Welcome to the mini podcast series Data Unplugged: Conversations from the Richmond CDO Forum. Join us as we interview the data thought leaders and chief data officers featuring on our 2024 conference program, hear how they are shaping the future of data, and get a glimpse into the areas of expertise they'll be bringing to the forum in September 2024. Learn about their journeys into the world of data and find out about the person behind the title as we look forward to the inaugural Richmond CDO Forum next September. Brought to you by Richmond Events.

Liam Quinn:
My name is Liam Quinn and I'm the project director for the Richmond CDO Forum here at Richmond Events. It's my pleasure to host this podcast and I hope you get as much out of it as I did. In today's podcast, we're going to hear from Edosa Odaro. He's going to provide with a brief summary of how he got into the world of data and what he'll be discussing at the Richmond CDO Forum next year. Hi Edosa, and thanks for joining us. Our first question is, in a nutshell, how did you begin your career in data and what's kept you here?

Edosa Odaro:
So would you believe that I actually originally wanted to be a pilot as opposed to being a scientist, but that's a story for another time. But I think when I think about the start now in hindsight, it's perhaps always quite logical because I was always inclined to mathematics. I was actually very fortunate to be one of only 10 in the entire country to have actually won a scholarship. But I think beyond academics, I think there was probably three things I would say not only got me started, but also kept me going all this time. I think one would be just problem solving. I've always loved Lego and puzzles and things like that, and it generated into computer gaming and just fixing things. But also I just remember just always questioning things and just having that questioning inquisitive mind. I think a third thing was just the fact that I always wanted to see things done, just wanted to create impact and solve problems for people. So I think those three things have not only got me here, but have also kept me going through the years.

Liam Quinn:
What is your top prediction for the future of data and what opportunities for harnessing data do you foresee on the horizon?

Edosa Odaro:
So predictions and opportunities I see coming up. So I think the first thing to say is unfortunately there will be some bad things and there'll be some good things as well. So I'd say that three bad things, if you like, for us to look out for, unfortunately, I do believe that there will be a lot more jobs actually destroyed than created. It's controversial, but I think that's ought to be there to be seen, especially with Gen AI coming on board. Second thing I'd say is we need to watch out for bias a lot more so, but also noise. It's not one that lots of us are talking about right now, but I think that's a huge area of concern. The third thing is just the whole kind of area around risk and trust. So risk, clearly there's going to be a lot more risk now in terms of data security, but also in terms of just things going wrong and the scale of those kinds of things as well.

Trust has been another big issue, both from an internal standpoint, but also from the customers that we serve externally. That's the bad stuff. Also the good stuff, I think value creation's going to be a big one and there's a huge amount already been talked about in terms of predictions around value creation. Something like $10 trillion has been created as the kind of global value, but I think there's going to be a lot more now with Gen AI coming on board as well.

Second thing I'd say is we are going to see a lot more opportunities to fast track our delivery. That is just our ability to actually get things done, put things in front of our stakeholders and our customers. Third thing I think is a lot more, I suppose, fringe sectors. Sectors that haven't really seen very much viability around data and AI solutions will start to see that. So talking about sectors, likes of agriculture, likes of travel and tourism, likes of education, construction, manufacturing and such. So watch out for those. If you're in those kind of sectors, I think you'll start to see a huge amount more opportunities to progress your data and AI initiatives going forward.

Liam Quinn:
In your opinion, what makes a good CDO?

Edosa Odaro:
So I think it's incredibly hard to define the one single definition, if you like, for what is a good CDO, it's going to be very context specific. And that unicorn I don't think has been found just yet. But I think there's four or five things that I've had through my career that I would be very happy to share. And the first one, I think most would agree, great to be data-driven, but I think really being value driven and moving beyond just being data-driven, it would be a huge, huge asset. Second one, I'd say, great to be a good communicator. We often need to communicate across very diverse stakeholder groups, but I think knowing when to stop talking and start doing, it's a huge asset. Third thing I would say is really, of course some CDOs are fairly technical, at least have a good understanding of being on the technical side of things.

But I think knowing when to start to listen and empower teams is a huge, huge asset to have as well. The fourth thing I would say would be really sticking to teams, really attracting talent's a great thing. Going beyond that and really being able to retain diverse skill sets and diverse individuals and diverse minds is a huge, huge asset.

Finally, I would say yes, we talk about being value focused, but I think really at times we need to be able to balance between very disparate things that sometimes it might seem conflicting, like privacy against, I suppose profits as an example. So really thinking about how to get that balanced right. It's a huge asset as well. So there'll be four or five things that I think it'll be helpful towards being a good CDO.

Liam Quinn:
Tell us one thing that might surprise people about you.

Edosa Odaro:
Okay. Something that might surprise. Perhaps one would be the fact that in a parallel sort of life, if you like, I'm a ski photographer, which combines two of my big passions for skiing on the one hand and for photography. And I suppose thinking about it that skiing kind of draws on my need for speed from a professional capacity to some degree, and perhaps the photography side is about really finding the signals of those nuggets of value that matter amongst a huge amount of noise. So in a parallel life, I'm a ski photographer.

