(US and Canada) Don Vu, Chief Data Officer, Northwestern Mutual, speaks with Cheryl Rodenfels, Chief Technology Officer, Field Stratascale – an SHI Company, about nurturing talent and addressing the issue of data integrity.

Vu says that while Northwestern Mutual may not be the first place people think of when considering data jobs, the organization is trying to improve its external presence. The company is also leaning on automation to address the talent gap.

He mentions the need for being intentional about upskilling and having a data literacy team that focuses on educating business partners on solving problems using data and upskilling teams to be future-ready.

Vu says that data quality and integrity are critical for any organization. He tries to prioritize the most pertinent data and the canonical data entities for which there can be no dispute or disagreement. Next, he focuses on the use cases that matter the most.

Sharing advice for aspiring chief data officers, he highlights two key aspects. Vu says that frequently people fear governance or are a bit more reactive to it. He elaborates by saying that governance, when done right, is an accelerant to business value.

As the IT space continues to change, one shouldn’t be shy about continuing to learn, Vu advises.