Enterprise Data Governance

Impact generated: #DataGovernance #DataDemocratization #DAMAframework #DataQuality #UnityCatalog #DataLiteracy #ComplianceManagement #DataDrivenCulture

I led the comprehensive Data Governance initiative aimed at managing and ensuring trust in vast volumes of company data—exabytes in scale—leveraging guidelines inspired by the internationally recognized DAMA framework. This project, executed in partnership with the strategic consultancy Accenture, addressed critical elements of Data Governance such as unified data concepts, roles and responsibilities regarding data across the various departments and stakeholders.

My role was structuring the governance approach, overseeing its execution, and aligning it with strategic business objectives.

Under my guidance, the team developed comprehensive data dictionaries, clearly defined data quality standards, and set distinct roles and responsibilities for data management across the organization. Additionally, we created the company's Data Governance Office, chaired by the CTO and operationally managed by myself, serving as the central authority for data-related decisions, including data monetization.

The primary outcome of this project was to promote data democratization across departments, providing autonomy to various areas in utilizing data for their specific analysis, decision-making and developments while simultaneously holding them accountable for the quality and governance of data they generated themselves and that would ultimately be consumed by other areas.

The initiative established foundational components including clearly defined data domains, standardized KPIs, data accuracy tests, compliance assessments, and scalable deployment to empower data usage across multiple company areas. It also required strengthening the data infrastructure through expanding Databricks Unity Catalog and related data management tools. 

To achieve the project's wider goals, extensive internal training programs were developed, empowering employees to become data-literate, actively contributing to a critical cultural shift toward data-driven analysis, developing and decision-making. This transition required addressing significant cultural challenges, bridging knowledge gaps, and fostering collaboration across business units.

As a result of this initiative, departments gained increased independence from centralized data functions, leading to more agile decision-making, better compliance with regulatory standards, and improved accuracy of data-driven insights. Ultimately, this Data Governance framework laid the essential foundation for the company's long-term ambition of becoming a fully data-driven organization.