The final meeting of the Data Impact Leadership Forum for 2024, brought to you by MBN Solutions, examined the topic of 'Evolving Skills in a Data-Driven World'.
The Forum heard keynotes from Data & Technology Consultant Elizabeth Hollinger and Mark Hunter, VP of Analytics and Product Operations at Wise, with both giving keynotes before the Roundtable opened up to a group discussion on the topics.
Attended by over 30 data leaders from a range of sectors, a key focus of the session was exploring how the role of data leaders and data teams is evolving, and the challenge of keeping up with the rapid pace of technological change and adoption within data driven business environments.
You can read the roundtable report in full HERE
Our 10 key takeaways from the session we are as follows:
1) The distinction between skilled roles is diminishing and cross functional teams are more effective for collaboration and knowledge sharing
2) Looking beyond traditional STEM qualifications can yield talent with strong communication and creative skills, essential for impactful data work
3) Upskilling existing employees, especially in the context of AI and emerging technologies, is a cost effective way to address skills gaps
4) Cross-skilling across engineering, data visualisation, analytics and governance roles is becoming increasingly common but requires careful management to avoid overwhelming team members
5) Mark Hunter of Wise highlighted the importance of career maps to ensure analysts have clear & consistent growth opportunities within a large decentralised organisation
6) Wise’s approach to mission driven, empowered teams to make decisions and set their own roadmaps
7) Engaging legal teams early in data projects helps align business goals with regulatory requirements, preventing potential roadblocks
8) As organisations scale, centralised governance teams are crucial to maintain consistency and support decentralised structures effectively
9) Technological changes demand that data teams and organisational structures be flexible and adapt continuously, led by strong, visionary leadership.
10) Establishing a solid governance framework is essential for enabling decentralised data structures and maintaining consistency as teams grow. This helps ensure that all teams follow standardised practices and speak the same language when it comes to data, preventing chaos at scale.
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Author Bio
Michael started MBN to deal with what he perceived as a weakness within the recruitment industry and its lack of deep domain expertise in the areas of data, analytics and technology. 15 years on, MBN is a hugely successful and market leading provider of People Solutions to disruptive and fast moving businesses seeking the very best talent to support their strategic intent. MBN’s success has come about through leadership and passion to collaborate and build communities of stakeholders. In recent years this has been evidenced through organising and facilitating two of the UK’s most compelling networking groups: Scotland Data Science & Technology and Blockchain Scotland Meet-Up Group. With such groups playing a pivotal role in helping to surface unmet clients’ needs and helping to build links with an enhanced candidate pool, he has also used this as a platform for growth by hosting events such as ScotChain, CityChain and Data Talent 2.0. Outside of MBN, he continues to act as an advisor and mentor to a number of start-ups, charities and third-sector organisations and have provided support to many government agencies seeking to understand the evolving complex landscape of Data Talent Acquisition.