Data Conversations Over Coffee with Anwar Mirza
FedEx Express Global Head of Data Governance Anwar Mirza gives his top three tips for building an effective data management strategy
In this episode of Data Conversations Over Coffee, Anwar Mirza, Global Head of Data Governance at FedEx Express, takes us through his philosophy for developing and implementing effective data strategies.
Along the way, Mirza drives home how data governance forms the core of any data strategy, and why the data strategy must enable the overall corporate strategy. The two should never exist independently of each other.
Importantly, he shares his experiences about how to bring the rest of the business into the data management process through using language and concepts that have meaning in different business contexts.
“It’s all about language,” he says. “[You may have] one PowerPoint presentation that you deliver to the board. That doesn’t mean you should give the same one to the masses or to the middle management. You have to tailor that message each time, because everybody speaks a different language.”
“It’s so important that every data management professional realizes they are not going to walk into a company and be given huge endless bundles of money,” he concludes. “They have to support the business strategy.”
Key Takeaways
- Scalability is key – be able to scale up data management capabilities by making them consistent and repeatable
- Automation enables scalability – automate data management processes to achieve data management ‘at scale’
- Solid processes ensure consistency – define and articulate the processes so they are auditable, repeatable and shareable
