In Episode 38 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Sami Rahman, Head of Data Engineering and Data Platform at Penguin Random House, where they discuss how to build an MLOps capability that drives business benefit, which includes;His journey from Business Psychologist to MI5 reject to Data Leader Being told to give up because he would never work in data without a computer science degree Being unemployed for 1 year and receiving 326 rejections Building an entire MLOps system for £50,000Reducing the time to build models from months to days Reducing the time to productionise ML models from 5 months to minutes sGenerating a 200% increase in performance across all 12 measures of success Why MLOps forces you to think about how the model will drive valueHow MLOps can be beneficial across the whole D&A value chain The differences between MLOps and AIOps Why MLOps isn’t new DevOpsThe future of MLOps and the relationship with Genertaive AIChoosing the right MLOps tech and tooling Why you need to explain MLOps in less than 2 sentencesWhen you should start your MLOps journey The usual pitfalls both technical and business that people should be aware ofThe ethical considerationsAI Explainability - how to understand the outcomes in a business context Why we should build an “evil” AI to tackle bias The skills you need to execute successful MLOps

In Episode 37 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Lena Mass Cresnik, where they discuss how organisations can develop a Generative AI strategy, which includes;The 7 components of a Generative AI strategy Generative AI as human intelligence augmentationOrganisational ROI for using Generative AI toolsThe considerations of developing a Generative AI strategy and roadmapFinancial Services and Fintech Generative AI business use casesThe need for upskilling existing staff The role of organisational design and operating model in relation to Generative AIMeasuring the performance and impact of Generative AI models The level of expertise or skills required within the data team to successfully execute a generative AI strategyThe risks of Generative AIThe differences to consider across different sectors The increase in hyper-personalised content The role that Generative AI will have on the Data & Analytics job market Where Data Leaders should start

In Episode 36 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Andy Cotgreave, Senior Data Evangelist at Tableau, where they discuss the role of data visualisation in driving change and realising value, which includes;Why successful data analysts often have varied backgrounds Why communication is not a soft skillHow data visualisation is a language The impact that dashboards can have when presented effectivelyHow even the most average dataset is highly subjectiveHow it is so easy to tell different stories with the same dataHow the pandemic provided both examples of how you can strive to be neutral or enforce an opinion The art of creating effective dashboards The role of data visualisation in driving change and realising business value How, many executives use poorly presented charts in their keynotes Four practical tips for better presentation with data visualisation Why he disagrees with Seth GodinWhy you should think about changing your visualisations even if the data is the same Who should care about storytelling with visualisations The importance of aesthetics Why different audiences require different dashboards The impact of data democratisation and self-serve on data visualisation Some key people of influence to follow in this space

In Episode 35 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Asheeka Hyde, Head of Trading Analytics and Data Science at Dunhelm, where they discuss tangible advice on how to be a better communicator to drive value, which includes;Having Data & Analytics as a key pillar of the organisation How to achieve executive alignment Why most executives are already bought-in Why it’s important for executives to actually experience the benefits of Data & Analytics How to demonstrate value as early as possible The importance of making data problems visible to the execs Why you have to truly inspire peopleWhy “quick wins” are often merely for winning trustUnderstand what we mean by “value”The importance of saying ‘No’ Why you need to change your communication depending upon the maturity of your organisation Why you need to get the execs to prioritise for you The differences to consider between organisations with a clear business strategy and ones without How there is more than one way of communicating and influencingWhy working with a comms professional changed her communication styleWhy consistency of communication is absolutely critical Understanding if you are the right person to communicate the message you want to deliverWhy your communication needs to be thoughtfulIf you want 80% of people to leave a room with the right message, you need to tell them 5 timesWhy you have to find different ways of saying the same thingThe importance of utilising internal comms teams The know, do and feel communication framework The importance of testing if your message is landing Why, if you don’t tell your story then people will create their own

In Episode 34 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Steve Pimblett, Chief Data Officer at The Very Group, where they discuss how to move data from a cost centre to a value creator, which includes;A transformation journey that has been ongoing for over a century Why some D&A teams are still seen as a cost centre and not a value-creating function Why demonstrating value creation is a primary responsibility of a Data Leader/CDOThe tangible things that Steve has done to be seen as a value-creating functionThe 4 key pillars of their Data Strategy and measuring the capability maturity The value-creation measurement framework they’re using and how that helps to communicate Why you have to connect data and insight to actionThe importance of talking in outcomes and the benefits of those outcomes, and not data Why it’s imperative to have an operating model that supports value-creationA Joint-Venture model to prove value and take to an investment board How they’ve used hastags to demonstrate the value of Data & Analytics as an enabler to the business functions in those JV’sWhy ‘data as a product’ has bridged the communication gap and acts as a client success manager Why PR has been critical in the success of the D&A team and how external validation has helped

Micheline Casey, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Siemens Energy, discusses using design thinking to create value-driven data products. They explore the challenges of the energy sector, applying design thinking to data analytics, and understanding customer needs for innovative data products.