Liam Quinn:
Finally, please provide a small teaser into your session at the inaugural Richmond CDO Forum.

Edosa Odaro:
Sure. So a quick teaser into my session. So my session is going to be looking across data and AI, actually going to be looking through very specific lenses and looking at perils, potential and powers. In terms of perils, really we need to be reminding ourselves about those big issues have already occurred. What lessons can we take from those to prepare better for the future? In terms of potential, looking beyond likes of the cloud, IOT and blockchain, things we're starting to get used to, into looking at things like Gen AI and value-driven data and what those kinds of things they're actually going to be giving us in terms of opportunities going forward. Power's really thinking about one of the key things being speed and how that links directly into both value creation but also value retention. So there's a huge amount for us to unpack. I'm really, really excited about the session, looking forward to meeting you and I hope that you're excited and looking forward to this session as well. See you soon.

Liam Quinn:
Thank you, Edosa. The session sounds absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to hear it. I'm also looking forward to catching up with you and trying to find out what it was about being a pilot that so attracted you initially.
 
This was Data Unplugged: Conversations From the Richmond CDO Forum, brought to you by Richmond Events. We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Please follow us on LinkedIn and Spotify, helping us to spread the word and reach chief data officers throughout the UK. You can find out more at www.therichmondcdoforum.com.

Welcome to the mini podcast series Data Unplugged: Conversations from the Richmond CDO Forum. Join us as we interview the data thought leaders and chief data officers featuring on our 2024 conference program, hear how they is shaping the future of data, and get a glimpse into the areas of expertise they'll be bringing to the forum in September, 2024. Learn about their journeys into the world of data and find out about the person behind the title as we look forward to the in inaugural Richmond CDO Forum next September. Brought to you by Richmond Events.
 
My name is Liam Quinn and I'm the project director for the Richmond CDO Forum here at Richmond Events. It's my pleasure to host this podcast and I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
 
In today's podcast, we're going to hear from Robin Huggins as they provides with a brief summary of how he got into data and what he'll be discussing at the Richmond CDO Forum next year.
 
Hi Robin. Our first question is in a nutshell, how did you begin your career in data and what's kept you here?

My career in data is an interesting one. I grew up in a house where my father was a graphic designer, so words like marketing, advertising, copywriting, and promotion were kind of part of the everyday language. I finished university around about the time of the Y2K phenomenon, and I started in talent acquisition for technology. Very quickly I started hiring for database campaign and CRM specialists, and I really just understood exactly what they did. Customer focus then led to more of a data-driven decisioning focus, and 20 years later, I'm still doing this.
I am absolutely fascinated by the work that gets done by incredible people, and I am the fanboy gate who is really, really lucky to work within an industry that I've spent my entire adult life appreciating.
 
What is your top prediction for the future of data and what opportunities for harnessing data do you foresee on the horizon?

My prediction is that the next 10 to 20 years, we'll see a pretty significant shift in the dynamic between individuals and organizations' ownership and usage of data. I think we're going to start to see the beginning of the emergence of syndicates or collectives where group ownership of personal data becomes the norm. If data is the new oil and it is increasingly valuable to organizations, then I think that this collective approach to commercialization will become key. That then represents an opportunity. I can then see data-driven decisioning being perhaps used to address more of society's challenges rather than purely being focused on commercial challenges.
 
In your opinion, what makes a good CDO good?

CDOs have to have, in my opinion, five essential qualities, and none of them are technology focused. Firstly, a good CDO has to be a great people person with top-notch interpersonal skills. Secondly, a good CDO has to be impact, focus, and value obsessed. They need to know how to move the needle. A good CDO has to be a collaborator by default, and fourthly, a good CDO has to be an evangelist change. They've got to want to win heart and minds. And lastly, a good CDO has to be a problem solver first and foremost, because that's what data-driven decisioning does within organizations, solves problems.
 
Tell us one thing that might surprise people about you.

So one thing about me that might surprise people is that I am a rock and roll musician, a guitarist to be precise. I've spent the guts of the last 40 years playing extremely loud, extremely fast, extremely sweaty rock and roll music, and a variety of pubs and clubs all over the country. I've written dozens of songs. I've collaborated with hundreds of musicians, and back in my early teens when I first started playing this type of music, I think I very definitely found my tribe.
 
Finally, please provide a small teaser into your session at the inaugural Richmond c d o forum.

My session at the inaugural CDO Forum will look at how the best data strategy and optimize technology stack may not deliver on the promise without the best people in the data team. If you've got the best people in your data team, then you're very fortunate indeed. However, most folks, they have to attract externally in a hugely competitive market. I've spent 20 years advising the best in the business how to build their data teams. What I'm hoping my session gives attendees as a look under the bonnet, a successful holistic data talent attraction strategy.
 
