Della Shea is a passionate business leader with extensive experience working with, managing, and protecting data. Throughout her career, Shea has been an influential change agent and industry ‘thinker’ on how to unlock the full potential of data while at the same time, respecting privacy and managing risk. Her journey into data was not a conventional one. Rather, it started by asking a question about how customer information should be protected while working with fellow students developing an online bookstore for the university she was attending at the time. This led to a variety of progressively more senior roles at the Royal Bank of Canada where she helped shape many innovative and challenging digital initiatives. Fast forward to today, she is leading transformative data management, governance, privacy, and risk programs at Symcor, one of Canada’s largest providers of business and payments processing services.

Throughout her career, Shea has had the great fortune of being surrounded by and learning from many powerful, intelligent, and admirable women. However, she recognizes that women are still underrepresented in data and tech industries. “It is still fairly common to be one of just a handful of women at tech conferences and events, but I am starting to see this change,” she says. 

In advising other women seeking professional development advice, Shea has a few principles she turns to. First and foremost, be confident in your knowledge, skills, and capabilities, then step into the conversation. The intimidation and self-consciousness that comes with being the only one or one of the very few people with whom you identify with is very real. “The point is,” she says, “your opinion and insights should matter regardless of your gender identity or background.” When encountering assumptions that people may unfairly make, respectfully use such opportunities to set the records straight. “Early on in my career, I was sometimes excluded from certain meetings or initiatives as it was assumed the subject would be too technical,” she says. “I had to challenge unfair assumptions rather than allow preconceived notions determine my place within the organization.” 

With the rapid pace of innovation and organizations embracing digital technologies (e.g., automation, natural language processing, artificial intelligence), the need for skilled talent in these areas has never been greater. As opportunities to create and leverage data accelerate at a rapid pace, it also becomes more complex. With great opportunity comes great responsibility — that’s the mantra Shea lives by. Her abiding interest in the human dimension of data is certainly one of the reasons she encourages women to consider careers in this field. Working with data, particularly personally identifiable data requires a great deal of care. Women often excel in being able to drive organizational value while maintaining integrity and trust. “They often bring a sense of humanity and empathy to their work,” she says. There are many benefits to starting or transitioning into a career in data and analytics, particularly for women. Her advice is to be curious, embrace continuous learning (it never stops), get involved, and find strong mentors.

While the number of women choosing careers in data and analytics is increasing, Shea believes more can still be done to further advance representation in the field as well as in C-suite positions. “It starts with a dialogue and paying it forward by those already established in their careers,” she says.” 

Thinking back on her own journey, Shea had two industry giants and trailblazers as advocates and mentors, who also happened to be women. Diana Burke was a visionary CISO at the Royal Bank of Canada and played a significant leadership role in establishing secure financial networks we now take for granted. The other was Ann Cavoukian, the former Information and Privacy Commissioner for the Canadian province of Ontario, most notably known for her contributions to ‘Privacy by Design.’

Shea’s career has also been heavily influenced by Chameli Naraine, President and COO of Symcor. Naraine leads by example and inspires her team to be externally focused to create things that also deliver public good, such as using technology to deliver better and more accessible healthcare. 

Paying it forward and supporting women regardless of where they are in their careers is core to Shea’s leadership style which is best embodied in the words of her peers and team, Naraine notes. “Della is known for breaking down silos and biases and finding talent in unconventional places. She provides high potential individuals with the opportunity and space to develop skills and apply their expertise to a domain new to them.” Currently, she is working with a young graduate whom she hired with limited experience in data but possesses strong problem-solving skills and has an outstanding ‘can do’ attitude. By providing mentorship and training to aspiring professionals, CDOs have the power and responsibility to develop future data and analytics leaders.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. Most of us have seen the movie “Hidden Figures” and the incredible contributions women like Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan have made to the advancement of space exploration. Their stories are part of a rich history of important contributions women have made and will continue to make in advancing technology and innovation. “As a technology student, I remember the main server we worked from was named Grace Hopper, a computer pioneer best known for her contributions in developing computer languages” says Shea. 

Women are an important part of the technology and innovation equation. To all women working in or considering a career in data and analytics, “stand-in, embrace your uniqueness and allow your skills, knowledge and expertise speak for itself.” This is the best way to challenge unfair assumptions and biases.