Swiss RE ’s SVP of P&C R&D, Jerry Gupta is a firm believer in the revenue-generating potential and AI and machine learning. On this episode of The Data Chief, Jerry offers his view on innovative data model, frameworks for building and operationalizing these models, what makes a good data scientist, and why it will always be more challenging for data teams to maintain existing models vs. innovate new ones. Tune in to learn: The difference between ost cutting versus revenue-enhancing initi...
Jul 27, 2022•51 min•Ep. 55
What keeps a data pro at one company for almost thirty years? On this episode of The Data Chief, Pascale Hutz , the Chief Data Officer and EVP of Enterprise Digital & Data Solutions at American Express , shares how her career at American Express has transformed over the years and what she’s learned along the way. Tune in to hear more about her latest cloud migration journey, why she’s on a “mission to decommission,” and how she fights imposter syndrome even as a C-level executive in one of t...
Jul 13, 2022•39 min•Ep. 54
How can data be activated to create better healthcare outcomes? Dr. Victoria Gamerman, the Global Head of Data Governance and Insights at Boehringer Ingelheim, offers that part of the answer is that data is changing to be thought of as part of the broader healthcare “ecosystem.” Listen in for how some of the philosophical frameworks concerning data can help to improve healthcare. Tune in to learn: Changes in how data is being used in healthcare (07:00) How a system could be set up to share healt...
Jun 29, 2022•46 min•Ep. 53
What does it take to turn a new position that never existed into one that delivers transformation for an entire organization? As the first Chief Data Officer at Prudential Financial and the initial Chief Data Analytics Officer at a prior career stop at State Farm, Kjersten Moody knows the answer. Tune in to learn how being a constant learner has consistently allowed her to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Tune in to learn: How Kjersten’s role model influenced her life and career (04:0...
Jun 15, 2022•55 min•Ep. 52
How do you make innovation truly come alive? For Abhi Bhatt , the AVP, Technology, Data & Analytics at CarMax , innovation is about using data to change “business models.” Abhi also describes the need to train up teammates and others who use the data concerning technological advances. Additionally, he shares his career journey and how his positive experience as a CarMax customer initially activated his interest in the company. Tune in to learn: How did Abhi end up working at CarMax? (13:00) ...
Jun 01, 2022•26 min•Ep. 51
How has the Chief Data Officer role changed? Heidi Lanford , CDO of Fitch Group , shares that “it’s gone from stewarding and protecting data to monetization of data.” She explains how CDOs can be effective by working together with other company leaders and communicating simply. Learn from Heidi why there can be great career value in being willing to be uncomfortable. Tune in to learn: How does Heidi work with the leadership team? (10:03) How does Heidi suggest CDOs communicate to CEOs?(13:05) Ho...
May 18, 2022•49 min•Ep. 50
The data landscape is evolving in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Murali Vridhachalam, the Head of Enterprise Data and Analytics at Gilead Sciences, and Mahmood Majeed, Managing Partner at ZS Associates, offer their compelling perspectives on digital transformation in life sciences and healthcare and how data can be used in these areas to improve patient outcomes. Plus, Mahmood and Murali share their takes on how to effectively reskill data professionals and the role of IT in healthcar...
May 04, 2022•43 min•Ep. 49
Your data will never be clean and it will never be perfect. So how do we create meaningful models anyway? As Dr. Katia Walsh puts it, data leaders are facing a “tsunami of data.” But that tsunami shouldn’t stop you from testing, iterating, and moving quickly. Dr. Walsh is the Chief Global Strategy and AI Officer at Levi Strauss & Co. and today she shares how her team has leveraged a mindset of “think big, start small, scale fast” to create cutting-edge data models and digital capabilities qu...
Apr 20, 2022•40 min•Ep. 48
With every passing year, a new batch of data tools comes available, and a new crop of data professionals enters the job market. The Chief Data Officer has evolved into a position that acts both on the offensive and defensive sides of these changes. Our guest today, Cara Dailey, the EVP, and CDO at LPL Financial, has helped shape and define the role of data leaders in the C-suite as she’s moved through her career. Her experiences at companies like Nike, Bank of the West, and Silicon Valley Bank h...
Apr 06, 2022•38 min•Ep. 47
If you look around your home, it’s very likely you have at least one item from the Unilever family of brands lying around. From the soap in your shower to the ice cream bars in your freezer, Unilever delivers everyday products that help people get more out of life. And they rely on data to ensure they’re doing so sustainably. Today’s guests are Unilever Director of Digital Finance Transformation, Vandana Khanna, and Director of Data and Analytics, Deeksha Singh. On this episode, the two leaders ...
