Banks scaling AI often treat governance and speed as competing demands. Get the balance wrong and work slows down, or teams look for ways around the rules.

In the concluding installment of a three-part series, Shebani Baweja, Group Chief Data Officer (CDO) at Standard Chartered, continues the conversation with Bryan Lee, Group Head of Data at United Overseas Bank, on balancing governance with agility and where the data leader’s role goes next.

Baweja says governance, agility and innovation reinforce each other when they are designed well. At Standard Chartered, Baweja is rewiring governance around three elements. Teams need to understand the why behind each control, frameworks must be simple enough to fit daily work, and governance has to be built into design from the start.

Accountability completes the picture. Baweja wants data ownership federated closest to the business for speed, while the CDO works alongside technology and AI teams to bring consistency, control and reusability.

• Trust is earned through people: Policy alone does not build trust, so good governance depends on bringing teams along.
• The CDO as strategic enabler: The role is moving beyond risk and control toward building the capabilities an agentic AI future will require.
• An adaptable leadership mindset: Baweja urges data leaders to stay flexible, collaborate and serve the business strategy, since nobody has all the answers.

Baweja closes the series by calling this an exciting time to work in data, because data is powering AI and data leaders have an important role to play.

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