From data fabric to self-service analytics, the world of data strategy is no stranger to emerging trends, and keeping pace with the current industry landscape is no small challenge.
Enterprise Data Strategy Board Members made headlines throughout 2022 as they shared their strategic insights and advice on industry topics such as data management, governance, engaging with the C-suite, and other key initiatives.
As you plan for 2023, let’s take a look at five strategic insights that can help further advance your data program.
1. What best-in-class data management looks like to Purvi Shah at American Express
Enterprise Data Strategy Board Member Purvi Shah, Vice President of Enterprise Data Platforms at American Express, sat down with CDO Magazine to discuss her career journey, data management, data quality issues, and how to use data as a strategic asset.
Strong analysis always depends on good data quality. Purvi shared her perspective on outstanding data management.
“I really believe the value of data improves the more we can do to understand it, govern it, and have the right level of access controls and make it reliant, and most importantly make it easy for the end-users to use.”
Purvi Shah, American Express
2. Medtronic’s Luciano Miranda on making transformational business intelligence a reality
Enterprise Data Strategy Board Member Luciano Miranda, Senior Director of Global Operations and Supply Chain Advanced Analytics at Medtronic, shared on LinkedIn his 10 steps for making transformational business intelligence a reality.
Luciano said the first step in this journey is to inspire, drive alignment, and create excitement for the goal and vision.
He advised others to forego the belief that in order to develop your report or dashboard you must first have pristine backend data. Of course, this will be required when implementing the final solution, but your focus early on should be selling the idea.
In other words, Luciano said, you are creating a rapid prototype of your vision because you need to get the right enterprise stakeholders excited so that a sustainable tool and process can be funded and built.
“Start with what you want your dashboard and analytics to look like and tell you, make the front end functional even if you must mash the data manually in MS Excel, Power Pivot, or Power Bi, and ensure that the front end looks highly professional and is simple to use.”
Luciano Miranda, Medtronic
3. Sreeram Potukuchi at Republic Services gives advice for engaging with the C-suite
Enterprise Data Strategy Board Chair Sreeram Potukuchi, Republic Services’ Director of Enterprise Data, shared his helpful tactics with Forbes for engaging with the C-suite.
Sreeram demonstrated how each C-suite player can have different viewpoints, and as a result, can require different communication methods.
For example, Sreeram said CFOs can be black and white in their thinking and want details on how data will create tangible impacts, while CMOs are more willing to try new things.
“The CEO and the board are most interested in the big picture: Focus on how your data initiatives are going to drive organizational transformation and create long-term value — for stakeholders inside and outside the firm.”
Sreeram Potukchi, Republic Services
4. Jane Urban shares Takeda’s data management journey
Enterprise Data Strategy Board Chair Jane Urban, Vice President and Head of Data, Digital, and Technology for Global Medical and Commercial at Takeda Pharmaceuticals sat down for an interview with Datavant.
Jane shared insights on topics spanning data management, integrations, privacy and compliance, and more of her journey at Takeda — a global pharmaceutical company.
The commercial data management strategy function began in 2020, acknowledging that the enterprise had powerful data assets that weren’t being fully leveraged. They needed to facilitate insights on imperative healthcare questions such as “How do we engage with physicians and patients better, faster, and in more accurate, useful ways?”
Jane described the team today as being former chefs-turned-farmers who are working to cultivate the best data possible.
“We’ve been in the kitchen, and we know how to cook some really great meals, but we are now looking upstream to figure out how to get the absolute best raw ingredients for even better analytical techniques.”
Jane Urban, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
5. Jason Beyer on how Bridgestone uses data to modernize from the core
Enterprise Data Strategy Board Chair Jason Beyer, Vice President of Data and Analytics at Bridgestone, shared Bridgestone’s journey to becoming more data-driven during Accenture’s AWS re:Invent summit.
Jason said it’s an exciting time for Bridgestone as they undergo a business transformation. The company is growing from a product company — tires, golf balls, hoses, etc. — to becoming a product and solutions company.
Today, they’re not only focused on delivering products to market but finding solutions to better service those products to ensure they’re both sustainable and cost-effective. Jason said with these new solutions come new technology and data sets and this change in business strategy is driving the data strategy.
“There’s high demand from the organization to leverage data at scale because of the business transformation and that modernization at the core ecosystem.”
Jason Beyer, Bridgestone
