The Data Chief

Joining Cindi today is Suzette Kent, the former US Federal Chief Information Officer. Suzette joined the Federal Government in 2018 from the financial services industry with two key goals: drive IT modernization and overcome the challenges in federal IT budgeting and funding alignment.On this episode, 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.Key Takeaways & Discussion Points:Creative friction happens when private and public sectors collaborate and each side benefits from the experience.You can't drive change only from a technology side; people need to be involved in the process, and this requires adaptation to the pace necessary for the task at hand.Why striking a balance between indexing details and focusing on outcomes can be particularly challenging when you're dealing with the overwhelming number of datasets available to the public sector, the laws that govern their use, and the sometimes conflicting purposes of multiple agencies within that structure.How the federal data strategy came about, what it strives to accomplish, what private sector CDOs can learn about it at strategy.data.gov, and how they can utilize the resources available at resources.data.gov.The outcome-driven approach to getting students truly interested in pursuing careers in data.More About Suzette:Suzette Kent served from 2018 to 2020 as US Federal Chief Information Officer, spearheading a wide range of technology and workforce initiatives. Her tenure was devoted to setting governmentwide standards while also giving agencies the freedom to tailor efforts in mission-appropriate ways.Suzette was selected from the financial services industry to replace outgoing Federal CIO Tony Scott. She was a principal with Ernst & Young and had been a managing partner at Accenture and worked in other capacities at JP Morgan and the Carreker Corp. This background allowed her to see the challenges in federal IT budgeting and funding alignment and its IT modernization.--The Data Chief is brought to you by ThoughtSpot. For more on how the most successful data leaders are driving value in their organizations, join Cindi and the ThoughtSpot team at Beyond 2020, the leading data & analytics event of the year. Go to www.thoughtspot.com/beyond2020 for more information.-- For full show notes and more, go to thedatachief.com. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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.Key Takeaways:Experiment with internal and external stakeholders. The level of collaboration between people involved in the chain of providing healthcare is enhanced by the cloud in ways that have only recently become possible.Choose based on value. The price tag for moving to the cloud is real, but the benefits are too substantial to pass up - and there are hacks  to adapt your strategy to align with your budget.Be brave. The ROI for innovation pays back with interest, but you need the courage to make a case for all your various stakeholders.More About Jon:Jon Osborn is a Software Technology Executive and the former SVP, Chief Technical and Data Officer at Ensemble Health Partners, with a proven ability at the executive level to build technical organizations, direct and manage technical projects and architecture, manage agile software development teams, and work with business owners to deliver value and modernize technology.More About Todd:Todd Crosslin is the Global Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Snowflake, with a history of success in start-up and high-growth/complex environments. He specializes in strategic business planning, agile lifecycle management, liaison and mediator activities, team building and leadership, key contract negotiations, and software development lifecycles. --The Data Chief is brought to you by ThoughtSpot. For more on how the most successful data leaders are driving value in their organizations, join Cindi and the ThoughtSpot team at Beyond 2020, the leading data & analytics event of the year. Go to www.thoughtspot.com/beyond2020 for more information.-- For full show notes and more, go to thedatachief.com. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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 skills. In Craig's case, this has meant moving across industries -- from banking to the medical field -- to maximize his knowledge of what's being done versus what can be done with data. Establish a two-way partnership with vendors. Ensure they understand the value of being a partner invested in the welfare of both sides rather than merely filling the traditional, transactional vendor role, and that you're invested in keeping that relationship ongoing as well. Have a clear strategy when starting a new role. Look at the outcomes that you want and make sure that they align with your business goals. More About Craig: Craig Rowlands is the General Manager of Medibank. He is an ambitious leader with a proven track record for delivering major projects and managing data management, production, and business intelligence solutions, enabling optimal performance via leading-edge warehousing infrastructure, improved functionality, and best in class data quality controls and checks. Leading a large, multi-site team that constantly exceeds business expectations and thrives in a testing, team-focused environment that drives improved individuals' performance and career progression. Craig remains a highly experienced and technical analyst with a clear understanding of the strategic importance of data warehousing, business intelligence, and analytical software within an information-dependent business. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

