By Dylan Walsh
“Data is increasingly an asset that has both value and risk,” said Maria Villar, head of enterprise data strategy and transformation at German software company SAP. Given the rapidly growing strategic importance of data, it is critical that CDOs not only do their job well but communicate effectively about their work. “Having an effective data strategy and then communicating it to important constituents, like your executive board, is a key to success,” Villar said.
At the recent MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality Symposium, Villar moderated a panel featuring Ellen Nielsen, CDO at Chevron, and Denise Letcher, executive vice president and CDO at PNC Bank, discussing ways to craft a presentation about data strategy. The panelists stressed preparing early, catering data presentations to reach different audiences, and the importance of connecting to key business goals and telling compelling stories.