First Central has data front and centre in its business strategy on a page; it’s boldly declared in our definition of who we are, our purpose, and our mission which is an incredible opportunity for a data leader and their team. So, the ambition we have at First Central for data management and for creating value from it combined with a truly exceptional collaborative culture is an highly motivating environment to be in. One of the reasons I joined the business was that I wanted to work in an organisation that had a similar, ‘family-type’ feel as my previous company but one that had a more entrepreneurial, fast-paced edge to it. I have certainly found that here. Finally, because we chose to create our own insurance platform and adopted cloud technology early, the opportunities for generating rich event data and then embedding analytical models into customers’ journeys are huge. Again, this is a highly motivating element of the data ambitions of our business.

My career experience causes me to provide the following advice, which is relevant for opportunities here at First Central: • Build credibility by doing what you say you will • Team spirit trumps all • Seek to understand and don’t judge a book by its cover • Give people space; micro-management is a killer • Be relentless in seeking to understand yourself • Coaching and mentoring are transformational and are amazing gifts you can give to others • Take risks and be brave • Be human, be vulnerable, show emotion to make yourself accessible

Having a modest academic achievement record and working inside a large organisation for most of my career had created an inherent feeling of imposter syndrome that caused me to doubt my own abilities and knowledge. Given the above, being invited to present at the flagship Data and Analytics event in the UK run by Gartner was a major sense of pride for me, particularly as it was on the topic of the innovative use of data harnessing leading edge approaches and technologies. Presenting to a room of a few thousand people was a huge step outside my comfort zone which gave me renewed confidence in my own abilities and convinced me the work I was leading was at the forefront of our industry.