Strategy, Architecture, Information Management & Coaching Professional
As Founder and Principal of InfoRoots Consulting, Lori applies her extensive experience partnering with organizations on data strategy and roadmaps to drive enterprise value from information assets. In addition, Lori provides training, coaching, and mentoring services to those looking to solve problems, grow skillsets, and/or advance their careers.
What attracted you to data management or IT, and why did you choose to pursue this career?
I began my career in accounting and finance and as a part of those roles, I continuously found myself trying to find, gather, analyze, master, cleanse, and report data. It was painfully obvious there was a need for professional information management so I decided to follow that path to learn all I could about Enterprise Information Management. As I progressed, I began to understand how to leverage value from data so it could be used for competitive advantage, and I was ‘hooked’.
What has been your greatest career accomplishment so far, and why has it been important to your career?
There are many things I’m proud of in my career. I am proud of the value delivered on countless projects, but more importantly, I’m proud of the many professionals I have been able to teach, coach, and mentor so they too could understand the power of data and how to bring about positive change. By applying a blend of business and IT acumen, coupled with an in-depth knowledge of business performance, strategy, and process management, I’ve been able to consult with a wide variety of people across organizations to envision, design, and deploy new information capabilities that drive results.
What are the two or three biggest challenges you face as a data management professional / CDO and how can we address them?
Establishing ROI on proposed data initiatives in light of competing investments. Demonstrating value with a small proof of concept often opens the door to investment but continued success is critical.
Focus on applications implementations (cloud, SaaS, custom, etc.) without appropriate focus on the need for quality data and data management.
Articulating how data management is an enabler to the applications implementation couples the work and demonstrates the connections to build acceptance.
Lack of organizational staffing budgets and skills to build data capabilities. It’s imperative to clarify roles, skills, accountabilities, and budget to find those resources to deliver on the promise that data can deliver.
How do you see data management / the role of the CDO / IT changing in the next 2 – 3 years?
I see a trend to move the CDO organization out of IT and under the leadership of the CEO vs. CIO. Aligning closely to business goals and initiatives and becoming a trusted partner is critical to success.
Do you have any planned next steps for your career?
I enjoy strategy and architecture work and helping organizations get set up for success and will continue to provide consulting services for companies ready to invest. I also plan to spend time coaching and mentoring others in the data management practice as well as helping to advance careers and solve problems so I can pass along what I’ve learned from so many brilliant colleagues along the way.
What is the single best piece of advice you have received in your data management / IT career so far? Why has it been so important to you?
I had a great leader who encouraged me to use my business acumen to speak about data management in terms of how it could power business performance and to keep the technical jargon out of the conversation. That advice has served me well.
Can you share something about yourself as a person that people wouldn’t know about you?
I began my college education majoring in Deaf Education. I completed two semesters of student-teaching (sophomore year) and realized it wasn’t something I was cut out to do. It was a hard decision to switch gears, but it elevated my respect for educators and the work they do every day. The teacher in me didn’t fade away, it just got pointed in a new direction.
If you have any questions about this interview, or if we can be of any service, please do not hesitate to contact us info@ewsolutions.com
