In Episode 10 of Season 7 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Sarah Emerson, Group Director of Insight & Business Partnering at Howden, where they discuss why commercial thinking and business partnering are the keys to uncovering business strategy and making data genuinely matter, which includes;

• Why having a non-technical background can give you a competitive edge as a data leader.
• How to infer business strategy when corporate goals are unclear or poorly defined.
• Why Sarah believes commercial KPIs should always take priority over internal data metrics.
• How finding out what a stakeholder is bonused on is the fastest route to their engagement.
• Why federated operating models consistently deliver more commercial value — and why they're expensive.
• Why self-serve analytics will never truly scale, particularly in relationship-driven industries like insurance.
• How conversational AI is poised to succeed where a decade of self-serve dashboards has failed.
• Why inconsistent data definitions across divisions remain the biggest hidden barrier to AI adoption.
• The importance of executive sponsorship in driving data culture — and what to do when you don't have it.
• How financially incentivising sales teams based on data adoption could become the industry's next big shift.
• Why embedded business partners bridge the gap between analytical output and real commercial impact.
• How to uncover business strategy when no one will give you the time or the meeting.
• Why defaulting to technical language is one of the fastest ways a data leader can lose the room.
• Why the business, not just the data team, needs to take accountability for driving data product adoption.
• How embedding analysts within business teams is what drives genuine commercial impact.

Thanks to our sponsor, Data & AI Literacy Academy.

Data & AI Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.

If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data & AI literacy first.

At Data & AI Literacy Academy, they don't just teach data skills. They empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. They're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes.

From those taking their first steps in data & AI literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that they offer. They embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme.

They take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve.

Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at www.dl-academy.com.