VIDEO | Collibra, VP of Sales: There's a Huge Appetite for Using Data To Do Good

(Europe) Rob Howes, Founder – D.A.T.A., Area VP of Sales – Collibra, speaks with Mike Meriton, Co-Founder & COO, EDM Council, about the data and analytics community’s help and support initiatives for Ukraine, and how the industry can further contribute. 

Howes starts by mentioning how the data leader community came together to do something positive for the citizens of Ukraine. He describes how an idea germinated by only half a dozen individuals flourished and grew into a  joint strategy involving communities and organizations.

The vision was to raise a million dollars for the people of Ukraine. He thanked the EDM council and CDO Magazine among a host of other industry companies and individuals who came together to raise the funds.

The money is being used to buy 10,000 medical kits, and the plan is to also send 100 ambulances to the war-torn country. The issue was also highlighted at the global CDO conference, inspiring others and connecting it further to thousands of CDOs worldwide.

Howes reveals that donations ranging from $2,000 to $50,000 have already come in, and certain participants are considering donations up to $100,000.

Speaking on leveraging data for such initiatives, he says that there has been a huge appetite for using data to not only drive smarter business decisions and practices but also to do good for the world and humanity.

He cites the example of how his organization, Collibra, launched a free, public, COVID-19 data catalog during the pandemic. It could be used by researchers and data scientists to gather data to help track the spread of the disease and understand the medical supply requirements.

He further mentions that while there is a lot of goodwill and desire to help, it is also true that there are professional responsibilities and most professionals lack the bandwidth.

In conclusion, Howes calls for support in two key areas. One is to donate (both corporate and individual donations) via the D.A.T.A. initiative donation page. And second, to share the news and amplify the message across all networks.

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