Thank you, Robin, for sharing with us your journey through data so far. I can't wait to talk to you at the forum and find out more about your rock and roll history and who you've actually played with. Sounds fascinating.
 
This was Data Unplugged: Conversations from the Richmond CDO Forum, brought to you by Richmond Events. We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Please follow us on LinkedIn and Spotify helping us to spread the word and reach Chief Data Officers throughout the UK.
 
You can find out more at therichmondcdoforum.com.

Welcome to the mini podcast series Data Unplugged: Conversations from the Richmond CDO Forum. Join us as we interview the data thought leaders and chief data officers featuring on our 2024 conference program, hear how they are shaping the future of data, and get a glimpse into the areas of expertise they'll be bringing to the forum in September 2024. Learn about their journeys into the world of data and find out about the person behind the title as we look forward to the inaugural Richmond CDO Forum next September. Brought to you by Richmond Events.
 
My name is Liam Quinn and I'm the project director for the Richmond CDO Forum here at Richmond Events. It's my pleasure to host this podcast and I hope you get as much out of it as I did. In today's podcast, we are going to hear from Liz Henderson, the data queen, as she provides us with a brief summary of how she got into data and what she'll be discussing at the Richmond CDO Forum next year.
 
Hi, Liz. Our first question is in a nutshell, how did you begin your career in data and what's kept you there?

I find that most data professionals actually fell into the world of data, but that's probably because the data career didn't exist over 20 years ago. I started off in the world of accountancy being very number orientated and then took a diversion into pub management, and that after having that experience of managing inventory and staff rotors, that gave me the opportunity to move into retail as an inventory analyst and also did some buying, which I really enjoyed because if you put your analytical hat on, buying is really a great opportunity. But having that inventory experience, that data experience, it led me on to broaden my career in data and get more and more experience, and I was known within the industry that I was working in and got headhunted by I B M. Then went, worked with a number of clients over there, then led on to a more detailed career in data doing contracting, and now today I advise CDOs and heads of data to unlock the full potential from their data.
 
What is your top prediction for the future of data and what opportunities for harnessing data do you foresee on the horizon?

I've given a number of presentations recently on data, the Future, which consisted of many topics around things such as data as a product, ai, generative ai, completely splitting them in two data, mesh data fabric, and how that can help us access our data. But more importantly, I think the key element and the future direction of data is embedding data practices into the D N A of the organization, whether that's making sure data governance becomes part of corporate governance, and also making sure the business is fully confident with data, what needs to happen, owning it and making sure it's relevant to what they're doing.
 
In your opinion, what makes a good CDO?

I've met many types of CDOs and heads of data in my time. Many take a sideways move from it, a number come up through the technical path through being able to program and moving into data that way. But very few actually come through the business, and I think it's really important that they have that Business focus data is all around people and business. They're the two main elements that make it successful. So the key skills that I think CDOs need are those soft skills about collaboration, influence, problem solving, being able to collaborate with others to achieve the goals that are needed for the organization. Also, change management skills, and because nobody really cares about data unless it goes wrong and what you actually do, having that resilience and determination to make sure you can get to the bottom of the problems and resolve them to delight your customers, whether that's internal or external.
 
Tell us one thing that might surprise people about you.

I'm an advanced qualified scuba diver. I don't like cold water, would never dive in the uk, so I learned in Turkey and then I went on to Egypt in the med to do my advanced training where I went down to 40 meters, did rec dives and also a night dive. Absolutely loved night dives, and it's not as dark down there as you really think. When you're looking down to the water, it looks really dark, but when you're in the water and looking up, it's actually quite light. And I've also dived on the Great Barrier Reef. Flew out to a tiny little island called Lady Elliot Island in this little tiny plane dive the next day. Amazing, enormous reefs, enormous fish, a few sharks, they were black tip sharks, so they weren't harmful to us at all. But the colors, the size of the fish. I've seen huge turtles, absolutely stunning experience.
 
Finally, please provide a small teaser into your session at the inaugural Richmond CDO Forum.

A little teaser for my session. Data is a people sport. My focus is all around the people. McKinsey, Gartner and countless other organizations state that over 70% of transformation projects do not deliver the results because of the people, because of the cultural changes, they're not there. So I focus on the people side, making data relatable to all levels so people understand the ambitions, and I'm also going to share with you three powerful questions on how to help you understand what the business needs from their data strategy. And we can put a small data strategy together. I don't create 50 page chunky documents. I create clear, instantly understandable directions for organizations. Look forward to seeing you there. Thank you.
 
Thank you, Liz, for giving us such a great insight into your journey through data. I also love scuba diving, so I'll enjoy sharing some stories with you at the forum next year.

This was Data Unplugged: Conversations from the Richmond CDO Forum, brought to you by Richmond Events.
We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Please follow us on LinkedIn and Spotify helping us to spread the word and reach Chief Data Officers throughout the UK.

You can find out more at therichmondcdoforum.com