Create Your Support System and Learn the Right Skills to Succeed — Deloitte CDO for Government and Public Services

(US & Canada) Adita Karkera. Ph.D., Chief Data Officer for Government and Public Services at Deloitte, speaks with Amy Horowitz, VP of Data Governance and Data Integration Solution Sales at Informatica, in a video interview about the need for female leaders to create their support system, Deloitte’s initiatives towards increasing female representation, and the need for balancing data democratization with privacy regulations.

Having often been the only woman in meetings and roundtable discussions throughout her career, Karkera says that it is challenging to be the only female voice in a room, but it is also an opportunity to provide a different point of view. She urges female data leaders to create their support system of mentors, sponsors, and colleagues around them and continue to invest in education and learn the right skills needed for data and analytics.

Speaking about being the first female CDO for Deloitte's Government and Public Services, Karkera says that Deloitte has been a welcoming firm, and she couldn't have been successful without the support system of female mentors, sponsors, and allies.

More importantly, Karkera highlights the need for having the right skills and being ready to put in hard work with passion every day. Further, she discusses her commitment to mentoring and supporting women aspiring to leadership roles, particularly in data-focused careers. She highlights the significant challenges women face in the STEM field, including the disproportionate burden of childcare and domestic responsibilities. These challenges, she notes, are often exacerbated by the lack of female mentors and sponsors, which can hinder women from advancing in their careers.

To address these issues, Deloitte is involved in several initiatives. Karkera emphasizes Deloitte's partnership with Women in Data, a global organization dedicated to increasing female representation in data and AI careers. She also mentions the establishment of a federal government chapter of Women in Data, which she helped champion. This chapter aims to provide a supportive space for women in the public sector, offering opportunities for growth, learning, and networking, as well as improving the talent pipeline.

In a similar vein, Karkera discusses Deloitte’s internal Women in Data and Allies programs, which create safe spaces for women to share their experiences, learn new skills, and seek advice. These programs also encourage male allies to support their female colleagues. Additionally, Deloitte supports Girls Who Code, an organization focused on closing the gender gap in technology, further demonstrating Karkera’s deep passion for empowering women in STEM.

Switching to the topic of data democratization Karkera acknowledges that one of the most significant challenges data leaders face today is the need to balance the democratization of data with ensuring responsible use.

She says that in sectors like government, where organizations collect extensive citizen data, there's a pressing need to make data more accessible. However, Karkera stresses the need to share data carefully, keeping privacy and security at the forefront. She highlights that effective democratization requires strong data governance to ensure that the information shared is both trustworthy and has undergone rigorous quality checks. This trust is essential, especially when policy decisions are based on publicly accessible data, making data governance and privacy safeguards non-negotiable.

CDO Magazine appreciates Adita Karkera for sharing her insights with our global data community.