As I reflect back on season three of The Data Chief, I once again am so grateful for our guests who share their insights and inspire us all.
In season 3, we published 24 new episodes, expanded to include video on YouTube, and generated 962 minutes of actionable content. Listeners from all over the world tuned in. In fact, The Data Chief podcast was downloaded in over 190 countries and was among Spotify’s top 5% of most shared content globally. THANK YOU!
We drink our own champagne at ThoughtSpot and dove into the listener data to analyze your favorite Data Chief episodes of 2022.
Top 5 Episodes of The Data Chief in 2022
Three Must Read Data and Analytics Books
In this episode of The Data Chief, Tim Harford, Zhamak Dehghani, and Brent Dykes—three of the industry’s top authors, thought leaders, and fellow podcasters—highlight topics from their books. We cover the ten rules of data, which organizations are ready for the data mesh, best practices for data storytelling, and so, so much more. Here’s a snippet from the episode where Brent Dykes discusses the value of data storytelling:
“People just aren't packaging their insights in a good way; either there's too much noise or the managers who are looking at it don't understand the significance of it. It's not fully flushed out. It's not presented in a way that's going to really connect with people. And so we're just basically wasting these nuggets of valuable information because we simply don't know how to communicate it correctly.”
It’s no surprise that this is one of the top five episodes of The Data Chief in 2022. You can see my full list of key takeaways, learn more about the guests, and listen to the full episode here.
DoorDash: Leveraging data to Delight Customers Despite a Challenging Supply Chain
DoorDash’s VP of Analytics & Data Science, Jessica Lachs highlights how she uses data to manage an unpredictable supply chain, balance business trade offs, and create personalized experiences without compromising user privacy—topics that almost every business is contending with right now.
Jessica also shares ways to foster a culture that listens to what data is telling you and cultivates a positive response to failure. When sharing how DoorDash uses data to positively impact the customer experience, Jessica states:
“If you quantify the different parts of your business, not just based on frequency, but also based on impact, then you can use that information to actually make the right trade-off and to prioritize the right workstreams internally.”
To hear how one of our most-used smartphone apps is using data to power food delivery, you can find show highlights and listen to the full episode here.
Six Rules to Dominate the Decade of Data
In the last episode of 2022, I define the six rules to help your business dominate the decade of data. But it’s not enough to simply share the rules—this episode features real-world examples from some of the biggest names in business, including advice and stories from:
Murali Vridhachalam, Head of Cloud, Data and Analytics—formerly Head of Enterprise Data and Analytics—at Gilead Sciences
John Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer at the Modern Milkman
Nitish Mathew, Global Head of Data Engineering and Governance at Afterpay (acquired by Block)
Vijay Kotu, SVP of Data and Analytics at ServiceNow
Zhamak Dehghani, Founder and Author of The Data Mesh
Deeksha Singh, Director of Data and Analytics at Unilever
Grant Parsamyan, Chief Data Officer at Alludo— formerly Senior Vice President of Data and Analytics at OpenTable
Learn how you can join the ranks of successful data leaders dominating the decade of data. Find the six rules and listen to the full episode here.
General Motors: Recruiting Top Talent and Building a Successful Data Literacy Strategy
In our first episode of 2022, GM’s then Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Iwao Fusillo, illuminates one of the most pressing topics facing people teams today—secrets to recruiting top talent and how to scale remote and hybrid teams. We also discuss the infusion of tech in the automotive industry as companies charge towards an all-eclectic, zero-emissions future.
CDOs are often on the move—Iwao recently joined Pepsi, and we look forward to hearing about his data domain in the new role. In the meantime, here’s an inside look into his work at GM:
“Passion, when it comes to data, [data] literacy is really important. That's why we put the GM analytics academy course out there, to not only build the literacy itself, but just the passion in having a core competency around analyzing and presenting data in a compelling way to make decisions.”
Dive into this episode to learn how GM is going beyond data literacy to fuel a passion for analyzing data. You’re likely to find inspiration that you can bring back to your own data-driven teams in the new year.
American Express: Managing Data as a Product and Rewarding Creative Destruction
In this episode, Pascale Hutz, CDO and EVP Enterprise Digital & Data Solutions, joins The Data Chief to share how American Express manages data as a product. When talking about managing data as a product, Pascale said:
“Data has to be a living, breathing kind of organism. And when you have that mindset, you don't really think of data as done. Data's never finished. Platforms are never POA. They never point of arrival because there's always something else coming. And as long as you have that data mindset and… data as a product, we're keeping pace with the evolving technology and making sure that we're headed in that direction wherever that may go.”
In this conversation, Pascale also provides a look into her career journey, tips on how to stay zen during large-scale transformations, and strategies to fight imposter syndrome. I really appreciate the level of genuine introspection Pascale shares in this episode, and it is a must hear for data pros at any stage in their career.
The theme of 2022? Gratitude
If you are a fan of the podcast, you know I like to end each show with a more personal question: What are you truly grateful for? Commonly, our guests express gratitude for the work they do—and their teams and loved ones that make that work possible.
I think this says something profound about the role of Data Chiefs—the opportunity, the impact, and the responsibility we have to our companies, our communities, and the world.
To all who have contributed to The Data Chief across the years, thank you.
Stay tuned for more episodes of The Data Chief in 2023
Season four of The Data Chief launches mid-January, when we’ll share our 2023 data predictions and resolutions with esteemed guests Tom Davenport, Tony Baer, and our own Senior Analytics Evangelist, Sonny Rivera. To ensure you don’t miss out on any new episodes, subscribe to The Data Chief on your preferred listening platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and YouTube.
In the meantime, catch a sneak peek of our 2024 data predictions. And don’t forget to share your insights and predictions with me at @BIscorecard on Twitter or LinkedIn.