Joining Cindi today is Bernard Marr, internationally bestselling author, futurist, and keynote speaker. He advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organizations and was voted by LinkedIn as one of the top five business influencers in the world and the number-one influencer in the UK. On this episode, Bernard and Cindi discuss why businesses should treat AI as a focused strategy rather than a resource-draining experiment, five ways to determine how to implement AI as a strategy that addresses the needs of your business, and overcoming a company culture's resistance to change. They also talk about how to ensure that AI augments rather than replaces humans and what it means to nowcast versus forecast in a post-pandemic world. Key Takeaways: Use AI as a strategy, not an experiment. AI should be applied strategically to the needs of your business, not treated as an experiment. Here, Bernard presents five lenses that will help you determine how AI can be focused appropriately. Don't reinvent the wheel. Chances are pretty good there's an existing AI tool -- from Salesforce, Oracle, Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, etc. -- that will suit the needs of your company without having to invest the time, energy, and money to start from scratch. Overcoming a company culture's resistance to change. What it takes to get the top levels of your organization aware of what AI is capable of doing for the business, and communicating to all levels that it's a tool for augmenting -- not replacing -- human staff. More About Bernard: Bernard Marr is a futurist, big data expert, storyteller, visionary, keynote speaker, and strategic business and technology advisor to companies and governments. He advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organizations, helping them improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things. LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top five business influencers. He is a frequent contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that reaches millions of readers. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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. Qualified availability unlocks a level of control over that data that would be impossible on a purely local level. Having a clear direction where data can be brought to bear. The three problems most responsible for a high failure rate in analytics investment and how to solve them. The value of insights in context. Data is most useful when streamlined into the everyday workflow rather than existing as a number of separate processes that bring that workflow to a grinding halt.   More About Chad: Chad Hawkinson is 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. He brings deep experience with AI and ML technologies in the energy, aerospace, defense, automotive, and construction industries to help agencies and carriers discover new opportunities to drive dramatic business growth by leveraging insights previously hidden deep within their data. Prior to Vertafore, Chad spent seven years as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Engineering & Product Design division at IHS Markit. An experienced go-to-market strategist in both the software and data analytics industries, Chad also held leadership roles at Progress Software, PTC, and Intel. He earned a BA in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, as well as an MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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 the power to transform the services citizens experience, and can improve numerous facets of the lives of citizens. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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 of the iceberg. This is what people in the outside world see; what they don't see is all the work that goes on underneath that data -- all the internal collaboration, getting the stakeholders on the same page, and the massive range of data sources that make it all possible.  -- To be notified when Part 2 of this interview is available, be sure to subscribe in your podcast player. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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 top-to-down best practices. Think about the question you want to answer first, then look for the data that can find that answer. Data turns marketing from an expense into an investment. With the right data to trace factors that go into lead generation, clients can quantify exactly how their marketing dollars make a difference beyond black-and-white sales figures. Messy data vs. clean data vs. no data. Data quality is good enough when it's directionally accurate. Consolidation is your friend. If you're a marketer and you're looking to make educated decisions, get your marketing data in one place so that you can look at it holistically and understand how your entire ecosystem is performing. More about Michelle: Michelle Jacobs is the president and co-founder of Alight Analytics, and she’s on a personal mission to revolutionize how marketers use data. Before co-founding Alight, Michelle drove marketing, advertising, and Web analytics strategies for leading companies such as H&R Block, American Century Investments, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Toyota. Michelle is a sought-after speaker and panelist with a unique perspective both on marketing analytics generally and being a woman in data and MarTech specifically. -- Listen to Part 1 of this interview here. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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 free up time and resources by centralizing this data and allowing it to be multi-purposed on-demand across all departments. Form top-to-down best practices. Think about the question you want to answer first, then look for the data that can find that answer. Data turns marketing from an expense into an investment. With the right data to trace factors that go into lead generation, clients can quantify exactly how their marketing dollars make a difference beyond black-and-white sales figures. Messy data vs. clean data vs. no data. Data quality is good enough when it's directionally accurate. Consolidation is your friend. If you're a marketer and you're looking to make educated decisions, get your marketing data in one place so that you can look at it holistically and understand how your entire ecosystem is performing. More about Michelle: Michelle Jacobs is the president and co-founder of Alight Analytics, and she’s on a personal mission to revolutionize how marketers use data. Before co-founding Alight, Michelle drove marketing, advertising, and Web analytics strategies for leading companies such as H&R Block, American Century Investments, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Toyota. Michelle is a sought-after speaker and panelist with a unique perspective both on marketing analytics generally and being a woman in data and MarTech specifically. -- Listen to Part 2 of this interview here. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

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 his company money, justifying an expanded budget for AI adoption and development. AI + humans is better than AI alone. AI augments human abilities, but it doesn't replace them. In unprecedented times (as we're experiencing on multiple fronts in 2020), algorithms especially rely on human imagination to fill in the blanks where there's no historical data to inform an outcome. Three components crucial to the success of your data products and services. How Alberto sees access, model, and delivery fitting together to justify the cost of innovation necessary to implement new technologies and methodologies for handling data. More about Alberto: Alberto Rey Villaverde is the Chief Data Officer at British online food order and delivery service Just Eat. He is a pricing and revenue management professional with extensive experience within the data science field, particularly on BI and advanced analytics, data mining, machine learning techniques, and scenario modeling. Alberto started his career in advanced analytics as a member of the pricing and revenue management team at easyJet, working in the development of one of the most advanced pricing engines within the industry, where his team pioneered the implementation of machine learning techniques to drive pricing. He holds an MSc in data mining and an MBA from Cranfield University. -- 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. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.