In Episode 32 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Diane Berry, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Phoenix Group, where they discuss the journey from devising a data strategy to executing that strategy, which includes;The importance of providing interim value while on your strategic journey Why to do anything at scale you’ll need to have a multi-year strategy Why building relationships with key stakeholders/business leaders is essential for successThe importance of validating your problem statement Why you need to develop a “front door process”The challenge of not being a P&L centre Why you need to tie the value of your work to key business projects Why it’s critical to align your data team to the business teams they’re serving Why your team need autonomyWhy the Data Leader shouldn’t own all the relationships with the business The benefits of having a multi-disciplinary team Being able to attract career changersHow to communicate your success and why you need to market yourself Knowing if you’ve got the buy-in of the business Measuring how you’re tracking against your data strategy Why you should never lose sight of the long-term The likely traps that can derail your data strategy The importance of your data teams ‘store front’The relationship between culture and buy-in

In Episode 31 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Taylor Culver, Founder of XenoData, where they discuss how Data Leaders can deliverable measurable value from their data strategy, which includes;Why ROI is a 'nice to have' for company executives, not a priority Innovation is what company execs and shareholders care about the mostFinance leaders don’t measure impact on ROI, but IRROrganisations will happily spend on capex but not an opex, and what that means for Data LeadersWhy culture and literacy aren’t the magic bullet, but good leadership isData isn’t an asset, and if it was, why it wouldn’t be a good asset to haveWhy Data Leaders need to focus on adding the enterprise value of a firmIf you’re being held accountable for ROI as a Data Leader then you’re already on the way out!Why Data Leaders already have everything they need to be successfulThe relationship between “value” and “ROI”Why innovation is what company execs and shareholders care about the mostWhy intangible value is far greater than the ROI you’ll generate Why finance leaders don’t measure impact on ROI, but IRRHow data leaders can quantify their impact The importance of languageCalculating the financial impact of data initiatives The differences between quantifying tangible and intangible benefitsHow ROI merely makes you more credible as a Data LeaderWhy organisations keep investing capital into data initiatives

In Episode 30 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Bethany Lyons, Chief Product Officer at Kawa Analytics, where they discuss the current data product landscape and what actually constitutes a data product, which includes;The fascinating story of Kawa and the problems it solves Delivering Data Products versus Data Projects The differences between product management principles applied to data and data products  Why most data teams operate like an IT Service Desk and why product thinking can change that Why you should start by applying product management to data before you try to build data products Why a product management approach forces value-driven thinking How we have ‘Data Product Managers’ who aren’t doing Data Product management Why there’s a better success measure for your data initiative than usage/adoptionWhere you should hire your first Data Product Manager Platform versus Feature Product Managers and why they’re rarely interchangeableHow data products differ from traditional products Why marketplaces will be the future of data productThe relationship between self-service analytics and data as a product What actually constitutes a data product The biggest unspoken challenge in the data-mesh discussion The impact of org structure and operating model on data product success Why too many businesses try to scale their data product before establishing product market fit What data product people should do to position themselves for the wave of incoming opportunity

In Episode 29 of Season 3, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Sally Bashuan, Executive Director; Head of Data Governance at Federated Hermes, where they discuss the role of data and analytics within ESG, which includes;The Importance of having a great LeaderWhy ESG is important to everyoneWhy companies and boards are paying attention to ESG How ESG will impact D&A teams Understanding the fundamentals of ESG from a data standpoint The current landscape of 3rd party ESG dataThe major challenges for Data teams The ESG data journey that Federated Hermes are onESG Strategies V Data Strategies The role of Data Literacy within ESGThe importance of ensuring everyone is talking the same language with ESGPros and Cons of ESG Data providersHow should data teams be structured to win at ESGThe commercial benefits of great ESG scoresWhy there is more to consider than just regulation The consequences of getting it wrong Formulating an ESG Data teamThe future of ESG