If it’s not right, change it: takeaways from the April WomenWiseData panel event
Investigo and global AI and data science consulting firm Artefact held the second WomenWiseData panel event at Artefact’s London office on Thursday 11th April. Host and WomenWiseData founder Kalina Tomova was joined by senior Artefact director Athena Sharma and a panel of senior women in data, made up of Ruth Hunt (NTT Data), Dr Parves Khan (Women in Data ambassador), Norma Dove-Edwin (HSBC), Maria Tarasidou (Shiftavenue), Joanne Biggadike (DUAL UK) and Di Mayze (WPP).
Unconscious bias requires conscious action
“Workplaces have subconsciously pushed women out for many years. Conscious change needs to be created.” Kalina Tomova
Many women in data will have experienced being underrepresented, overlooked or even excluded. While recent years have seen a real shift in consciousness, with increasing awareness of the value of women in the world of data, there’s lots of work still to be done. We need more women in leadership positions to effect that change, supplemented by allyship from senior males. Events like this are key to elevating female voices, bringing data professionals together and sharing tips and challenges.
The data leader playbook
A data leader’s not someone who watches people crunch numbers all day, producing reports and product dashboards no one will ever see. There are many roles a data leader needs to play in order to be successful, as Maria Tarasidou explained:
Team coach – You hire the best, coach them and get out of their way.
Challenger – You have to be your own worst critic before putting an idea to the test.
Data visionary – You come up with data solutions that will enable the business to thrive, envisioning the future of data.
Data crusader – When you feel confident with your data capabilities and resources, it’s time to act.
Value creator – You create the right infrastructure and framework to support ongoing data value creation.
Business strategist – A true data leader needs to be a business leader first. That’s how you become recognised as someone with the commercial knowledge to drive the business forward.
Demonstrating that you can fulfil these roles will ensure the business believes in you, thereby empowering you and your team. That’s when you can grow with the business and its data capabilities
Lessons from our panel
Many graduate schemes show an even gender split, so why are women underrepresented in data, particularly in senior roles? Are girls uninterested in the subject matter from an early age, or are they not encouraged to pursue it as a potential career? In a panel discussion moderated by Dr Parves Khan, our experts shared their experiences of getting into senior data roles and the part gender played in their journey.
The power of choice
There was a feeling that women often have to work harder to progress than their male counterparts, and in the past, have even been judged more on outward appearance than ability. However, it’s important that you don’t go into conversations expecting that you won’t be treated correctly. Instead, focus on your purpose and what you need from the conversation.
Approach interviews as if you’re the one interviewing the organisation. Grill the interviewers about development opportunities, culture and how they demonstrate inclusivity. It’s not just about diversity – it’s about having a structure that includes people. In our careers, we don’t have to take what we’re given – we can make a choice about who we work for and then drive that data agenda.
Expression over censure
There was a concern that DEI’s in a dangerous place right now, with people reluctant to discuss the issue for fear of being censored. But that’s not what DEI is all about. The result is inaction, characterised by bold but meaningless statements. Leaders need to drive the agenda by living and breathing the right behaviour.
Not so long ago, DEI wasn’t on organisations’ radars. Then it started to appear on women’s development programmes. Businesses aimed to interview a certain number of women for senior roles, when in reality, they were unlikely to appoint them. But women are not just there to fill a quota – they’re there to augment this field and aid effective decision making.
In our efforts to be inclusive, we’re now trying so hard to include every conceivable community that we risk becoming blind to gender, race and other characteristics. If we get too focused on difference, we lose sight of a person’s value as a professional and a human being, and start to define them by their difference. If we don’t see difference, we risk overlooking a person’s challenges and failing to provide an equitable environment.
Leaders need to ensure an open community where it’s okay to talk about difference. The more you talk, the more you learn, understand and empathise. It’s not specifically about being a woman, of an ethnic minority, or from a different background. It’s all about how the individual wants to be treated.
Strategies to elevate women
Allyship is so important. At some point in their careers, all of our panellists have benefitted from male allyship and mentoring. Mentors should have something you want, so actively seek out people you can learn from who will be your advocates in the business.
At the same time, female C-suite professionals need to be visible and approachable. By hosting talks on how they achieved their position and making themselves available to people across the business, they can make that role seem attainable.
Choose your support network, or operations team, wisely. Find people in the same situation who encourage you and let you grow. These are people who will make you feel good about yourself but will also be honest and challenge you. When you don’t believe in yourself or need ideas on how to change your situation, these are the people you go back to.
The path to CDO
There was a feeling that women are socialised from an early age into feeling they have to be perfect, which means they’re less likely to put themselves forward for a leadership role when they don’t tick all the boxes.
But there’s no single CDO role that’s completely inaccessible if you don’t meet all the criteria. There are many types of CDO role, explained Ruth Hunt, which vary according to the organisation and where it is on its data journey.
Types of CDO role
First generation – A new role with an unstructured team. If you’re an innovator and want to change something, you might want the blank canvas of a first generation role.
First generation (take 2) – Picking up after a failed data transformation.
Second generation – There’s now an expectation of what the CDO can do.
Third generation – The organisation’s mindset has changed from ‘I want a CDO’ to ‘I need a CDO.’ Suddenly the business is asking for data. Your role has moved from doing, to strategic vision.
Nobody can do everything. That’s why you need to think about your strengths, how they tie into the types of CDO roles that are out there and how you can sell yourself.
Similarly, there’s no one path to becoming a CDO. You might have come through programme management, change management, data science, operations, business/data analysis, architecture, data governance or finance/business MI. Use your individual pathway and skills to your advantage. What might those skills be? Ruth identified four main skills a CDO needs to be successful.
Essential skills of a CDO
Storytelling – Communicate with other business areas such as IT and finance in a language they understand. Remember you deliver through others.
Patience – You’ll have meetings where people give you their problems, but nothing in the world of data happens that quickly. You produce data much more quickly than you can fix it.
A doctor – You won’t have the answer to every data challenge, but you will know enough to pass people to the right expert.
Juggler – In a broad, expansive and sometimes quite thankless job, you have to be comfortable with multiple projects going on at once.
Launching WomenWiseMentoring
Mentoring’s a massive part of progressing women in data. For the mentor, it’s an opportunity to gain experience of people management, get feedback and influence through others. For the mentee, it’s a chance to get career advice, network and increase their visibility. Investigo and Artefact were delighted to announce our WomenWiseData mentoring programme, WomenWiseMentoring, to inspire and empower the next generation. Watch this space for more on WomenWiseMentoring.
Become a part of our community
Many thanks to our panellists and to our attendees for contributing to a hugely insightful and informative discussion. WomenWiseData was created to support and increase the visibility of women in data.If you’d like to find out more about WomenWiseData or you want to become a part of our community, please contact Kalinaor join our LinkedIn group.
If you’re a data professional looking for your next role or you’re a hiring manager looking to hire the right talent for your team, please get in touch with our data and analytics team.
