VIDEO | Danone Head of Data UK: Data Quality and Governance Have a Symbiotic Relationship

(Europe) Amitabh Seli, Head of Data and CDO UK for Danone, speaks with Kensu CEO Eleanor Treharne-Jones in a video interview about the relationship between data quality and governance, the culture of governance within the organizations, and the onus of ownership.

According to Seli, data quality and governance are not synonymous but closely related. He explains that while quality is intrinsic to building trust in the data and using it, governance provides the framework for quality. He adds that both are parts of a continuous improvement cycle and share a symbiotic relationship.

Seli mentions that some of the biggest data quality and governance challenges are related to tools, processes, and the organization's mindset. He notes that It is one thing to have a framework and a governance platform, but it is equally important to have the tools and systems that enable monitoring of these initiatives, such as consistency of metrics and data quality. As a result, data ownership becomes a part of the equation to help the business derive value from its data.

Seli discusses how he implemented a data governance working group within Danone to foster a culture of governance. It involved people from the master data and data management teams and key business stakeholders. They meet regularly to review not only the quality of master data but the issues affecting its use. He adds that the group also acts as a healthy platform for the analytical community to showcase proof-of-concept projects to show the value that good quality data is creating.

When asked how he handles the challenge of data ownership, Seli says that the more prevalent view is that the business needs to own the data. He maintains, however, that there is an element of shared accountability between the data teams and the business.

While the business can lead the discussion from the value point of view, co-ownership on the data side is required to be successful. Data teams must be able to relate and translate the changes needed in the systems based on the business domain ownership, Seli concludes.

CDO Magazine appreciates Amitabh Seli for sharing his insights and data success stories with our global community.