Enterprise Data Management, Governance and Analytics Executive
TAG 2020 Impact Award finalist, Technology Association of Georgia Data Governance Society Board Member
Transformational leader fostering data-centric culture, helping organizations monetize by leveraging data as an asset. Experienced in strategic and tactical data management, governance & analytics initiatives, working with C-Suite executives and external partners. Expertise in building high-performance teams in IT and business, managing vendors, evangelizing enterprise standards, and spearheading cost-effective solutions. Track record in data management, data governance, and analytics. Currently part of the enterprise data office leadership team at Equifax, focusing on information architecture.
What attracted you to data management or IT, and why did you choose to pursue this career?
I have worked in different industries leading technology teams supporting OLTP systems for half of my career. My aha moment came while I started managing a data warehouse and analytics team. As I was working on creating insights, I was fascinated by how we leveraged the untapped power of data to understand and predict consumer behavior in generating risk models. And the rest, as they say, is history.
What are the two or three biggest challenges you face as a data management professional / CDO and how can we address them?
1. Culture
While every company wants to say they are a “Data” company, very few can really claim having a data-centric culture. Without data literacy and empowerment, you cannot win. Innovation does not come from a few people sitting in a conference room forced to think. Anyone and everyone should be aware of the gold mine (of data) they have in the company and should be encouraged to come up with opportunities to monetize data.
2. Dynamic D & A Ecosystem
There has been an explosion of technology/methodologies in data and analytics. The good thing is there’s lots of choices. The bad thing is there’s lots of choices. Since there’s no “one size fit’s all”, a CDAO must carefully and methodically evaluate before making any decision in consultation with his/her SMEs.
3. “Must have” vs “Nice to have“
For a long time, data governance has always been perceived as something “nice to have” and not a necessity. This was until companies started experiencing negative financial ramifications from legal issues. It has been a knee-jerk reaction to control the damage at that time. This is changing with the evolving legislations that is holding companies accountable by penalizing them for not making reasonable efforts in Data Governance.
How do you see data management / the role of the CDO / IT changing in the next 2 – 3 years?
There has been a sense of urgency to monetize data, thereby companies heavily focusing on analytics ignoring data. Also, companies have combined the CDO and CAO roles. You see CDAO focusing more on “A” than “D”. Without a sound and robust data management and governance program, any monetization of data will turn out to be expensive and challenging. Going forward, you will start seeing a more rounded CDAO who understands both the world and can make the right decisions. Also, with the democratization of technology and abstraction of services, you do not need a specialist, but a generalist to lead. Hopefully we will start noticing CDAO’s enjoying a longer and stable tenure similar to other C-Suites.
Do you have any planned next steps for your career?
Life is a journey and a career is an integral part of this. The best way to plan for the journey is to keep yourself busy learning something new constantly and be prepared for the right opportunity (or should I say wave point). My philosophy has always been to give your very best and work like your own money is invested in the company. The next opportunity will always find you, whether it’s internal or external.
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?
It’s not what you know but how fast you can adapt and adopt. While progressing in my career from one company to another, the ability to learn and adapt to new technology/processes quickly is what made me successful. Never stop learning!
Can you share something about yourself as a person that people wouldn’t know about you?
I have been fortunate to be blessed in my personal and professional life. So, I always try to give back to society in any way I can. I have been a leader of the hospitality ministry at my church, volunteer police officer, YMCA board member, and industry advisory board member for the college of computing and software engineering. Currently, I serve on the Board of Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Data Governance Society, where we strive to promote data management and governance best practices among practitioners and decision-makers.
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
