Governing Body Spotlight

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

Since graduating with a Diploma in Business Information Systems 15 years ago, I have been in the field of data management and analytics. I started the journey in 2007 as a Business Intelligence Consultant in hands-on and later leadership roles. I spent 8 years advising clients in (Re-)Insurance, Automotive, Media, Manufacturing and Banking on turning their data into actionable insights to generate value. 

In 2014 I joined Sulzer, a global manufacturing and engineering organization with 15,000 employees, to establish a team for data management, BI & Analytics on group level. Since then, I have been lucky enough to work with great people across the globe, working to establish multiple teams aimed at catering for all business divisions, units, and group functions. These key initiatives include Corporate Performance Management, Data Management & Integration, Data Governance & MDM, BI & Analytics, as well as IoT & Advanced Analytics products.

Learn more about leaders in the DACH CDAO community here.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

Adapting my leadership style to different people and situations: “Who is the person in front of me, and what do they need from me in order to succeed?”
 

With disruption being a key theme of the past few years, where do you see your role as a CDAO going in the next 1-2 years?

Continue to advise peers throughout the organization on how to leverage opportunities with D&A. Continue to build the foundation for a data-driven organization by fostering data literacy. Help to debunk myths around AI and scale up lighthouse projects. Ensure D&A assets are ‘fit for purpose’ and support digital transformation initiatives. Shift the conversation away from tools and technology, and toward decision making as a business competency.
 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CDAO?

Go on a listening tour and learn about the mission critical priorities of your key stakeholders and how Data & Analytics can help them succeed. Understand the roles you need to play on data offense and data defense, and how to find the right balance between them. Guide peers in your organization to realize value from ‘data to insights to action.’ Regularly get in touch with a mentor or coach who can help you grow.
 

Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.

• I have been training in different martial arts styles, such as Kung Fu and Krav Maga, for many years. And yes, I do sometimes drop this at the beginning of a tough negotiation.
• This winter I discovered that I could find comfort in discomfort, as I started to swim in the Lake of Zurich at 6°C.
• Reading bedtime stories to my kids is one of the most enjoyable forms of meditation for me.

What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?

The opportunity to connect with peers in similar roles to openly celebrate successes, and together learn from our screw-ups. I like the balanced distribution of backgrounds and industries of participants. It’s eye-opening that challenges are quite similar across industries. That makes it easy to connect and exchange thoughts.

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.