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Driven by Data: The Podcast

Orbition Group

Orbition Group is delighted to bring you this podcast series, which is designed for Data Enthusiasts, to hear from some of the most high-profile Data, Analytics and AI thought leaders from around the globe.

Each episode will detail the guests journey to the top while bringing unique insights, drawn from first-hand experience on the industry’s most trending topics.

This podcast was created as a way for our industry's most respected leadership figures from across the world to give back to the Data & Analytics community, by sharing; knowledge, experiences and ideas, to inspire, innovate and provide real-life use cases on the industries most pressing topics/challenges.

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  • 44 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 47 min
  • English

Episodes 44

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  • S7 · E11
    June 11 · 42 min

    Data Debrief: Juggling Plates, Commerical Value & Steven Bartlett Drinking Wine

    Welcome to another episode of the Data Debrief, the companion show to Driven by Data: The Podcast, where hosts Catherine Dowden-King and Kyle Winterbottom unpack Tuesday's episode, share what's been on their minds, and explore the realities of leadership, culture, and capability across the data and AI landscape. This week, Catherine and Kyle reflect on the conversation with Sarah Emerson, Group Director of Insight & Business Partnering at Howden, diving deeper into the growing importance of commercial thinking, business partnering, and the role relationships play in driving value from data. They cover: Why Sarah's background in finance and corporate strategy offers a unique perspective on data leadership, and how commercial acumen can become a powerful differentiator for leaders looking to influence organisational outcomes The challenge of connecting data strategy to business strategy, why many organisations struggle to articulate strategic priorities clearly, and the practical ways data leaders can uncover them regardless Why curiosity about business value shouldn't be reserved for senior leaders, and how analysts at every level can develop a stronger understanding of commercial impact The growing importance of business partnering as a dedicated capability, and how organisations can bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders more effectively The realities of operating model design, why federated approaches continue to gain traction, and the trade-offs organisations must consider when balancing proximity to the business with cost and complexity Sarah's view that self-service analytics has largely failed to deliver on its original promise, and what that means for the future of data enablement and adoption Why understanding how business leaders are measured, incentivised, and rewarded can dramatically improve stakeholder engagement and increase adoption of data-led initiatives The challenges of discussing performance, incentives, and accountability within organisations, and why trust and relationship-building remain critical leadership skills The evolving role of the Chief Data Officer, the increasing consolidation of data responsibilities back into CIO organisations, and what this shift could mean for the future of data leadership How AI has accelerated organisational debates around ownership, accountability, and transformation, with many businesses still determining where responsibility ultimately sits The emergence of broader transformation and innovation leadership roles that combine data, technology, AI, digital, and business transformation under a single mandate Kyle's thought of the week: as more organisations place data leadership responsibilities back under the CIO, many of the lessons learned throughout the evolution of the CDO role risk being forgotten. The challenge now is ensuring that value creation, business engagement, and commercial impact remain at the centre of the agenda, regardless of where accountability sits. This episode explores the realities of commercial leadership in data, the importance of business partnering, and why understanding people, incentives, and organisational dynamics is often just as important as understanding data itself.

  • S7 · E10
    June 9 · 47 min

    S7 | Ep 10 | Commercial Thinking Meets Business Partnering: How to Make Data Actually Matter, with Sarah Emerson, Group Director of Insight & Business Partnering at Howden

    In Episode 10 of Season 7 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Sarah Emerson, Group Director of Insight & Business Partnering at Howden, where they discuss why commercial thinking and business partnering are the keys to uncovering business strategy and making data genuinely matter, which includes; Why having a non-technical background can give you a competitive edge as a data leader. How to infer business strategy when corporate goals are unclear or poorly defined. Why Sarah believes commercial KPIs should always take priority over internal data metrics. How finding out what a stakeholder is bonused on is the fastest route to their engagement. Why federated operating models consistently deliver more commercial value — and why they're expensive. Why self-serve analytics will never truly scale, particularly in relationship-driven industries like insurance. How conversational AI is poised to succeed where a decade of self-serve dashboards has failed. Why inconsistent data definitions across divisions remain the biggest hidden barrier to AI adoption. The importance of executive sponsorship in driving data culture — and what to do when you don't have it. How financially incentivising sales teams based on data adoption could become the industry's next big shift. Why embedded business partners bridge the gap between analytical output and real commercial impact. How to uncover business strategy when no one will give you the time or the meeting. Why defaulting to technical language is one of the fastest ways a data leader can lose the room. Why the business, not just the data team, needs to take accountability for driving data product adoption. How embedding analysts within business teams is what drives genuine commercial impact. Thanks to our sponsor, Data & AI Literacy Academy. Data & AI Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity. If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data & AI literacy first. At Data & AI Literacy Academy, they don't just teach data skills. They empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. They're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes. From those taking their first steps in data & AI literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that they offer. They embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme. They take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve. Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at www.dl-academy.com.

