S4 | Ep 19 | Data Governance by Design: Building for the Future with Phillip Dale, Head of Data Governance at Marks & Spencer

In Episode 19, of Season 4, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Phillip Dale, Head of Data Governance at Marks & Spencer, where they discuss how data governance by design is enabling them to the build for the future, which includes;Why the data & analytics community is the best community in the world Making data accessible for people to leverage it Why a good governance function is one of the best commercial enablers in business The importance of having the right controls in place The value of trusted data What data governance means for ‘the business’ The role of DG in executing the data strategy How getting people to understand the benefits of good-quality data is the easy partStrategy versus Governance and understanding the true north Why you need a governance approach which keeps you fit for the future Why you need to show how commercial challenges of your organisation can be supported by governance Why keeping it simple makes things more robust and sustainable Why your job as a governance leader will never be done The challenges of being accepted by data & analytics professionals when you come “from the business”Choosing the right DG tooling and understanding your maturity Getting your tools used and minimising technical debt Prioritising what should be fixed and what doesn’t need to be Dealing with ad-hoc requests The importance of getting people on the same page with a unified narrative Why sub-par experiences and results live long in the memory Celebrating the governance trophies (wins)Why the exciting stuff is often delivered by other parts of the D&A teamData governance by design core principles and artefacts Why GenAI is a great opportunity for the governance community The eutopia of when organisations want governance rather than feel like they need it Thanks to our sponsor, Data Literacy Academy.Data Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data literacy first.At Data Literacy Academy, we don't just teach data skills. We empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. We're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes.From those taking their first steps in data literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that we offer. We embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme.We take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve.Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at www.dl-academy.com.