In this interview ahead of CDAO FSI Brazil, Devenyr Aquino, Executive Superintendent of Data Management at Brazilian bank Bradesco reveals how he overcame challenges in his data management infrastructure to supercharge success:
C: Are there any key moments or projects in your career where data quality or governance have played a pivotal role in your learning and success?
DA: Definitely. My journey in data and analytics started more than almost two decades ago at HSBC. I was a senior executive there, overseeing information management in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Panama. When Bradesco acquired HSBC in Brazil, they didn't have a data analytics team. About seven years ago, I was tasked with creating this team from scratch. Later, I also built the analytics team for our digital bank.
Upon returning to Bradesco, my focus shifted primarily to data governance and quality.
We faced challenges with a tool that we had purchased, but after consulting with Gartner and other industry professionals, we resolved these issues, enhancing our data governance framework.
We've made significant strides in controlling and monitoring data quality, especially identifying and rectifying issues quickly. Our team now supports numerous business areas, and we're also expanding our capabilities into the cloud, ensuring governance and quality there as well.
C: How can you successfully diagnose where your data quality problems are coming from?
DA: Identifying the source of data quality issues was straightforward. The main challenge we faced was with the tool, which was not performing as expected. We realized that the tool itself was robust, but the support was lacking.
After extensive discussions with various industry experts and a detailed analysis by a company specializing in the vendor, we not only resolved the tool's issues but also enhanced our team's ability to use it effectively. This approach helped us to identify and address data quality problems at their source, whether in our internal systems or from external inputs.
C: If you were going to go back in time to the beginning of that process, what would you do differently to get ahead of these kinds of issues from the outset?
DA: Looking back, the key lesson I learned was the importance of a comprehensive and supportive partnership with the tool provider. Initially, the tool was implemented without a deep integration into our business processes.
If I could redo it, I would ensure that the contract with the tool provider included support not just for implementation but also for embedding it into our business operations. We needed a partner who would work closely with us, understand our specific challenges, and stay committed until we fully realized the tool's potential in our environment.
It's about forging a partnership beyond just purchasing a tool; it's about having a collaborator committed to your success.
Devenyr Aquino is speaking about supercharging data management infrastructure success at FS&I Brazil on the 27th and 28th of February -- register to attend here