  • S7 · E9
    June 4 · 48 min

    Data Debrief: Demystifying Data Leadership & Kyle makes a Bet on Topic Choice

    Welcome to another episode of the Data Debrief, the companion show to Driven by Data: The Podcast, where hosts Catherine Dowden-King and Kyle Winterbottom unpack Tuesday's episode, share what's been on their minds, and explore the realities of leadership, culture, and capability across the data and AI landscape. This week, Catherine and Kyle reflect on the conversation with Keith Moody, diving deeper into the realities of value creation, stakeholder management, and why the biggest barriers to success in data leadership are often human rather than technical. They cover: Why Keith's candid perspective stood out, and how some of the most honest conversations happen when leaders are able to speak without the constraints of corporate messaging and organisational politics The critical relationship between the CDO and CFO, why finance leaders remain the ultimate validators of value, and how a single nod of approval can determine whether an initiative succeeds or stalls Why proving value still remains the defining challenge for data leaders, despite years of discussion around ROI, business outcomes, and commercial impact The importance of stakeholder management, trust-building, and relationship development, and why no data leader succeeds without bringing others along on the journey How AI can be used as a practical leadership tool, from role-playing difficult stakeholder conversations to helping leaders navigate conflict, influence, and executive communication more effectively The emerging ways data and AI leaders are using AI personally, including as a career coach, meeting assistant, productivity partner, and accessibility tool Why change management isn't a phase of transformation programmes but the job itself, and how successful leaders recognise that adoption is an ongoing responsibility rather than a project milestone The reality that humans remain the most complex variable in any data strategy, and why technical excellence alone will never guarantee success How previous experiences, organisational history, and leadership baggage influence every new data leader entering a role, whether they're inheriting success, failure, or scepticism Why data leadership increasingly resembles sales, and how influencing decisions often requires changing perceptions, behaviours, and long-held beliefs rather than deploying new technology The growing importance of real-world communities, events, and human connection as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent and increasingly difficult to distinguish from human-created work Why curiosity and imagination may become the defining skills that separate high-performing leaders in an era where access to technology becomes increasingly democratised Kyle's thought of the week: whilst many organisations claim they lack a clearly defined business strategy, the reality is that strategic priorities almost always exist somewhere. The responsibility for data leaders is to uncover them, build relationships with the people who own them, and connect their work to those outcomes rather than waiting for perfect documentation to appear. Catherine's thought of the week: we often have more control than we think. Whether it's improving stakeholder relationships, influencing difficult conversations, or navigating organisational complexity, the leaders who make progress are typically those willing to take ownership, seek support, and proactively shape their environment rather than waiting for conditions to improve. This episode is a practical discussion on the realities of leading change, proving value, and navigating organisational complexity, whilst exploring how human behaviour, relationships, and influence continue to matter just as much as technology in determining success.

  • S7 · E9
    June 2 · 53 min

    S7 | Ep 9 | The Mandate Gap: Why Data Teams Keep Failing to Deliver Commercial Impact with Keith Moody, VP of Analytics & AI

    In Episode 9 of Season 7 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Keith Moody, a renowned Data & AI Executive, where they discuss the relationship between the mandate of the CDAO and the results that data and analytics teams continue to deliver, which includes; How the absence of a clear value delivery mandate is the root cause of data being treated as a cost centre rather than a business asset. Why most CDO mandates are designed based on what organisations think the job is, not what it actually needs to be to generate commercial impact. How Keith built four analytics organisations across two companies and delivered over $500 million in incremental annual value. Why the data function's reporting line is rarely neutral, and how a once-thriving value-delivery team was reduced to an order-taking service desk. How convincing leadership that "no analytics could happen until data was perfect" brought an entire organisation to a standstill. Why CDOs who push for commercial accountability in interview processes face a catch-22. Why most interview processes focus on capability over delivery expectations leaving the value mandate undefined from day one. Why you should actively push for commercial targets. Why and how to routinely reframe the mandate once inside an organisation. Why the CFO should be the ultimate validator of any value numbers attributed to analytics. How reporting directly to the CEO removes prioritisation deadlock entirely. Why governance committees are a poor substitute for having a single accountable decision-maker at the top. How change management done at the end of a project is the single biggest reason analytics initiatives fail. Why blanket data literacy programmes are largely an admission of failure. How automating decision-making away from VPs was successfully sold internally. Why the AI investment cycle is repeating the exact same hype and collapse pattern seen with data science. How FOMO, shareholder pressure, and competitive optics drive organisations to invest in AI capabilities they haven't defined a use case for. How the first practical step for any CDO stuck in cost-centre mode is to audit their existing portfolio and how to do so. Thanks to our sponsor, Data & AI Literacy Academy. Data & AI Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity. If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data & AI literacy first. At Data & AI Literacy Academy, they don't just teach data skills. They empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. They're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes. From those taking their first steps in data & AI literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that they offer. They embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme. They take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve. Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at www.dl-academy.com.

Showing 41–44 of 44 episodes