Top 100 Data Innovator 2022: Microsoft’s Shreya Goswami

Shreya Goswami, Chief Data & AI Officer (Middle East & Africa) at Microsoft shares her key achievements to date and strategic goals for 2022

Would you please start by telling us a bit about your greatest achievements at Microsoft over the past 12-24 months? 

What stood out for me is the number of people that we have reached out to in a short space of time, educating them, making them aware of what they can do with data analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing. Previously I could only do that within a limited network. Being at Microsoft gives me a huge platform to do this. 

It’s also helped me realize the data maturity of different industries; they’re embracing new tech to drive revenue. 

How has the data and analytics maturity in your organization evolved in 2021? What new challenges is this giving rise to? And how are you working to overcome them?

The data maturity at Microsoft has to be very high, it’s the way the business is run. We have to practice what we preach, that’s why we often share our own journey with clients. Data journeys rely on commitment from organizational leadership. You’re not going to see results in a year or two so consistent commitment and support are important.

What advice would you give an aspiring data and analytics leader to help them prepare for the role?

You have to be resilient and intentional about what your goals are because this field isn’t for the fainthearted, and the change you may want to see will take time. You’ll find yourself repeating the same things over and over again so be ready to educate people.

You also need to be passionate, don’t see the role as just a stepping stone because it’s a very transformational step in an individual’s career.

What will your key priorities be in 2022?

Learning! Constant learning as I understand the technologies we offer and how they can be leveraged to meet each client’s priorities

A key priority for 2022 is to reach more organizations. There’s still so much room to support organizations, enabling them with our technology.

Shreya Goswami is one of our 2022 Global Top 100 Innovators in Data and Analytics. To discover the full list and exclusive interviews with this year's 'top 100', click here now.