Scratch

Clemence Burnichon, director of data innovation at ITV describes how the broadcaster has built a data management and analytics team.

This is all a result of carefully selecting the right technology to meet our business needs and building up a team with the right skillset to get the job done. Data and technology are still very much male-dominated industries, and as leaders we have a responsibility to challenge those norms and think outside of the box when recruiting candidates. For our data team, the biggest internal stakeholder was marketing, so it was critical to understand what they needed from us and how we can use the data that we have to tell a story. In addition to gaining buy-in from other departments, creating a powerful vision about where the company is going and what it wants to do with the data is a great tool for recruiting and developing new team members. The most successful teams are the ones that have people with different experiences that can be shared, and so the presence of people from all different backgrounds, races and viewpoints is key. There are many different fields of education and career paths outside of the traditional routes that require analytical skills that could be useful for a data team – it’s necessary to keep this in mind during the recruitment process. Making mistakes is an important part of the learning process, particularly for those who are new to their field. The first step is figuring out how to manage and interpret data in a way that is most useful for the business. Using the Lakehouse gave us the opportunity to create a platform that was suited exactly to our needs and worked for a variety of use cases across the company. After the first big phase is completed, it’s important to create a vision with data that motivates people to do their best work. You can begin to think long term about how data can be converted into actionable insights that will transform services and create a better experience for users. Data is at the heart of the digital transformation journey at ITV and has always been part of our DNA.