Head of Strategy (Information & Data Governance) - GPA
(2024-08)
- Defined and executed GPA's enterprise-wide data governance strategy, aligning with corporate objectives to drive ethical data use, regulatory compliance, and competitive advantage in the UK/EU property sector.
- Directed a 12-member multidisciplinary team (Legal, IT, Risk, Property Operations) to operationalize governance frameworks, reducing compliance breaches by 40% and accelerating data-driven decision-making.
- Authored GPA's first Data Governance & Privacy Strategic Roadmap, addressing gaps in GDPR, UK Data Protection Act 2018, and RISK compliance across property lifecycle processes (tenant onboarding, valuation, lease management).
- Designed 15+ enterprise standards, including Data Ethics Guidelines, Third-Party Data Sharing Protocols, achieving 100% alignment with ICO audits and cabinet office standards.
- Recruited and onboarded key roles including Data Protection Leads, Information Governance Lead, Data Governance Lead, and Delivery Manager to establish a dedicated team supporting GPA's data governance initiatives.
- Instituted & Chaired a data governance board to oversee critical data projects implementing stage-gate reviews. Project methodology stage-gates were also introduced.
- Identified and remediated vulnerabilities in tenant data retention practices. Introduced data classification policies. Designed risk management framework.
- Led the team in conducting information governance and Cabinet Office DMA audits, ensuring compliance and identifying improvement opportunities.
- Engaged and communicated with key internal stakeholders through regular updates and presentations, securing funding and support for the introduction of a centralized data governance framework to enhance oversight across multiple business units.
- Elevated GPA's data maturity from level zero to level 2 within six months, achieving a satisfactory rating across all audits.
- Embedded risk management framework across GPA to actively manage data risks.
- Promoted a strong data governance culture by integrating privacy and security principles into organizational practices through workshops for employees, fostering accountability and ensuring compliance by design across all data domains.
Data Governance Lead / Project Manager / Business Analyst / SME - Davies Group - US
(2024-05-13 - 2024-07-12)
Played a key role as a Data Governance Business Analyst/Project Manager and Subject Matter Expert (DG Lead) for a Proof of Concept (POC) project with US Davies Group Life and Health (7-week POC).
- Led the POC initiative to assess the Data Governance approach needed for the US market, which presented significant differences compared to the UK market.
- Overcame challenges related to stakeholder buy-in and the absence of assigned data ownerships by pivoting towards identifying and training data stewards to fulfil MVP responsibilities.
- Implemented access controls, retention policies, and deletion strategies for unstructured data to enhance data governance practices.
- Successfully drove the understanding and adoption of Data Governance principles within the organization through strategic planning and execution with Life and health business entity at the rudimentary level.
- Championed the establishment of a Data Governance framework that emphasized data quality, integrity, security, and compliance to enhance decision-making processes and operational efficiency.
Business Analyst: Data Privacy Lead (ROPA & Information Lifecycle Management) - AstraZeneca
(2023-11-06 - 2024-06-29)
Led a comprehensive data privacy program in commercial space focusing on Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) across EU markets, the USA, India, and China, ensuring compliance with local regulations. Developed and implemented data privacy policies and frameworks aligned with GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations.
