CDOIQ Launches Inaugural European Symposium: Driving Business Value from Data Strategies

(Europe) Building on the success of the MIT Chief Data Officer Symposium, which recently completed its 16th annual event in July, CDOIQ held its inaugural CDOIQ European Symposium September 8 on the campus of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.  

The Symposium was organized by Richard Wang, Ph.D., Co-chair of the European CDOIQ Symposium and Executive Director of the MIT CDOIQ Program, and Christine Legner, Ph.D, Co-chair of the European CDOIQ Symposium and head of the Competence Center on Corporate Data Quality at University of Lausanne, along with a very able and supporting team of industry leaders. It brought together a select community of 180 Chief Data Officers (CDO) and senior data leaders by invitation-only for a one-day program focused on driving business value from data strategies.

Speaking about their goals for this first European CDO event, Legner and Robert Abate, a planning committee leader for the 2022 CDOIQ Symposiums in the U.S. and Europe, remarked on the pent-up demand for an equivalent event to MIT CDOIQ for the European CDO community. They indicated that a primary goal of the symposium was to provide an avenue for connecting CDOs across Europe.  

Observing the growing emergence of the Chief Data Officer role in Europe, Legner and Abate noted that the European CDO community is at a more nascent stage in its development. The symposium has been designed as a pan-European event, bringing together CDOs from 15 countries, including heavy representation from France, Switzerland, the UK, and Germany, which are the nations with the most CDOs according to a PwC Global CDO study and research by the European CDOIQ team. Abate said, “We had an opportunity to bring together CDOs working in the same time zone.”  

Another goal of the event was to energize the European community through learning exchanges and greater visibility of the CDO role. Major themes of the symposium included data strategy and management, AI/ML analytics for innovation, and data ecosystems, platforms, and democratization, presented through 14 sessions and 4 panels showcasing 30 European data industry speakers. 

Legner mentioned data sharing and regulatory frameworks as the main pillars of the European data strategy that are of concern to data executives operating in Europe. Beyond General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the European Union has announced the Data Governance Act and the Data Act to establish data policies and practices for the fair use of data.  In her capacity with the University of Lausanne, Legner has led a research consortium and expert community with 20 European companies focused on data management issues since 2006.

According to Legner and Abate, it was clear that the CDOIQ European Symposium exceeded its own expectations and that participants were energized. Micheline Casey, Chief Data Officer at Siemens Energy, commented, “It was an honor to spend time with a small group of European data leaders to network, learn, and to discuss issues of importance to all.” She added, “I have been in the CDO role a long time and continue to take inspiration from this community. There is something special about the opportunity to hear and learn from your peers about their journeys to help inspire your own.”

Data leaders also had an opportunity to respond to polling questions that reflected a state of affairs not unlike their U.S. counterparts – 69% of the data leaders stated that culture is the greatest barrier that their organizations face in becoming data driven. The need for greater business support was cited as the single biggest need data leaders face going forward.  While only 18% of the data leaders reported that data and analytics had become a subject of corporate annual reports, 54% reported that data and analytics were starting to be automatically considered when designing a new business model, product, or process. Pointing to reasons for optimism, 59% said that data was being viewed as a business asset in spite of the expected headwinds in the years ahead.

Reflecting on a full day of learning and sharing among the community of European data leaders, conference keynote Alexander Borek, Ph.D., whose credentials include leadership of Global Data Strategy for Volkswagen Group and VW Financial Services, reflected, “I am proud that this great data conference that has a long history in the U.S. now also takes place in Europe.” Nicolas Shire, Group Chief Data Officer for AXA, reflecting the collective view of the symposium participants, summarized, “Listening to and interacting with Chief Data Officers from various sectors, as well as researchers from top universities, was extremely valuable. Creating value from data and AI is both a science and an art. Sharing experiences helps to navigate in a world of constant changes and opportunities.” 

Participants in this year’s inaugural European Chief Data Officer Symposium are already looking ahead to next year’s event, planned for September 14, 2023. For those data leaders in Asia Pacific and Latin America, CDOIQ will be launching inaugural symposiums in Singapore and Sao Paulo in early 2023, as data leaders continue to advance their mission on a global scale and stage.

About the Author 

Randy Bean is the author of “Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Lessons in Data-Driven Leadership in an Age of Disruption, Big Data, and AI.”  He is a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, MIT Sloan Management Review, and The Wall Street Journal, and Founder and CEO of NewVantage Partners, a strategic advisory and management consulting firm which he founded in 2001. The firm was acquired by Wavestone, a Paris-based global consultancy in December 2021.