Kurt Kendall
Chief Analytics Officer
Publishers Clearing House
PANELIST
Tom Quinlan
First Vice President, Head of Data Governance
Apple Bank
PANELIST
Pawan Verma
Chief Data Officer
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China US
PANELIST
JUNE 2022
Data and analytics are the underpinnings of digital business, and CDOs are struggling to attract and retain top talent to support this. Talent shortages and fierce competition are making it difficult for CDOs to hire specialized staff to accelerate growth and empower data-driven decisions across the organization. How can data and analytics leaders combat this?
Evanta’s New York CDO community recently convened to address these challenges and discuss how to win the war for talent. Kurt Kendall, Chief Analytics Officer at Publishers Clearing House; Tom Quinlan, First Vice President, Head of Data Governance at Apple Bank; and Pawan Verma, Chief Data Officer at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China US were featured panelists leading the discussion.
These are the key takeaways:
- Champion your Employees
The conversion focused on how CDOs must put their people’s needs first when developing an organizational culture. Employees are looking for work-life balance, opportunities for growth and a sense of belonging, and it is critical for CDOs to take this into account.
Pawan Verma mentioned how employee treatment is especially important in the tight-knit data community: “It’s a small world [data and financial services], and half of my team I’ve worked with in the past. Good treatment is important.” He also gave a note on how to preserve quality employees, “Empowerment and taking care of your team retains people.”
Kurt Kendall shared how CDOs should lead from the team’s perspective, “Assume anyone can walk out of the door any day. What’s in it for them? Craft the roles and structure so they get good training and opportunities. Think about it from their perspective and see the value for them.”
- Build a Relationship between Data & Human Resources
To win the war for talent, a true partnership and understanding between data and human resources is required, and the panelists addressed two key areas where this is imperative: messaging and acquiring diverse candidates.
Messaging
Attracting and retaining skilled talent is all about consistent messaging and making sure those messages are realized – from the online job post to the interview process to onboarding and day-to-day work life.
Kendall shared, “I’ve worked at very different companies, and the relationship between data and HR is critical.” He also stated the need to collaborate with HR on proper messaging, “Believe in the employee brand at your organization. Does this look like a good place to work? What’s the messaging? Data needs to work with HR on this.”
Verma expressed the importance of clear communication, “You have to be able to articulate the value of joining your company and team. What’s in it for them? Why should they join?”
Diversity
Building a diverse workforce is a critical priority for both human resources executives and CDOs. When it comes to talent acquisition and retention, 76% of employees and job seekers state that a diverse workforce is a top consideration when evaluating companies and job offers.
All panelists agreed on the importance of improving diversity within data and analytics teams, but they addressed some of the challenges with execution. Verma noted, “You have to start with a diverse pool of candidates.” Kendall added to that sentiment stating, “You need to start earlier – start at the university level, and build relationships to get more diversity in the candidate pool. Be willing to take risks, and be more open with who you are looking for.”
- Outsource when Necessary
It takes time to build and train teams, yet digital business is only accelerating. The panelists discussed how outsourcing projects can be a good option in specific scenarios, and they advised fellow CDOs to have a dependable list of vendors and consultants in place so they can act quickly.
Kendall mentioned, “The time to market is affected by your ability to find talent. If you can’t find people or you have to factor in so much time to find people – especially if you need 15-20 team members – that impacts your timeline for delivering something… It depends on the situation. If there’s a gap on the team, it [outsourcing] could work.”
Where to Start
The war for talent isn’t ending anytime soon, but Evanta’s CDO communities are convening regularly to tackle this challenge and address the top priorities facing CDOs today. Find your community and connect with like-minded C-level executives on these mission critical topics.
Content adapted from the New York CDO Executive Summit. Special thanks to all participating companies.
by CDOs, for CDOs
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