Mar 23, 2022•49 min•Ep. 46
Nitish Mathew, the Global Head of Data Engineering and Governance at Afterpay, joins The Data Chief to discuss measuring the impact of analytics, the rise of the analytics engineer, the importance of taking risks, and much more. Tune in to learn: Why you can't take a data center mindset to the cloud (6:30) Why stakeholder satisfaction is the ultimate KPI (15:00) Inspiring your team through purpose (19:10) How to build a “walled garden” for business users (22:40) The importance of taking risks an...
Mar 09, 2022•43 min•Ep. 45
Whether you’ve passed your cursor over their logo on a streaming service, spotted it on the front of a Golden State Warriors jersey, or use their cash-back rebate system, the Rakuten brand is everywhere and actively expanding. Today’s guest, Takuya Kitagawa is the Managing Executive Officer & CDO at Rakuten. On this episode, Takuya joins Cindi to discuss how the company has found massive, international success across multiple industries by integrating data across lines of business to deliver...
Feb 16, 2022•47 min•Ep. 44
As the world continues to fill with impersonal, factory-machined goods, so increases the desire to see and feel more human creativity in the items we use in our lives. Etsy, a community marketplace for creative goods, was designed to help people sell their unique and homemade items online. The company continues to innovate and transform the small-business world, leading by focusing on innovation in their technology. Today’s guest, Chu-Cheng Hsieh, is the first Chief Data Officer at Etsy. On this...
Feb 02, 2022•44 min•Ep. 43
There’s nothing like watching your favorite sports team live and in-person. The roar of the crowd. The smell of the concession stand. The suspense of the game clock winding down to its final seconds. But would you have guessed that behind every ticket purchase, box of cracker jacks, and Jumbotron moment, there are teams of data professionals working to make your fan experience even more seamless and engaging? Joining Cindi today to discuss the data and analytics powering our favorite sports even...
Jan 19, 2022•51 min•Ep. 42
For years, businesses have prioritized academic background and domain expertise when searching for top talent, matching current skills to job reqs with little regard for candidate aptitude. But according to Iwao Fusillo, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at General Motors, this is an outdated strategy. Iwao has led and developed data and analytics teams across multiple verticals, including finance and sports. In his experience, the secret to building successful and diverse teams is assessing pass...
Jan 05, 2022•51 min•Ep. 41
Every day we make decisions. Some are as simple as deciding when to leave for work in order to beat traffic or what to eat for breakfast. Others bear much greater importance, such as what new products to launch or what new markets to tackle. Analytics plays an important role in helping your business make these decisions in a smarter, more data-driven way. “The purpose of analytics is to help us make decisions, is to create decision-making capabilities across the company. The next step was to fin...
Dec 22, 2021•43 min•Ep. 40
At the end of every year, you’re probably asking the same questions we are. What are the big changes coming next year? How do I stay ahead of them? And what’s separating real trends from the hype? To answer these questions, we are excited to bring together some of the top minds in the industry. In this special episode, we’ll pick their brains and dig into what you need to know to thrive in the year ahead. You’ll hear from three incredible guests -- all of whom are building and shaping the future...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 39
We are back with more episodes! In the coming months, you’ll hear from executives and data leaders from companies like Databricks, Google, General Motors, Etsy, ServiceNow, and more. Our guests cover topics like cloud acceleration, ethical AI, data fluency, scaling data teams, the trends that matter as we enter 2022, and much more! You won’t want to miss these upcoming episodes, so be sure to subscribe to The Data Chief on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Plus, you can dive deep...
Dec 01, 2021•2 min
As we wrap up Season 2 of the Data Chief Podcast, It’s time to once again thank all of our listeners for tuning in and sending Cindi your ideas, and to all of our awesome guests who willingly shared their time and insights along the way. This season The Data Chief shared stories such as Sol Rashidi , CAO Estèe Lauder Companies, about how she starts every day by reading for an hour. Or from Season one, Alberto Rey Villaverdo, Executive Director of Advanced Analytics at VirginMedia , about how he ...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 38
Is the role of a data scientist still a “sexy job” or has it lost a bit of its luster? And what’s more important for successful data leaders, deep data knowledge or business savvy? Daniel Seymore is the Head of Business Intelligence for Investec , a bank that is delivering out of the ordinary insights in the world of finance to help its customers create and manage wealth. One of Daniel’s career-guiding principles is to question the conventional, and on this episode of The Data Chief, he sheds li...
