effectiveness of democratisation
Driving Innovation by turning insight into action
Why empowerment and collaboration are the key's to success
The importance of decommissioning data products
The three factors to consider when decommissioning
Prioritising speed to value
Overcoming cultural barriers and addressing resistance to change
Tackling DEI challenges in the Data & Analytics industry
The need for skills-based hiring, structured returnship programmes, and fostering an inclusive data culture.

Thanks to our sponsor, Data Literacy Academy.

Data Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.

If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data literacy first.

At Data Literacy Academy, we don't just teach data skills. We empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. We're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes.

From those taking their first steps in data literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that we offer. We embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme.

We take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve.

Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at www.dl-academy.com.