Purvi Savera
SVP, Data Governance Officer
Banc of California
Purvi Savera is a strategic and passionate data leader with nearly three decades of experience in establishing data-driven culture through collaborative data management and governance practices. She is the senior vice president and data governance officer at Banc of California and responsible for managing data risks through establishment of a sound enterprise level data governance framework.
She is a certified information management professional expert (CIMP EX) specialized in data governance, data quality, data management, and master data management disciplines.
Purvi is an accomplished professional known for her strategic thinking, collaborative approach, and exceptional leadership skills in the field of data governance, data quality and analytics. She has a diversified background working with government, transportation, airline, health care, financial services, sales, and hi-tech industries where she created business value through high-quality data and supported the organizational strategy through the establishment of a sound enterprise data governance framework, vision and strategy.
Three fun facts about Purvi:
- She is passionate about data governance and data quality. She is obsessed with quality in every aspect of her life.
- Her hobbies include listening to music, traveling and hiking, and spending quality time with her family.
- I love developing people and building long lasting relationships.
Learn more about the Southern California CDAO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
From an early age, I was deeply intrigued by the potential of high-quality trusted data in shaping business decisions. I started my career working as a part of information technology and performed different data management leadership roles. Soon, I realized that I was doing informal data quality management. I also realized that data quality is a business problem, and everyone plays a role in keeping data clean.
To equip myself with thorough knowledge and understanding of business problems around data and processes, I moved to the business side and led cross functional business data quality improvement initiatives. During that process, I naturally gravitated toward the discipline of data governance as that is the foundation without which any data quality or master data management or risk management initiatives fail.
I cultivated a passion for data governance and management of data risks through the establishment of a sound data governance framework and practices around data ownership, metadata management, data lineage, data quality, data controls, data issues, governance etc. These cumulative experiences paved the way to my current role of the SVP, data governance officer at the Banc of California.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
A culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and collaboration is one of my top guiding principles. Data governance is a team sport and cross functional collaboration is the key to successful implementation of data-driven culture. I strive to promote inclusive leadership and diversity of all kinds including diversity of thoughts.
I stress on cultivating an open and psychologically safe environment where everyone feels valued and respected. I strongly believe that employees flourish when they are trusted, appreciated, recognized, and above all, provided with enough resources and support to set them up for success. I strongly believe in hiring the right people with the right attitude for the data leadership roles and then letting the experts do the magic with their proven experiences.
What is the greatest challenge your particular C-level role is facing today, and how are you addressing it?
The greatest challenge in my data leadership role is the lack of trust in data quality by business data consumers. If you cannot trust the data, you will not trust the analytics and AI outcomes from that data. In the upcoming 1-2 years, I envision my data leadership role primarily emphasizing on the reevaluation and refinement of our strategic data roadmap, particularly to accommodate data privacy, security and preparing high quality trustworthy data as the strong foundation for analytics, regulatory Compliance and AI initiatives.
The intent is to build a strong foundation to simultaneously provide utmost business value while nurturing innovation, aligning with the evolving landscape of analytics and AI.
I see myself building significant trust, ownership, data literacy and high-quality data foundation with C-level executive support and lead initiatives that improve experience of working with data and bring higher growth and efficiency to our business.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out in your C-level role?
Navigating and being successful in data leadership roles in the dynamic world of the ever-changing data landscape, requires a multifaceted approach. First and foremost, articulate a clear vision along with immediate short term and long-term data strategy aligning them with overall business strategy. Establish strong partnerships and credibility with internal stakeholders and executives.
It's crucial to keep them informed about emerging technologies and proactively assess the data readiness for analytics and AI together. Start small and show incremental tangible results. Apply the 80/20 rule and focus on most critical initiatives and align them with overall business strategy. Finally, encourage your team not only to adapt but to be frontrunners of the change and challenge them to continuously upgrade their skill sets.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
Joining an Evanta community offers a unique opportunity to meet and engage with fellow data leaders. It provides a platform to network both in-person and virtually, fostering discussions about emerging data topics. By sharing experiences and journeys in the data and AI field, we learn from each other, grow and innovate together.
For me, learning from other’s experiences, collaboratively addressing business challenges and getting feedback are the highlights of joining Evanta Community.
Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
by CDAOs, for CDAOs
Join the conversation with peers in your local CDAO community.