Aug 11, 2021•48 min•Ep. 37
JoAnn Stonier loves her role. After all, when you’re the Chief Data Officer for Mastercard, the opportunities to create real change are plentiful. But Stonier knows her work is about more than just data privacy and governance, it’s about aligning the company’s data strategy to business goals and impacting the organization in a positive way. And of course, making sure that all 725 million of Mastercard’s credit card holders are protected. With a career rooted in privacy, a degree in law, and a ba...
Jul 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 36
Every data professional will gladly discuss their big wins — but what about their big losses? How have career hiccups molded them into the leaders they are today and put them on a path to transform entire industries? Sol Rashidi is the Chief Analytics Officer at the Estée Lauder Company. Throughout her personal and professional life, Sol has used moments of uncertainty as opportunities for growth. Today she is recognized as one of the top 50 most powerful women in tech. On this episode of The Da...
Jul 14, 2021•46 min•Ep. 35
Data governance. It’s a “dirty word” in business often associated with being told “no,” but from the perspective of the CDO it’s a crucial part of managing data quality and trust. How are employees being held accountable? Do people have the right access to insights? And is your own business’ data infrastructure and governance policies fostering innovation or stifling it? Ameet Shetty is Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Pilot Flying J , a company that serves more than 1.3 million consumers dai...
Jun 30, 2021•31 min•Ep. 34
No journey to the cloud is the same. While some will encounter similar obstacles, each journey has its own unique challenges. But what happens when a company born in the midst of a crisis and changing technology, has to innovate just as fast as the changing landscape to keep up? Ryan Graciano is the co-founder and CTO of Credit Karma , a company that is aligning technology and data to help bring transparency to the credit lending process. On this episode of The Data Chief, Ryan explains how Cred...
Jun 16, 2021•40 min•Ep. 33
The role of the Chief Data Officer is an evolving one. Today, data professionals are expected to be champions for their business – aligning data goals with business values – while also leading their company’s digital transformation. It’s a position best suited for visionaries, advocates, and change agents. Darren Pedroza is the Vice President of Enterprise Data and Analytics at First Command Financial Services , with a mission of helping military families reach their financial goals. In addition...
Jun 02, 2021•51 min•Ep. 32
In the age of data-driven decision making, an adage still bears true: People are a company's most valuable asset. No matter how technologically advanced and forward thinking your company is, it cannot operate without the individuals that make the organization go. So how are companies using data and analytics to not only make better decisions at the company level, but also improve the employee experience? And how are data and analytics predicting trends for the future of work that includes employ...
May 19, 2021•42 min•Ep. 31
The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit industries over the last year. Amid countless closures and reopenings, restaurants have overcome many obstacles in an effort to survive. Through these struggles, restaurant professionals have turned to data to optimize everything from takeout orders to new layouts, all the way to analyzing market recovery. Grant Parsamyan is the Senior Vice President for Data and Analytics at OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation service that is empow...
May 05, 2021•47 min•Ep. 30
Data and the power it wields has made its way into every industry over the last decade. From entertainment to real estate, all the way to the fashion industry, companies leading their industries are using data to create uniquely personalized digital experiences. Brad Klingenberg is the Chief Algorithms Officer at Daily Harvest, the direct-to-consumer brand that helps stock your home with fresh, plant-based foods. Brad leads the data team and is charged with using data and algorithms to create me...
Apr 21, 2021•40 min•Ep. 29
“Garbage in, garbage out.” It’s a philosophy every data leader is familiar with. Your algorithms and models are only as good as the data you put in them -- so how do you ensure the data you are leveraging is reliable and trustworthy? Joining Cindi today is Opendoor Co-founder and CTO, Ian Wong. Opendoor is on a mission to remove the guesswork from homebuying, and in this episode, Ian details how the company’s algorithms provide future homebuyers peace of mind about getting the best possible offe...
Apr 07, 2021•38 min•Ep. 28
Ajeet Singh is a risk taker. There’s no other way to describe someone who's done the things he has and accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. An immigrant, entrepreneur, and and most importantly a disruptor, Singh has constructed two multi-billion dollar entities from the ground up. Throughout his journey, he’s been guided by two principles: his out-of-the-box thinking and curiosity about how he can improve people’s lives. As a young entrepreneur working in Silicon Valley during th...
Mar 10, 2021•48 min•Ep. 27
