VIDEO | News Corp Australia CTO: Our Data Curation Enables Us to be Entrepreneurial With It

(Oceania) Julian Delany, Chief Technological Officer, Data and Digital, News Corp Australia, speaks with Mark Johnson, Regional VP, Fusion Alliance, and CDO Magazine Editorial Board Member, about his role at News Corp, how it has gained the trust as a brand, the importance of data strategy in leadership, and delivering value across the enterprise through data and analytics.

Delany explains that News Corp is predominantly a content-based company and maintains that quality journalism has built the consumer's trust in it as a brand. He adds that the company relies on the editorial teams to create that trust.

Next, he emphasizes how leadership is a fundamental aspect in the era of the “great resignation.” With increased pressure on human resources availability, he states that leaders need to create not just a culture but a climate. He maintains that the biggest challenge faced by leadership is ensuring they have the right people in the right areas.

Delany states that they are driven to create a positive atmosphere for employees that will lead to a culture of innovation and testing. He also highlights that data has been the growth baseline and must be a leader's priority.

He recalls past years of having data without proper data strategies. Today, the organization has brought the data together and curated it in a way that has enabled the teams to be entrepreneurial with it. Further, Delany mentions that it is a leadership challenge to confirm that the entire business understands the use cases to drive data value.

He then sheds light on delivering value across the enterprise through data and analytics. He focuses on the editorial tool Verity that News Corp Australia created using data to drive insights for journalists across the enterprise. The tool utilizes the consumption data and customer database and helps not only in the acquisition but also in the retention of subscribers.

In conclusion, Delany pinpoints that the company’s entire data strategy is based on use cases, and they must be able to deliver on those use cases to track the value.